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Day Four/something new and something old!

 When I woke up today and saw that it was cold and grey, I knew it was not the day to go to Montmartre as I had originally planned...I want a clear day for that so I can enjoy the view. I had something else in mind for today...when my wonderful god-daughter Britany went to Paris for her honeymoon last year, she commemorated the occasion by getting a tattoo of a bottle of wine and a little charcuterie plate.  I loved this idea as a permanent way to preserve a special memory. And some of you may know that I had a dream of writing a coffee-table book about pro athletes' tattoos! I knew that all their tattoos represented something personal...those are the stories I wanted to show in my book. I actually spoke with someone in publishing who thought it was a great idea; the tricky part was getting pro athletes to buy in...I had no contacts with Steph Curry, LeBron James, or Michael Phelps and others, and my dream died.  But I have been intrigued by tattoos and why people get them. So.....what better way to memorialize my special trip and my story?!  I did a little research on tattoo parlors in Paris and ultimately selected one called Downtown Paris Tatoo.  What appealed to me is that the tattoo artist are all women, the studio is pretty and light and cheery.  So this morning I took the metro to the Montparnasse area to check it out.  The gals working there were delightful and they told me to come back in 1 hour.  This gave me time for a cup of tea at a cafe, and also time to wander over to a hotel I was interested in for a future visit.  At the appointed time, I headed back to the studio and met Adele!  She was so warm and spoke great English.  She asked lots of questions about what I wanted, she offered opinions, but kept saying I was the boss!.  I felt so good and 100% confident and we headed upstairs to the big studio with floor to ceiling windows. and she got to work!  She continued to talk to me while she was working and really put me totally at ease.  Here is my final product...and also the adorable Adele!



This is my new "friend" Adele!


After all the "excitement of the tattoo, I decided to wander around the St. Germain des Pres area; good people watching and fun window shopping! 

I called Gary who I don't think really believed I got a tattoo until I posted the photo on Instagram!  I think I planned my trip at the perfect time; I'm missing the heat wave at home, and I dodged a week of rain the week before my trip, with another week of rain beginning on the day I leave.  How did I get so lucky!?!?

OK, the tattoo was the "something new"...the "something old" was my dinner at my favorite restaurant in Paris!!  Several years ago when I came to Paris with my sister in law and nieces, and met up with my other  sister in law and brother in law, we stumbled upon a restaurant called Les Bougresses in the Marais.  We were so blown away by the food and the ambiance that we actually went a second time on that trip!  Last year when we came to France with John and Babette we dined there again and it was just as good.  And I have told 3 different people to dine then when in Paris...NOBODY has been disappointed.  It is very small, and tables are shuffled around to accommodate various size groups.  On all our previous dinners there we were the only Americans dining.  Tonight I heard 7 other tables speaking English which was kind of a bummer...but oh, well...the food was still great and the 3 guys working there are still just as fun (1 chef, 1 front of house, and 1 front of house/bartender).  For 31 euros I had a 3 course meal that was fabulous;  I got the mussels in wine, cream, and basil sauce (with yummy bread to soak up all the extra sauce!). The mussels came from Mont San Michele.  For the entree I had to go with the little raviolis in the lightest cream sauce you ever had.  It is not think and heavy like Alfredo sauce...and the raviolis are so small, about half the size of a postage stamp.  (these are NOT Italian style raviolis!) And dessert was a fruit tart.  The fruit today was plum and the pastry crust was so thin and crispy...but the dollop of vanilla ice cream softened its right up and it melted in my mouth!
The Mont Saint Michel mussels were fantastic!
(and I forgot to take a photo of the ravioli)

This plum tart with vanilla ice cream was the perfect ending to a great meal!

Time for bed now...I have to rest up for tomorrow's excursion to Montmartre!







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