Thursday, May 10, 2001
Very warm today. Bussed to the Saint-Lazare FNAC where I found both “My Fair Lady” and “Gigi” DVDs with English, French, and Italian as the available languages!
Walked down the rue to a sandwich shop where we
people-watched until it was time for the 12:45 Thursday free concert at Sainte-Trinite.
We’d been up to the dirty doors of the grungy church before. Today we went
in to discover it’s a pearl covered in soot. Gorgeous! Colorful unbroken
stained glass; shining gilt; wondrous paintings and paint finishes; clean
everything.
And the wonderful cathedral acoustics for Mozart’s Motette (Exultate, Jubilate)
and Andante en Fa M; Bach’s Magnificat and chorale; Pergolese’s Salve Regina;
and Gounod’s Ave Maria on organ with Soprano.
As at Saint-Sulpice I felt like I was channeling Carol
and Darren Slider.
God bless Andrew Woolley for telling me to get the March “Gourmet” magazine special Paris edition that told us about the Thursday concerts and many other things.
Bought red peppercorns at Hediard to make our moulin rouge.
Visited two purported birthplaces of Bernhardt: [125 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré...
and 22 rue de la Michodiere.
Also
where Bernhardt was returned to her well-off courtesan mother, Judith "Youle"
Van Hard, after Aunt Rosine had been forced to bring the injured child home
to 265 rue Saint-Honoré.]
Walked from
the Opéra to the “Super” Monoprix whose grocery store had the same Hediard
rouge peppercorns for 1F less. Snicker. We bought cheese; tabouli with chicken;
Viennoise mousse, and cold milk. 
We
picnicked at the fountain across from the Comedie Français.
This morning at the same spot, I got tired of waiting for the bus so I crossed the rue to photos of the fountain. Alan is under the impression that the men waiting for the bus stared at my legs the entire time. I love Paris. It’s the one town in which I can almost believe men were staring at my legs.
We arrived early for “Le Revizor” just to sit and decide for sure if this
was the “Charade” théâtre. We have to go home and watch it again. [It was.]
Who cares? Sarah Bernhardt walked those boards!
Of
the dialogue, we understood perhaps 1% of the words. The acting comprehension
was much higher. I believe “Le Revizor” is “The Inspector General.” [It was.]
Alan laughed often. I smiled a lot and couldn’t stop silently laughing during
the first half of the left-at-the-altar scene...human facial expression can
truly transcend words. I just sat there and shook.
Friday, April 27 | Sabbath, April 28 | Sunday, April 29 | Monday, April 30 | Tuesday, May 1 | Wednesday, May 2 | Thursday, May 3 | Friday, May 4 | Saturday, May 5 | Sunday, May 6 | Monday, May 7 | Tuesday, May 8 | Wednesday, May 9 | Thursday, May 10 | Friday, May 11 | Saturday, May 12 | Sunday, May 13 | Monday, May 14 | Epilogue