Flames and Celebration

What's a New Years celebration without great friends, food, drinks, fireworks and oh yes, fire. It seems that MiMi's beautifully decorated apartment in the Trocadero was the ideal place for all these and not one, nor two but three small fires as we celebrated the arrival of the 2005.

Candles provided the ideal backdropped for a chic dinner party to celebrate the entry of the new year. They also provided the ideal situation for small fires. The first was when the beautiful tall slender candles in the huge hurricane lamp decided to merge as one large flame shooting 6-8 inches above the top of the lamp. This sent several guests running about trying to resolve the situation. It was MiMi herself to the rescue with of course water. How else would one put out a fire that large in your foyer. Let's not mention that cold water and hot glass can create their own emergency situation.

The second fire came when Magda decided to make a grand gesture with her napkin setting it afire. Of course, true to form Magda had her own way of dealing with this situation .... she began blowing on it which in turn made the FLAMES spread FASTER. This second situation occurred after several bottles of champagne were consumed and reactions were a little slower than normal. But MiMi was more than prepared for this situation. Asking Magda in her best hostess voice stand still, she also doused this one with water which for some reason she seems to always have easy access.

The third fire was similar to the first (i.e., candles in hurrican lamps) and true to form extinguished by hostess MiMi with her every ready bottle of water. It was after this 3rd near miss at burning up MiMi's beautiful apartment that we concluded that all flames should be extinguished and more champagne should be consumed!

All was made right just in time to welcome in 2005.

Rotating Chickens and Dinner Parties

What can I say ... I am just a simple man with simple tastes! Walk me by one of those hot boxes with chickens going round and round and with potatoes cooking on the bottom tray in natural juices and I start to salivate. So it was only a matter of time (2 days) before I suggested that we all (6 of us) have a dinner at Magda's and that I would provide the food since she was providing the place. I'm sure you can guess the menu ... yes, that's right .... pouli roti, potatoes, fresh salad, bread, wine and a nice tarte for desert. It might seem a little selfish on my part but it was really quite a hit with everyone.

Blending of Friends - South of Montmartre

I can always count on my friend Magda to find interesting places for me to experience on my visits to Paris. I have to say that on this first night in Paris she outdid herself by insisting that we all meet at SOMOs - a restaurant located in the Grands Boulevards area of Paris in an area known as South of Montmartre (hence the name). According to its website, "SOMO offers an unexpected, exclusive dining and drinking experience. It is an upscale, convivial lounge bar appealing to a discerning, cosmopolitan clientele".

Now I can't say how discerning nor cosmopolitan I am but I can say that this was the perfect place for two separate sets of friends to meet and blend into one over food and drinks. What better way to make new friends than by sharing food and drinks.

A holiday visit to Paris that began with 4 Washingtonians was now extended by 5 (expats from Miami, Boston, Ireland, London and Martinique) and plans were quickly made to spend New Years Eve together at Mimi's apartment in the Trocadero.

The Big Silver Bird

This evening I am off to Paris! I will board that "big silver bird" known as UA #914 with 3 close Washington friends for 10 days in Paris. Two of the three (Thelma and Mattie), I have introduced to Paris on earlier trips ... T has joined me each year since for my holiday visits. M comes occassionally with me in the warmer months. She hates cold, damp and wet weather. However, this year she made an exception to me join me when she discovered her close friend Magda (another M) who lives in Paris and will be in town during the 10 days. Chris has never been abroad so I am really exicted to be able to show him Paris. It will be interesting to see what adventures this trip brings.

The Return of the Missing

One-by-one the missing return from their holiday journeys and Georgetown is no longer a silent little village. My street - silent during the holidays - is once again filled with the early-morning sounds of chatting neighbors, barking dogs and evening rush hour. The phone which sat dead for the last week is now alive and well and brings me calls from telemarketers promising riches and fame or from friends discussing their holiday experiences with family and friends. Neither of which leave me with anything more than a warm ear. It's amazing how warm your ear becomes when it is pressed against plastic for any length of time.

Delusional Sightings!

Several weeks ago I discovered some very interesting expat blogs through reading Jason Stone's interesting and enjoyable NYCaParis. Jason's entries were of special interest to me since I am counting the days until I can make the move that he made last July to Paris. As a result of reading Jason's blog, I also began following the day-to-day adventures of La Coquette, and Petite Anglaise which I have thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Perhaps it's the isolation I have been experiencing for the last few days living alone in an 8 story tower in Georgetown where all the in habitants have fled the city for joy and celebration with family, friends, sun or snow or some combination thereof. But when I read La Coquette's entry Joyeux Noël de la Floride today and saw the related picture where others commented "Ah, palm trees and Christmas lights" and "Santa-on-a-surfboard lawn ornaments." I saw 3 huge phallic symbols albeit very attractively decorated but still 3 huge phallic symbols.

Please don't hate me Coquette. These are probably just the delusional sightings from a man deprived of his regular holiday Paris fix and the only holiday lights I have seen this season were on the Georgetown Chrismas tree that was blown down and destroyed by 45 mph winds in early December.

I Should Have Been in Paris Today

I should have been in Paris today. For the past 5 years, I have been in Paris on this day. Why not this year? Well, this year my friend T - who travels with me to Paris each year during the holiday season - convinced me that we should remain in Washington until the 28th and that way we could extend our stay in Paris thru mid-January. It all made great sense to me at the time (early May 2004). Now, on December 25, 2004, all I can say is "I should have been in Paris today".

Washington is empty ... my apartment building is empty. This morning I found myself delivering the stack of abandoned NY Times to all the empty apartments who were missing their occupants. I wonder if my neighbors will know it was me who took care of their papers while they were away. I wonder if I should have left a note that read - "Your paper was delivered by the one occupant who decided not to leave town until the 28th - Happy Holiday".

Perhaps when I return from Paris, I'll ask R and J on 8, M and D on 7, and the orthopedic surgeon on 6, if they liked receiving their Times at their door while they were away. Then I can lead into - "I wonder who was so thoughtful to bring them in and drop them so orderly in front of your apartment." I probably really won't have to ask. They'll all know that it was me since I was the only one who didn't leave town prior to the 25th.

Next year I will be in Paris on December 25th!!!

Beautiful Snow-Covered Georgetown

Usually I am in Paris during the Holiday season between Christmas and New Years. However, this year I was talked into not leaving for Paris until after Christmas and then extending my stay thru the middle of January. At the time, it seemed like a wise-decision. However as I sit here on Christmas Eve writing this, I regret that decision. All my friends and colleagues have fled the city for family, friends, the sun or snow and I now find my Georgetown neighborhood very, very quiet.

So with time on my hands and no plans for a social evening celebration, I began to edit some of my digital photos. I ran across this one of Georgetown taken from my apartment several years ago in the very early morning hours following a surprise snow storm.

Tonight, Georgetown has taken on the quiet stillness associated with that early morning storm and it appears that if one were to venture out tonight their footsteps would only be heard by them ... tonight's stillness is different but similar to those who ventured out during the snowstorm several years ago ... their footsteps were not heard but silenced by the freshly fallen snow. The only visage of their movement outdoors was their footprints.

Only Mother Nature Truly Knows

The weather in Washington during this past month has been wonderful. Most of the days have been in the mid-50s or low-60s with only 2 low temperature days (38 & 24). Today was the first day of my holiday break. I arose to a beautiful sky and 59 degrees ... grabbing the paper I headed off for a nice walk along the Potomac and looked forward to a relaxing read while I watch the rest of my neighbors slogging off-to-work.

As the morning went on I began to notice the clouds rolling in from the west and then I felt a little drizzle. I thought I'd head off to Bistro Francais at the top of the hill for coffee/croissant and to finish my reading. While I sat there I noticed the sky darkening and the showers begin. The showers were like the rains in Florida ... hard for 3-5 minutes and then everything stopped, the clouds moved quickly across the sky as the winds continued to increase.

In between showers I made my way down M Street stopping in Pottery Barn for a few last minute small gifts to hang as surprises on my neighbors doors late Christmas Eve (you know even adults like to be surprised by a secret Santa). While there people came in off the street soaking wet. Looking outside, I decided perhaps the neighbors on the 7th floor also needed to be surprised also by the secret Santa.

The clouds finally blew over, the rain stopped for the moment ... I took that opportunity to make my way further down M Street stopping into Saphora when the next major gust of wind and rain arrived. I sprayed, sniffed and creamed for the next 20 minutes or so until another break in the clouds ... taking advantage of this moment I dashed across the street and into Barnes and Noble where I spent an hour or so browsing and reading and chatting up the staff. Oh yes, and also spending a little more money on nice little gifts. So far this first day of holiday break is costing my a lot of money.

I finally made it home clear of the rain but just in time for a torrential downpour that lasted over an hour. The wind gusts were up to 45 mph. The great old trees outside my window were doing their best to adjust to the ever changing direction of the winds. Now I'm sitting here and the temperature is 29. It's been quite a day and only Mother Nature truly knows what she has in store for us tomorrow.

Do You Speak French?

This is a question I am asked over and over again. My response is always "yes and no". I have studied off and on over the last few years at the Alliance Francaise in Washington. The results of all this work are a solid grasp of the vocabulary and grammar and a good comprehension of the spoken language. However, my only downfall - and this is a significant downfall - is that I am a very hesitant and quiet speaker.

It was interesting to find the other day while reading Jason Stone's posting - Throwing Off the Shackles - that others are also having trouble finding their voices with this language. I couldn't help but leave a comment.

"Jason ... today's item was very interesting to me as well. I live Washington DC and have studied off and on at the Alliance Francaise. My first instructor informed me that my name (JP) sounded horrible (I couldn't help feeling that my dear parents did me a great injustice but bestowing the family initials upon me). She said dramatically in FRENCH for all to hear that from that moment forward I would be called Jean-Paul. Then after the second or third week of class, she recommended that I drink a glass or two of wine before arriving to class. In spite of her, I continue my quest to learn the language. I also find that when in Paris this Washington DC extrovert becomes a rather meek sounding guy. Hopefully, with time I will overcome my meekness and will be able to at least be heard when I speak."

So the answer to the question is - yes, I speak French in a very hesitant and quiet manner. Hopefully my journey on the way to Paris will afford me the opportunities to become less hesitant and a little more forward in my manner of speaking.

One Decision Made

How hard could it be to name your blog? Well for me it took over a year. Tonight I decided on "Life on the Way to Paris" because that reflects my current situation. I have lived in Washington DC for 30 years and have spent the last 12 years shuttling between Washington and Paris.

Paris took my heart on the first visit and continues to hold it captive. Early-on, I decided that Paris would be my retirement home. The fantasies have been great! Now I find myself within 2 short years of the fanatasy becoming reality. It is a very interesting experience when your fantasies begin to near the realm of reality - that in itself opens a whole new pandora's box of decisions.