Hey Dude! Is that my langoustine ravioli?

More reasons to love Paris:

5. dead king's heads in the Musee du Moyen Age (Medieval Museum)

6.   walking through streets forever trying to find the aforementioned Musee and one crosses the street into Luxembourg Garden

flowers in Luxembourg Garden

7. sitting down at lunch  at Le Comptoir with complete strangers and getting invited to visit them in New Zealand


8. on Rue de Bourgogne (very short street) there is a wonderful little hotel AND a bar called Club des Poetes (Poet's Club)---did you all get that??? My street had a Poet's Club!!!

9. this representational portrait (very unusual for the time--most art was religious) in the Musee du Moyen Age, which became my favorite photo from this trip so far

10. the last macaron

p.s.  Paris doesn't suck at all if you greet everyone you meet politely and show that you appreciate what is around you. I was treated beautifully and everyone made little jokes with me. Maybe at me too, but I didn't know!I tried to speak French whenever I could--which was not much. I ate by myself in nice restaurants and got great service and nice seats. What really cracked me up is that I come from a little town in central Washington state where it is notoriously hard to get dates---and I hadn't even made it off the subway before I got hit on by "Emil." I had slept in my clothes all night, had chocolate gateau smeared on my jeans and my greasy hair was hanging in my face. Emil showed me how to find the Magenta line to the Haussman station, told me he liked Obama and asked me if I wanted to go sightseeing with him. I said Non, but thank you (I have a sweet boyfriend) and he said in perfect English: "You are very welcome. It was nice to talk to you. Obama is better than George Bush."

Hey Dude! Where's my macaron?

First photo in Paris--caramel de sel macaron in front of the Louvre
 

Reasons why Paris doesn't suck:

1. Jet-lagged as I was, I located macarons within the first three hours I was in Paris along with a big baguette sandwich and a "Coke Light." I just had to walk into Boulangerie Eric Kayser and point!

2. I stumbled into line at the Musee D'Orsay, where I had forgotten how much I loved this sculpture:
Charles Cordier--Negre du Sudan

3. Views likes this

After a much needed shower and nap I ran to the Eiffel Tower (having overslept and nearly missing my ticket time).

4. Dinner at Les Cocottes sitting at the bar.

Poetry is Cool Part Deux

Welcome to Southern France, where for the next two and a half weeks I am at La Muse Artists' and Writers' Retreat in the Languedoc village of Labastide Esparbairenque.

I am lucky to be on a sabbatical from my job as a writing professor at Central Washington University and very lucky to be here at La Muse right now.

My friend in the photo above, Homer, La Muse's pet spaniel, has been accompanying me on my long runs on the mountain roads that surround the village.

I will be blogging about poetry, writing, running, food, animals and other loves of my life. There will be a daily poem and a running journal. Say hello!