little things

Coming back up the rue de Seine from buying a baguette the other day, Diana and I passed by a truly unique old lady that I struggle to find words to describe. She was quite old, in at least her 80s I believe. What made her so striking was that she was absolutely decked out in the most over-done style I have ever seen. Her skirt suit was made out of something that probably should have been curtains, brightly and intricately patterned with little flowers. Chunky ruffles protruded prominently from her shoulders. Her tall hat matched. Make-up had been caked onto her face so heavily that the eyes that looked out from behind her large, red-rimmed glasses hardly looked real. She hobbled along stiffly in her high heels.

Some things are hard not to stare at.

A man in a suit rides his motorbike through the intersection of blvd Saint Germain des Pres and rue de Seine. Coming up behind him is another motorbike driven by a young boy, an older woman (his mother?) straddled on the back of the seat behind him. Then comes another with a woman, dressed her best in a short black skirt and a undefinably fashionable top, her perfect, carefully groomed face shining from beneath her helmet. Then a little, old man hits the gas on his. They weave among the cars, as there are never any lane-lines, fighting through the mess of Paris traffic to see who can get down the street the fastest. The motorbikes always win.

There is an ice cream shop in the market that must be the best because it has the longest lines. Diana and I have been there three times now. They scoop two flavors of ice cream into your cone in such a way that it comes out looking like a flower. The artwork still provides fresh amazement every time. And there are many, many more combination of two flavors we have left to try before we grow bored of that ice cream shop.

People kiss in public in Paris. This is a well-known fact which people generally seem to find is one of the city’s endearing qualities. Sometimes people make out in public too, which is an extra-special treat. Tonight, we were fortunate enough to witness a very obese couple, seized with the sudden urge to make a public display of their affection, perform a magnificent kiss, complete with a large hand-stroke over voluptuous, mammoth-sized butt! It was the hand on the butt that did it. We totally lost whatever train of conversation we had going and laughed pretty much the rest of the way home once we were past them.

If I were making out in public, I don’t think I would give a damn whether people were looking or what they thought.