| Paris Encore 2006 Last Full Day in Paris 1/3/2007 |
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TRAVEL |
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| If Saddam had any say about his last meal,
he should have had it at Les Argonauts. This is the third trip that we have
made through the City of Lights together and the third time we ate at Les
Argonauts. Each time was good, with a superlative added the next time.
This was a great place to eat our last dinner in Paris. The
food....served on a skewer, the first drink.....FREE. It is kir, casis
and white wine. Marsha loves the stuff. They do all the hokey
Greek stuff: break plates, teach the ladies to dance, stand them on a table,
even if someone is eating at it. God, what a wonderful experience.
We got Marsha's picture with the waiter we had from last year. The day started out as any "Last day in the life of a vacation" does. We puttered around the neighborhood, hit the Marche aux Fleurs. It is amazing what they get to grow in this weather. Beautiful flowers and all the accessories that make a garden, terrace or balcony. We then ate a hearty lunch from our fridge and I went off to the Post Office to finish upon all the Post Cards. A bit of a nap, and some catching up on this record of the vacation and we were ready to go for Couscous. It is one of my strongest, earliest memories of Paris, the full feeling from a great plate of couscous. I half-assedly mentioned to Marsha "Would you rather go to les Argonauts, instead?" She sure would. We were seated near the band, both members, and slowly enjoyed our First Drink Free that the barker at the door lures you in with. It appeared to be the same crew as last year, with the same shtick, a teetering espresso cup that is attached to a spoon so it never falls, and being that it is empty, the young waiter doing the trick never spills anything on you. They then get the crowd to clapping, and get any woman that will go along with them to dance until they hoist them on to a table and jump up there with them. Zorba never enjoyed life as much as these guys help you enjoy yours. I had Shrimp on steroids and Marsha had a mixed meat skewer. We asked for the dessert menu, and he brought it and kept pulling it away every time I reached for it. So I figured he could take a joke. I blew him a kiss, and he grinned, handed me the menu and came around to hug me and pose for a picture. We looked at the dessert menu, which even someone fluent in French would have to ask...what the hell is Coup de Coeur? Literally it is blow to the heart, or hit to the heart or conquest of the heart. He would not tell us, but it was for two people. We ordered it and some Bailey's Coffee. "That comes later" we were told. Marsha kept wondering what it was, and the lights in the room dimmed, hell they went OUT, and a sparkler was lit on a plate heading towards us. "Honey, this involves fire" I managed to tell her. We had already drank a kir each , we had split a bottle of Crete rosé wine and were feeling no pain. The Chamignons a la Greque were mushrooms and spicy alcohol. I remembered them from the very first dinner I ate in Paris over 35 years ago. We had a good buzz going! This was fruit and ice cream and cream cheese and honey and walnuts and a sparkling of heaven. It was great. We consumed our liquor laden coffees and finally decided to head out. Marsha had to buy a carry on bag to carry the extra crap that she had bought . On the way out, Marsha threw a 5 euro note in the musicians' tip basket, and got hugged by our waiter. As I passed we also gave each other a hug and wished each other Happy New Year in several languages. And then we passed our waiter from last year. We also exchanged hugs and best wishes in as many languages as we both shared. I am not sure what the patrons of the place thought. It was like we were the Mayor and First Lady of the Latin Quarter and it really got to Marsha. These guys are great actors, or they know how to live a happy life, doing what they do for a living and appreciate people that appreciate what they do for a living. We could not have been more blessed. Maybe cash talks, but affection screams. If you have to have a last meal, let it be this wonderful. Let it be with people who smile and laugh and sing and dance. And always be willing to share a drink with a stranger. There was a sign on the wall that quoted Ernest Hemingway "The only time I said no to a drink was when I did not understand the question". May all your dinners start with the First Drink Free and end with sincere hugs of appreciation for the short time we get to spend with each other. 1/3/2007 |
