(View from the cafe window)

As I write it’s Monday morning and we’re still in Paris. The weather is warm (for December) and the sun is shining and there is no rain… in other words, it is perfect. We are on our way home and visiting the last few cafes. I may not be able to sleep tonight from caffeine overload but the coffee is so good. Just now I found a very cute shop, where they sold material, buttons, bells, ribbons and flowery covered notebooks, sigh.

(Very close-up of the almond croissant)

I picked some beautiful buttons and little bells for a garland I’m going to make next week. Waiting to pay I said a few words in French but the young girl behind the counter said something I didn’t understand so I reverted to English. And so did she…. she was saying “you have an accent”. Well…. I am prepared to take that as compliment. If someone thinks you have an accent, then they recognise you are speaking their language… just a little differently! So I told her I was from Ireland and the second young assistant got involved. She loved Ireland…. “the people are so friendly.” Of course, I agreed…. we are friendly…. aren’t we?

(We were on the fourth floor….. )

I’ve been wondering about that. Paris is not noted for it’s friendliness…. and yet the two assistants in the shop were very friendly to me. The waiter who served my cafe au lait and almond croissant  (magnifique) was friendly and spoke to me in perfect English because he knew I wasn’t French (how did he know? no self-respecting French person drinks cafe au lait in the middle of the day!) In the restaurant last night the waitress and waiter were very friendly, asking about Ireland and our experiences in Paris.

Maybe we’re not so much friendly as we encourage friendliness in others?

Or maybe we’re just nosey? Mairead.