Le Septieme Jour, Samedi 5, Juillet 2008

Le Jardin du Luxembourg

A word

Thankfully, the small hotel that I am staying in for the night has access to the internet.  So, before I go walking around the quarter, I share a short message.  The evening in the city will be nice as I will take in a bit of the city on my own.  On the way to the neighborhood, I was lost only twice.  I asked directions of three people.  One was a French woman and the other two, an American couple from California.  My experience has always been that I learn best when I end up getting lost.  So, it is necessary for me to brave the outdoors, enjoy dejeuner lunching, and make sure to get a little lost.  I have made sure to turn on the television in the room and listen to all the French being spoken as to receive a little by the grace of osmosis.  :)  The Tour de France  is on right now and I listen as two gentlemen remark on all the action of the race.  Also, today happens to be a rainy day.  I believe it will be rainy for the next couple of days as well.  The good news of a holi-day and the rain is the slower pace of getting around and a more restful spirit of taking in the sights.  This day is sure to be a gift, a week-end retreat from the first week of intense,day long classes.  A day of breath and quiet and reception is a treasure to be relished.

I made my way out and walked east on La Rue de Notre-Dame des Champs and checked out the neighborhood wherein I will stay in a little over a week.  The quarter is pres de very close to the the Luxembourg Garden which is quite manificent.  On the way from St. Germain des-Pres to the Latin Quarter/Luxembourg Garden area, I stopped by a little market and picked up seltzer water, cherries, plumbs, and sweet biscuits.  There, I also lost my map.  Thank goodness, I always have two on hand!  But, I did like all the marks I had made on the run away map.  So, I stopped into a subway station and picked up a new one, on which I have signed anew.  Claiming this territory had been fun for me.  My other map is a plastic one upon which I am unable to make notes and have a sense of the land that I have explored and gotten to know.  Fear not!  All is well and I am restored to two maps in hand.  

On the way back to the hotel, I stopped into a spiff little brasserie and ordered a petit steak and les pomme frites french fries.  The waiter brought mustard for the fries, so I decided to give them a try and they were delicious!  Even with the rain, the day has been lovely and restful.  Though I am spending this time on my own, I find that the many moments are in some ways terrifying and at the same time heartening, also brimming with solitude and yet sparking with inextricable connection.  At le diner dinner, I found myself reflecting on a memory, sad and regretful.  Though interestingly enough, the remembrance intensified in me the deeper impression of a watchful life, loved and very much alive.   

A thought

"To have another language is to possess a second soul."

*Charlemagne, 742-814

King of the Franks, Emperor of the West 

A hope

Continued thanks for traveling along with me on this journey.  Your presence with the many prayers and moments you share are much appreciated!