September 20: Who knew a tuna sandwich could do 300 km/h ? I sure didn’t until yesterday when I had lunch on the high-speed TGV train between Avignon and Paris. There was really no sensation the sandwich was moving that fast. Things were going by the window pretty quickly but I would have thought we were doing something like 180 km/h. It’s amazing technology, and it allowed us to cover the 700 km distance in just over 3 hours.
So now I’m in Paris. I had dinner last night with my friend Harlene who was also at Le Beaucet. She left this morning for Toronto and I’m forced to wander the streets alone. Such a hardship. The hotel is about 3 blocks from Notre Dame on the Left Bank. After spending 2 months virtually alone and out in the country, coming into the heart of a large city is pretty intense.
This little square is at the end of the street. It’s remarkable that a few trees and a bit of grass can make such a difference to the character of the street. The space feels cooler and more relaxed, and the fountain splashes just enough to drown out some of the traffic noise. I spent some time people-watching at the café over a glass of Tavel rose. The complimentary dish of spiced olives disappeared a lot more slowly than the 300 km/h tuna sandwich.