Ahhh...Saturdays.

Even when you're unemployed and living in Paris, Saturdays are good. For one thing, the prefecture isn't even open, so there's no pressure to make any effort toward getting my carte de sejour. For another thing,...actually, the prefecture thing is the only thing that differentiates weekends from weekdays for me, for two more weeks anyway.

A great Saturday starts with a good Friday night, and last night I had dinner with my new friend Quinn whom I met when we were in line to take our placement tests at the Sorbonne. She's from Seattle, very nice, seems very normal & totally un-crazy, and is close to my age and single, so we have lots in common and plenty to talk about. We found a great restaurant in Les Halles last night called Les Petites Carreaux where I had steak (unusual for me) and potatoes followed by creme brulee. Quinn had coq au vin, and we split a carafe of wine. The food was hearty & delicious, the service was great, and I loved the restaurant in general. It's nice to have a new friend and a new restaurant!

As for the placement test, I'm pretty sure I won't end up in the strictly beginner class. I think I'm going to be in the "elementary" class. Which is one step up from beginner and feels right. I had to take the test over at the Raspail location, so afterward I walked a bit and noticed La Coupole, a famous Paris cafe. I ducked in for a cup of coffee and decided that since it was 3:00, Friday, and I had just taken a test, I would have a champagne cocktail instead. So I sat in the window, sipped my very strong cocktail, snacked on the dried fruit & nuts they brought me, and watched the world go by. It's a cool place, and it's huge! It seems to attract a mostly geriatric crowd, but it's beautiful, and the people watching is interesting. It actually felt more like a New York restaurant to me. It's certainly not my boho Montmartre village, but if you're here you should pop in for a drink. Here's a pic of the dome (coupole) in the middle of the restaurant and the sculpture that sits under it. After that cocktail, I needed a good, hearty dinner.

This morning my little energizer bunnies actually let me sleep in, bless their hearts. It felt great. After a leisurely morning of cereal & coffee, email, and list making, I ran errands & picked up some essentials including more bread, more wine, and more cheese. For my friends who are in the know with this sort of thing, I picked up some Brillat Savarin...mmmmm. And since you're not here to help me, I'll be forced to eat all of it. 'Tis a shame, I know.

After errands and a stop at home for lunch, I walked over to the Musee de Montmartre for a little Dali and Picasso. It's a small museum, but it has some great pieces. The Picasso pieces have a friendlier feel than a lot of his work--shiny, happy pieces, and the Dali pieces include some beautiful paintings and great sculptures. I would post pix, but they didn't allow picture taking. I saw two famous Dali clocks, but there's so much more to Dali than I've ever bothered to learn. Consider me a new fan.

I left the museum & walked home, but not before a stop at Arnaud Delmontel for a few caramel du sel macarons. I came home & made a delicious salad for dinner (lettuce, prosciutto, goat cheese, and potatoes) and had macarons for dessert. After tonight, I'm going to have to institute a "once a week" rule for macarons of any stripe. My budget and my waistline demand it.

Off to pour another glass of wine and enjoy some French tv. Bonne nuit!