FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2008

We went up to the place de la Bastille this afternoon to get some chocolates for gifts. We took a little bit different route, this time going up the rue du Faubourg St. Antoine. On the way we dropped about a dozen used batteries at the Monoprix which has a collection for used batteries. The street is a rather glitzy place with a lot of furniture stores containing furniture that I and probably you would never buy for our homes. Just behind the place de la Bastille is the chocolate shop, Le Nôtre. We purchased several smallish boxes for friends and went back to the place for our usual, not at the Café Français, but at another smaller one just across the street. After about an hour of our usual, we went back home arriving just in time to meet Linda who had come to take care of the plants on the balcony. We had invited her out to join us for an apéritif at the lounge of the buffet at the Gare de Lyon called Le Train Bleu. The station was built for the Paris Exhibition of 1900 and the buffet with its large ornate rooms, many sculptures and paintings was opened in 1901. It is certainly the Belle Epoque period. We had drinks in one of the rooms, most seats in the many smaller rooms were taken.

We were there for almost two hours chatting with Linda and enjoying our drinks. We left the lounge and passed through the main dining room as you can see us there in the last photo. We went out to the top of the stairs that lead up from the main part of the station and got a wonderful view of the station.

We went back home after saying goodbye to Linda and promising to stay in touch. We had dinner in tonight.