Paris summer


… the last days at cite internationale universitaire de Paris ... in the first floor apartment at Pavillion Victor Lyon were bliss … the fever from the travels passed, strength slowly returned, pressures of the year evaporated and sleep returned … a peaceful dreamless sleep … the sense of disheveled and somewhat unpleasantness of June dispersed … morning strolls, afternoon siestas and night walks shaped the days … 



… the weather was miraculous … perhaps a bit warm but the heat proved soothing … the bio-diversity of the surrounding park, the sky full of birds I could only guess as to their nature ... the gentle breeze ... were a cure for all ills … even getting caught in a sudden thunderstorm one evening proved refreshing ... the walk after the rain along a street of gardens was intoxicating ... the perfume of flowers and vegetables filled the air ...

… the multitude of cultural residences never ceased to surprise with nooks of fantastical sculptures and unique architecture … the entire place was graced with people of gentleness quietly bathing in the summer aura … the night skies were clear … the moon waxed full … the hum of the city was distant … a unique festival of gardens of the world formed the background of our time … 

 … we packed and cleaned … feasted on wonderfully simple meals of salmon, whitefish, shrimp, salads of fresh tomatoes, peppers, avocado,mushrooms and olives, bean noodle soup, ginger eggplant, nuts and lemon water, sipping espresso coffee and breaking bagette … Ae bought some birthday cake … a deep chocolate forest cake ... a mango cream cake ... a dry cheese cake with reminded me of italian biscotti ... a delightful time ...



… a highlight was a visit to Sceaux Park … Ae stored her belongings at a friends house who took us to this immense historical site close by … it was a Sunday and a scattering of families, tourists, joggers and horse riders gave the park a living feel as we promenaded the endless paths … i wanted to soak in the history of the place but simply opted for touching the bark of the five hundred year old trees … Paris and its surrounding could be peaceful and gentile if one could find the oasis of clam … the trees speak wisely as the buildings burn, crumble, disintegrate, renovate ... the man-made canals, pruned french gardens share stories of monarchs and revolution ... the trees share something beyond ...

… even the walks to INALCO were pleasant as if summer dared the city to break the peaceful, placid, deep germination …  somehow we were woven into a serene territory of calm celebration … Paris exhaled … i exhaled … 

... the Moroccan bag i picked up at the market in Casablanca tightly stowed away all the dichotomies institutions so insist on devising ... it clung faithfully to my back ... behind ... always ready to accept and stuff down the mundane and tedious ... the exhilaration of the moment was precious ...


::Note:: ... did attend Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne's Why at Bouffes du Nord ... a  three person lecture/homage to Meyerhold and his devoted actress wife Zinaida Reich ... a second part of summer ... a Seoul summer with time in Japan beckons ... wonder what open windows will bring ... open hearts ... open imagination ... open mind ... open feelings ...

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