A birthday in Paris

Miles said he wanted to spend his birthday in Paris eating crepes and sailing boats in Luxembourg Garden so we took the slow cheap train from Brussels for a couple of days to do just that. We managed the crepes anyway. Le Jardin du Luxembourg a été fermé, unfortunately, but it made sense due to the city unrest right now.

Last time we were there we couldn't see any of Notre Dame at all– that was back in 2024 and it was still covered in scaffolding. Now it's down to just one crane and you can walk right up. Bells are back too.

I did stop at the legendary CityPharma--yes, it was full of goofy influencers but also is comprehensively awesome and justly deserves its reputation. Three (four?) floors of everything you could ever need! I have not learned the pharmacies here in Brussels and can't ever find what I need even though I am sure it is there, somewhere. Like a simple bottle of antiseptic! Where? I got everything I've been looking for at CityPharma where it is cheaper anyway and lugged it back home with me. Phil and Miles couldn't hack it and waited for me outside. It was like DeKalb Market the day before Thanksgiving in there.

Speaking of influencers, we didn't go inside of Shakespeare & Co. because there was a line outside and I didn't want to wait. Too impatient me. They had a sign up telling people to put away their phones and enjoy the books instead but I don't think it was working. Miles and I found an English language section at a second-hand bookshop with the full Duncton Tales trilogy, plus a copy of Mrs Beeton's Household Management just so I can stay on top of current issues. They were only €1 each! Also we found three kittens living at an incredible music shop near the Bastille.

We avoided the Bastille area the next day actually, because the city was feeling uneasy. Signs of the protests and subsequent riots and looting were everywhere. Many shops were being boarded up on Friday night in anticipation of an intense day on Saturday and you could tell things had been rough--lots of burnt patches on the sidewalk and streets and smashed windows all over the Marais. Oddly, there were tons of Americans wearing Steelers and Saints garb wandering around because of a football game in town. My snotty kid said they talked too loudly in the restaurants. I met some Americans who were Xavier alums and she told me there's a new med school there now which I did not know. Our apartment was on the eighth floor so you could see a gorgeous view of the Eiffel Tower and the Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur, but also get freaked out by the wind and rain whipping around the building. Late in the night we heard screams and shouting and it might have been half the wind screeching but also half a big group of people marching by and chanting. My Atlanta-trained ears thought there were bursts of gunshots but it was probably just either tear gas canisters or maybe nail guns putting up more boarding over windows late into the night. Our train was cancelled out of the city on Saturday and we had to scramble to find a new one back to Brussels. Luxembourg Garden and the museums and Metro stops were closed and waiting for trouble. We never felt unsafe, it was more just like a really strange time to be there. Protesters, unrest, things were closed...and Americans in football jerseys.