week-end

Sam's folks were here at the weekend. We did a lot of shopping in the soldes, at bon marché, and on the rue du cherche midi. Everyone was tired by the time we got to the end of the r.d.c.m., so we got on a bus to get back to sam's folks hotel near to our flat, there being no convenient metro options. The bus was great theatre. At odéon a couple got on with an enourmous and very heavy flatscreen TV they had obviously just purchased in the sales, but the bus was so crowded the girl lost her temper and dragged her boyfriend and the TV back off again at the back door shouting things like 'take public transport you said! no need to get a taxi you said!'. In a few years time I'm sure they'll sit in front of the TV and laugh.. two other passangers were carrying small nervous dogs, one attempting to hold the dog, and a mobile phone, and hold on to the rail. The bus almost squashed a moped on the île de la cité, swerving and throwing passangers and dogs into each others arms, before finally depositing us a few steps from the hotel.

we ate some good food in le pré vert again, and also in Café Jav, where we've eaten a few times now, just south of Bon Marché, offering a winning combination of frites maison, bertillon ice cream and friendly service.