J'aime mon petit café

I just love French cafés. Yes, I guess I am not the only one who have a crush on those sooo typical institutions of the French culture. But what I love about the places is the community feeling, how everyone at that sidewalk terasse plays their own little role. The fat man sitting with his extremely small glasses, enjoying a café while trying to resolve the weekend crossword special in the newspaper. The trendy guy that slides in and have a seat next to me, demanding un café allonge avec un verre d'eau, and of course the elegant lady at the side with the bob-hairstyle and big black sunglasses reading her fashin magazine. We all play a different role at that terasse, and we are not really interacting, except for the few times something that happens on the street requires a little comment or a look. Even though we are not communicating, we are together. We are all accepted.

The Maroccan woman who runs the café comes out at the terasse to verify that everyone is happy and content. I ordered in a second café creme while continuing to enoying by reading of Jane Eyre. Even though I no longer live in Paris, even though I just came here yesterday, and even though I never before have visited this small café next to Canal Saint Martin, I do feel like home.

Pariiii

I'm back in Paris for the first time this year. And it sure feels different. Very nostalgic in some creepy but nice kind of way. I just can seem to decide whether I am done with this city or not.. Who said I have to choose anyways?

Right now I am extremely tired after a looong day with not enought hours to sleep. After having switched metro lines three times I was sweating and feeling a little bit mal placé with my big suitcase, I managed to enter into the wrong building and got quite frustrated when I didn't find the French/Swedish names on the interphone. When I finally got out again I saw my friend Carola standing on her balcony with her long blond hair and biiig smile waiving at me.

Carola married her long time French boyfriend Olivier last summer, and the couple lives in a spacious trois pièce by Canal Saint Martin. The apartment has a balcony with a view of the canal, which gives an amazing feelig when in the living room since you have view of water... in central Paris! Right now the many streetlights are reflecting in the water and I could just sit and stare at it - I could if I wasn't soo crazy tired.

Tomorrow we can do a grâce matinée before heading to the airport Charles de Gaulle. There is a slight chance that Carola can bring me with her into the secretive Cité Air de France building, where all the fancy classy AF-crews are hanging out. After that, inchallah, I will get a seat at her 12 hour flight (yes you read right!!!! 12 hours!) down to Mauritius.

But all that is tomorrow. Now I am just reay to lay by head down on my pillow and get some well-deserved rest. And maybe dream about the café crème and croissant that I am planning on having for breakfast tomorrow morning at the brasserie down at the corner.

Darling sister

When my alarm rang this morning it wasn't the usual annoying SonyEricsson "Soft Harp". It was something else that made me laugh a lot just a minute after waking up (not sure I have ever done that before in my life). My sister had recorded herself using a very mellow, mysiterious tone of voice and she said "abre los ojos.. abre los ojos.. ABRE LOS OJOS".

Thanks sis' this made my day!

I have now prepared some PG tips tea and I am about to sit down in the garden to enjoy the sun for a while, reading my "How To Write a Thesis"-book while secretly again watch our neighbour cutting cutting his lawn wearing only a small tiny piece of textile.. shorts that really belong in the 1980s. Something like these.

Long time no post!

Ok, I haven't been writing for a while. I will do.. soon! Promise!

What can I say in order to update you folks? I am having a quite chilled out summer at my mom's place in Norway. Weather is quite chilled too I must say, and looking out the window I would rather guess October than August. So my darling sister and I are doing autumn-chillout activities such as reading books, drinking hot chocolate and watching movies. Only in French and Spanish of course.

Yesterday we watched "Abre los Ojos" (1997) by Alejandro Almenábar yesterday starring my darling Eduardo Noriega and a young Pénélope Cruz. Must say it was one of the better films we have seen these last days. I have heard that Argentinian films are supposed to be better than Spanish ones.. or at least deeper. A ver!

Now dinner with family!