Paris from my Phone

 À Bientôt !

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Signs and Wonders

Rounding off my Mum's fun but all too swift stay, we decided to eat out on the final night. During a scout out of Trip Advisor reviews, I came across a gem of a restaurant called '1000 et 1 signes'. The name didn't mean much to me, until I read about the restaurant's concept. 

PREMIÈRE PERSONNE SOURDE À OUVRIR UN RESTAURANT - CAFÉ PHILO BILINGUE (FRANÇAIS /LANGUE DES SIGNES) DE SPÉCIALITÉS MAROCAINES BIO OU AVEC DES PRODUITS DU MARCHÉ. Pour une clientèle d'entendants et de sourds, de personnes qui travaillent et se restaurent dans le quartier du 9ème arrondissement 
de Paris, 1000 &1 signes est un espace chaleureux et convivial, de restauration marocaine biologique, servie dans un décor Pop'art Made in Bled: 

• Où bien manger, même en peu de temps, est possible et accessible; 
• Où créer des liens ne passe pas forcément par la parole orale; 
• Où l'on peut, le temps d'un repas: vivre une expérience gourmande, s'ouvrir à la Langue des signes, favoriser l'activité économique de citoyens sourds, loin des clichés sur le "handicap" (cuisiniers et serveurs sourds), valoriser le commerce responsable et l'échange entre les cultures Sourde et Entendante.

Apart from serving delicious and generous portions of moroccan food, this tiny place in the 9th arrondissement is pretty special, as according to their website, it is the first restaurant to be opened by a Deaf person. It is a bilingual cafe-philo and aims to create links between Deaf and hearing people, showing that communication is always possible, even if not strictly through words. The restaurant also want to do away with tired old prejudices against 'disabled' people: the talented waiters and cooks are all Deaf and provide a brilliant service, with a dash of humour and exuding warmth and charm at the same time. For once, you are the clumsy, well-meaning fish out of water - whilst the waiter dances perfectly at ease between the tables, making himself clear with a swish and a flick of some pretty snappy fingers. I think a role reversal like this is only too important, as you begin to realise just how difficult Deaf people have it in a world that cares nothing for promoting or supporting such a beautiful language. I didn't get many pictures as the lighting was quite dimmed - so you'll just have to go and visit yourself!

The next day, Mum & I wound our way around the 7th arrondissement's finest sites:

Rue de Cler with its cute shopping & then a stroll towards the base of the Eiffel Tower.

       

On the way home, we stumbled across an open air photography exhibition put on by The Musee du quai Branly. Paris is great for these sudden, unexpected treasures which you stumble upon by chance. There's nothing better than wandering along by the river, taking your time not to rush for once, and to really open your eyes and see.

 My favourite work by Rony Zakaria: 

Just one thing I might have changed on our little adventure: next time - look after your macarons. This €10 mush is definitely not as pretty as the pastel coloured shiny topped rounds which Mum might have hoped to bring home. Perhaps the box would have been a good investment after all...! I'll bet it still tastes as good though :)

À Bientôt !

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Paris-New York-London

So the day finally rolled around where I had to say goodbye to Sarey and Tommo :( ! After an incredibly brief trip to the Musee d'Orsay which had queues snaking all over its courtyard, we headed to Paris-New York. It's a burger restaurant near to Strasbourg-Saint-Denis, whose 'Morning California' burger I'd already had the pleasure of trying with a certain Miss Aggie Ford.

Round 1 of Paris-New York, The Morning California

Round Two - I didn't get round to taking many photos, sorry!

This time round I went for the Smoky Blue which I think pipped my first burger to the post in terms of taste, and we shared some loaded fries (with cheese & bacon - so decadent!) and ordinary chips. It's a very hip kinda place (if Urban Outfitters opened a restaurant, this would be it). Here's the menu:

 

Before long it was time to say goodbye at the Gare du Nord. I'd had the best weekend where I was with people I loved, and I didn't have to always think hard about what to say or put on a winning personality to try and fit in. I miss them so much but I'm so glad they came! It was with a heavy heart that I got back onto the Metro, bereft of my two partners-in-crime. 

Really good chocolates I bought for pudding for  the three of us - you've got to try them!

Luckily, I knew a friendly place where I would be welcomed - The Église Paris-Villiers. Such a warm, inviting church - their evening meeting happens twice a month and is more of a discussion platform for those who want to think about things beyond the mundane, hum-drum white noise of daily life. This week it was about why people pray. If you're anything like me, you've got big questions about your 'raison d'etre' and what life is all about. I won't pretend to be an expert, but when we studied Philosophy for a year at university I didn't find any answers there. Even if you are mildly interested or just looking for a warm welcome - please think about going along! I was greeted with take-out pizza after the short talk and, full of burger and missing home, I hesitantly ate a slice. 

It turns out that prayer, pizza and friendly people were just the cure I needed for a little bout of home-sickness.

Birthday gifts: Cute alarm clock and candle. DVDs - landlady's own ;) 

À Bientôt ! 

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