De Ce Monde Secret de l’ Amelie Americaine

Free Spirits &
The Joy of Meeting a Real Friend

I’m getting a little misty eyed. I really like Rue Mouffetard. I have breakfast at a bar/bistro and did sudoku en francais….trying to not say the numbers in English but always in French: un, deux, trois, quatre….etc. I feel like I’ve had my first real taste of European life. This feels like another place entirely. I’m cultural anthropologist and I’m seeing the natives in their natural habitat. Another sandy colored retriever came into the bistro with it’s owner and laid down dutifully while it’s master sipped their cafe.
Spend the rest of the day shopping for gifts. It is that stage of my vacation where I have to start thinking about others again and what they would like for the holidays. Found another excellent chocolaterie on Rue Mouffetard along with a specialty shop that sells truffle oils and mustards. I love the mustard in France that sits on each and every bistro table. It has pep, a little zing, maybe it’s horseradish. Whatever it is…I’m loving it. Found the most excellent place to have a cafe on the go, cafe marc…a single shot is only one euro and comes with a little chocolate covered expresso bean. I feel as if I have finally, maybe only partially escaped the jacked up tourist prices of Rue des Ecoles.
Returned to Bar/Bistro at the circular roundabout at the top of the hill. There I met a fellow Americaine, who spoke up when she heard me order my hamburger, “It is so nice to hear someone speak English.” she said. Her name is Leslie. She is a fellow blond who adventured out on her own like me, to just try something new. I respected her immensely. Finally someone who understood what it meant to try and make more thoughtful choices in life and she wasn‚Äôt asking me when I’d get out there again and start dating. She knew from bittersweet experience that some hearts take longer to heal.
We mostly talk about men and failed past relationships. She tells me about an Opera she saw about the artist Degas. I tell her about my life back in New York in the entertainment business. We laugh a lot and exchange emails. Little did I know that this person would later become a very loyal friend. She was one of the trip’s biggest surprises.

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