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July 19, 1996 We decided yesterday (we = Laura, Bob and I) that I should send myself to Dijon today. That will use up the last day of my 3 day France Railpass. I've seen it all today... No seats left on the train so I'm in a jump seat between cars. Two trains pulled in back to back causing massive confusion as to which train would go where. Best of all 3 or 4 gendarmes got on the train escorting a prisoner in handcuffs. They went into the next car. This morning I made the mistake of picking up the Herald Trib. I started reading the headlines in the shop. Plane explodes. TWA NY-Paris, over the ocean, just next to the South Shore of Long Island. I'm so glad I have an Ativan left for the plane trip home. So, I went to the Troisome d'Or (a restaurant recommended by Laura and Bob) and got wasted on an exceptionally good half bouteille of vin. Pinot Noir to be exact. (According to the label: Bourgogne, Pinot Noir, 1994, Jean Marc Morey) At some point I realized I had passed the sobriety checkpoint and kept going. As a main course I ordered a tuna thing. It just goes to show - SF folks know a couple of things, and one of them is that tuna tastes better rare. These folks cooked the life out of my fish. There was French a couple behind me who probably though my behavior was a little strange, what was I doing there alone anyway? Eating some fantastic cheese. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. The cheese course and the wine were definitely the highpoints. After lunch I went to the Musee de Bad Art (Musee de Beaux Arts). I've never seen such a bad collection of modern art. I felt trapped. The exits weren't clearly marked. Near the Palais Royale there is a small patisserie bearing the sign "Royal Pain." (yes, I know pain means bread...) Bought a poster tube on my way out of Dijon to hold a Matisse poster I bought at the Pompidou and saw some great looking gargoyles at Notre Dame Dijon. Sat in the park for about 15 minutes and then popped back to Paris on the TGV. In the evening we waked up the hill into Monmartre for a coffee. The scene was lousy with tourists. Copyright © 1996 by Lisa H. Weinberg |