thequietstorme: Paris Trip#2 - Day 5

We got off to a decent start on Sunday morning, ate breakfast at the apartment and headed back to the exact same area we had been for dinner the night before to check out an outdoor art market that I had researched on the Internet. I was determined to invest a bit of money and bring home something to put on the wall as a souvenir of our Paris experience. I had seen some nice paintings of Paris landmarks outside of Musée D'Orsay on my last trip that were quite reasonably priced, but not only did I find the art very 'touristy', but the artist was a little too pushy for my taste. I had really wanted to buy one of the abstract African paintings we saw outside of Centre Pompidou, but Shawn didn't like any of them. I felt that we would be able to find something to both of our likings at this art market, within our budget, for sure. We had quite a walk by the time we reached it, and it was overcast & chilly that morning, so the walk was not all that enjoyable.

We saw many beautiful and interesting pieces, paintings, carvings, unique statues, etc. but the prices of everything were so high - much higher than we expected! It reminded me a lot of the Salon d'arts et métiers Montreal has right before the Christmas holidays at Centre Bonaventure - gorgeous stuff, but really unaffordable for us. Most of the artists were really friendly and so proud of their work. Our favourite by far was an older man who had absolutely stunning watercolors and oil paintings of outdoor scenery - his signature technique used in most of the nicest ones was reflections of the scenery in bodies of water - they looked almost like actual photographs they were so realistic! He showed us every single work he had for sale in his stack! I so wanted to bring home one of his paintings, even just a small watercolor, but Shawn pointed out that spending 60-80 EUR on a postcard sized painting that will barely show on the wall was not such a smart investment. I reluctantly had to agree. His larger paintings ran from 200 - 300 EUR and higher. Shawn is very 'go big or go home' and reminded me that our salaries cannot yet permit us to start collecting art as a hobby. I left there so disappointed, knowing we could not put up a painting we bought in Paris next to our 2 that we bargained for in Jamaica.

On our way out, at one of the last stalls, I was admiring some ceramics & the woman who was selling them, who was away from her stall talking to someone at another one, came rushing over, screaming about how I should watch my handbag or I could break something! I was of course being ultra careful, and my purse on my shoulder was more than clearing what was behind me. I didn't say a word, mumbled 'screw her' under my breath, and walked away, not wanting to waste another moment looking at her stuff. Shawn was apologetic and said something like 'pas de soucis' (no worries) with a smile, which I felt she didn't even deserve!!!

It was time to head back, eat lunch, pack up & leave so I could be at the airport for my 5-ish flight. I served up some of the previous night's wine to get rid of it, and it wasn't so bad paired with the Knorr packaged vegetable potage, roasted eggplant & pita we were having. I had packed much lighter this time for this shorter trip, so we had less trouble lugging my suitcase there. I was thrilled to climb those killer stairs in Shawn's apartment building for the last time!!

Upon checking in at the airport, a staff member advised me once I got to the front of the line that my flight was overbooked, and that they were offering $300 to passengers willing to stay an extra night to cover hotel accomodations and meals. Shawn's face lit up at the prospect of having me with him another night & staying in an aiport hotel for free! The possibility crossed my mind only a brief milisecond & I had to decline the offer right away, knowing I was expected back at work the next day! I knew my boss would absolutely FREAK if I called in & said I was only coming in Tuesday! The owner of the company I work for had already given me 3 paid days off as a favour, as this trip was his idea as he felt bad that I couldn't take more time off to stay longer the first trip, so I really didn't want to push my luck with them! Shawn joked & said we should take the $300 and spend it on electronics & just go back to the apartment to stay! I don't think it works that way!

Saying our goodbyes was easier this time, as I knew I'd have my hubby back home for good in 3 short weeks. I watched Mr. Bean's Vacation on the flight home, which had some really funny parts - like when he gets served a raw seafood platter in a restaurant (like we'd seen at Chez Clément)...the premise of the film is really quite silly, but it was a perfect in-flight movie that you don't have pay too much attention to, that keeps you entertained at a base level! We had left Shawn's car at his parent's place & gotten a lift from his Mom to the airport, so his Dad was meeting me at the airport that night to take me to my car. Customs & luggage took a really long time, but he had timed arriving well and had not waited too long for me - we were both relieved to see each other. I made a brief stop-in to see my Mother-in-law & then made the drive home. I was surprised I made it safely, as I was driving tired and in the dark - not something I want to do again anytime soon!