Diary 9 January 2015
Written then
Another exceptionally slow start. How will I ever cope when I go home? I guess I must’ve been really tired after a long and difficult year. I put on the TV this morning and was thoroughly depressed as the hunt for the jihadistes continues, and worsens. It seems they have taken hostages at a construction site just north of Paris.
I’m now sitting in the cafe, Soul Kitchen, that I discovered yesterday, trying to fire up some energy with a cappuchino. Their coffee isn’t up to the standard of their hot chocolate!
My plan for today is to explore Montmartre, avoiding the most touristy bits which are full of touts and gypsies.
Written now
At breakfast there was a car chase north of Paris then the siege at the construction site; at lunchtime another siege in eastern Paris in the Jewish supermarket. While France was in turmoil I attempted to forget the horrors. Very difficult when one wasn’t sure if there’d be another incident or more.
I resolutely tramped around Montmartre from my place to Sacre Coeur, to Au Lapin Agile, towards the exotic markets of Chateau Rouge. Here are some of the sights:
After lunch at home, I caught the metro first to Etienne Marcel to track down some of the covered arcades (passages) before walking to Bourse, the Paris stock exchange, to find Galerie Vivienne which is close by.
Here are some of the things I saw:
This was my favourite part of the day.
Later, before dinner, I watched more or less live on TV the lifting of the two sieges and the rescuing of the hostages.
I was able to go out to my last evening meal (Chez Ginette, 101 rue Caulaincourt) in Paris much relieved but with a heavy heart. The world seems a very random place sometimes.
