Like any office in the world, Friday is usually the best day of the week:
the weekend is about to arrive, work is light in the afternoon, and
you usually end work early to go out to a bar for happy hour or to meet up with friends.
The slight difference in Paris is that one meets up with friends along the Seine for
wine and cheese, visits the artistic exposition of the moment, or hits up a trendy bar
in the Marais.
In other words, the scenery is extraordinary.
Below are photos, showcasing one (of the many) examples of a Friday well spent,
and oh how I'll miss these afternoon rendez-vous this fall.
The Friday Lunch à la française
Last Friday, Daisy came to join me for lunch as she had a week of vacation and was exploring Paris. So, we met up at my office, and from there, I gave her a tour of the 9e arrondissement during my lunch hour (and 20 minutes).
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| We first started up Rue Laffitte, which has an amazing view of Notre Dame de Lorette and Sacré Coeur. |
From there, we walked around Notre Dame de Lorette and up Rue des Martyrs as I wanted to show Daisy my favorite street of Paris (look out for the blog on this street). While on Rue des Martyrs, we stopped to get gourmet pita and lamb sandwiches from a Greek traitor and superb desserts from Sebastien Gaudard (see below).
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| Desserts made with only the finest and lightest ingredients. |
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| Place d'Anvers on Avenue Trudaine (Note Sacré Coeur just behind the apartments!) |
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| Daisy enjoying her dessert |
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| Her dessert up close: A light meringue with chocolate cream |
After we finished, we walked back to Rue des Martyrs and took Rue Victor Massé and then Rue Henry Monnier to arrive at Place Saint George.
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| Avenue Trudaine |
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| The entrance to Avenue Frochot at the intersection of Rue Henry Monnier |
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| Place Saint George |
From there, Daisy and I went our separate ways: she went to Musée Gustave Moreau while
I returned to work for one, last time. During the afternoon, my co-workers
threw me a good-bye party: drinks and snacks were served, gifts and kind
words were exchanged, and bises (the French cheek-to-cheek
kiss) were given as the end of the party as we left the office for the weekend.
Overall, my internship was a wonderful experience, and I was so grateful
to have had the opportunity to spend 10 weeks at Africa Regional Services.
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| Sacré Coeur from above |
At 5:00, Daisy and I met up once again the Centre Pompidou to admire
the modern museum's art, architecture, and view of Paris.
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| A special exhibition on Picasso's portraits of his late wife |
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| Henry Matisse's "stain glass windows" |
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| The sculpture garden |
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| The Jackson Pollack painting |
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| Art has the ability to touch and admire all ages |
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| A sculpture I found particularly moving: the mound consists of the shredded, Cypriot pound (the former currency of Cyprus); it is meant to show how Cyprus has been negatively affected by its entrance into the European Union and its adoption of the Euro. |
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| A painting showing the bombing and subsequent reconstruction of the Mostar Bridge. Mostar is a historic town in Bosnia that was heavily bombed during the Yugoslav wars in the 1990s. I found this painting to be rather personal as my family and I had visited the bridge and learned about its significance from a local tour guide. |
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| These chandeliers were hung during the Paris Peace Accords, the treaty that put an end to the war between North Vietnam and the United States. The artist purposely hung the chandeliers upside down to show not only how peace was not achieved, but also how Vietnam plunged into chaos and strife following the war's end. |
Following our two hours at the museum, Daisy and I
grabbed a glass of wine at a boat-bar along the Seine and then
got French-inspired tapas and cocktails at Le Marie Celeste
in the 3e arrondissement.
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| The meal: Deviled eggs (the restaurant's specialty), fresh crab cakes and an English-inspired cocktail served in a tea cup... très bon! |
Not bad, n'est-ce pas?
