With the weather stuck in drip mode, we headed off to the heart of Paris and the RM Smith bookstore, which stocks its English language books and magazines in its rue de Rivoli shop. When we exited the Métro at Place de la Concorde, we found better weather with sunny skies and the sidewalks crowded with tourists, many apparently from the British Isles.
We made a one-block jog to rue Saint-Honoré and strolled past the boutiques and other high-end shops before spending time in the bookstore, then walked through Concorde and its preparations for the November 9th celebration there of the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago on that date. France’s remembrance will echo Russian cellist Mistislav Rostropovich playing at the base of the crumbled Wall a few days later in an emotional tribute to freedom. Twenty-seven cellists will perform together, each seated within a mock-up of a section of the wall (to protect them from the elements), complete with graffiti similar to that which adorned the West side of the Wall throughout its length.
Doug’s enthusiasm for the anniversary celebration stems from his service in a divided Berlin with the Army in the 1960s. The Wall was a constant fact of life for all Americans there, most particularly members of his MI unit, as was the encircling barbed wire and "death strip" barrier along Berlin's northern, western and southern city limits. Apparently only one photo of the many he took of the Wall is on the laptop we’re using for this trip; it was taken in 1967 at Checkpoint Charlie and is posted after the last of today’s photographs. (For notes on the photo and what it depicts, see the June 6, 2005 post in our France & Germany ‘05 journal, at left.)
We walked along the Seine from Place de la Concorde past several boats tied up along the bank to the pedestrian bridge we used to cross over to the Left Bank. There were no artists painting on the bridge as we’ve seen on other visits, and we were surprised to see dozens of padlocks attached to its railing – apparently of some use to the artists when they’re on site.
The day ended with a bus ride along rue de la Convention rather than a walk of several blocks to L’Oie Cendrée, 51 rue Labrouste. Having been thoroughly satisfied with the Margret Canard three weeks earlier at the same establishment (see October 17th post), we ordered it again with the same results. We can’t recommend the restaurant highly enough. We did walk home, propelled by the slight downhill slope of the street for several blocks back to the apartment. The night had turned cold, and as it did, so did Lennie’s cold turn. Tomorrow looks to be a stay-at-home day, which is probably the best medicine.
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