Sunday and 17th on today

Yesterday was good. I thought I would be adventurous and go somewhere different within 200m different for coffee. ( Sunday many places are open late). I asked Ms Google who said there was a place that was open. Clearly she had not told them. So I went back to my ususal. It is run by a man and his wife.  Yesterday morning she was there. I was sitting next to another regular and another was at the bar. The man came in, shook both their hands in a morning greeting, got to me and shook my hand too.  I am not going to bother going anywhere else.

For lunch I went to a different  nearby place and had a delicious meal. I had chestnut soup, which I had never had before an a chicken dish. Turned out it was mainly Corsican food.

In the afternoon I went to a concert at the American Cathedral. There was a violin, oboe, soprano and 2 pianists. A Handel sonata, Gounod's Ave Maria, an extract from La Traviata, John Williams'  music for Schindler's List and , my favourite Saint-Saens " Dance Macabre" with violin, oboe and piano with 4 hands.  Not everybody played in everything, obviously.

Yesterday I had made a plan for the rest of the week after looking up what was open when. Today I decided to change my mind.  After my coffee - I did a few admin type things e.g. more money required, then caught the train to the 17th arrondissement.  The coffee shop was a pleasant walk away - nice area, nice houses, nice shops without being over-the-top, but was not open on Mondays .  Should have stuck with the plan. Never mind, there was a pleasant nearby bistro and then a pleasant park for a stroll, but all the seats were taken up with young mothers or old people.

I had read of a bistro at St Lazare railway station, but it was full, so I walked on and had a pleasant cheaper lunch. Then walked to the Palace Garnier. I had seen a model of the inside at the Musee d'Orsay and that was as fas  as i will get. I did not feel like queuing up to get into the foyer, which I hd read you can do. The outside was very ornate.