A hoover man and a weekend getaway.
After a week and a half of a nasty head cold, I am finally back to my old self. Sort of.
While I was lost in my own misery, the city seems to have come alive again. Everyone is back from their vacations and suddenly there are line ups at the laundromat, the dry cleaners, and everywhere else in between. There is nothing worse than lugging all your clothes to the laundromat and having to drag them all back, still dirty.
Even the street cleaners are back in full gear. The other morning I spotted a fellow on a scooter, darting madly around the sidewalks, narrowly (but expertly) missing the pedestrians. It wasn't until he went by me a second time that I saw what he was up to.
He pulled up beside a pile of dog poop, and with a swift motion he whipped out the hose that was attached to the back of his scooter, and sucked up those droppings faster than I could say "Am I on candid camera?"
He did it with such moxy, such flair, I almost didn't believe it was real. I couldn't help but respect him, despite the oddball nature of his work--riding around town hoovering up poop.
And then, I was struck with the following thought:
Man, I'd hate to be the guy who has to clean out the little compartment at the back of the scooter..
But I ramble.
In exciting news, G and I are off to Lisbon, Portugal tomorrow for the weekend.
This will mark my first visit to Portugal. A week ago I didn't know a lick of Portuguese. But now of course, I know how to ask for 'the menu', 'a carafe of wine', 'a beer', and 'the bill'.
Not forgetting all the crucial niceties such as 'excuse me', 'no problem' and 'good morning, nice day for a bike ride, wouldn't you say?'
Not sure I'll get a chance to use that one, but you never know.
I'm already dreaming of the famous Pasteis, or as I have always called them "custard tarts".. Toronto has a good sized Portuguese community and it was never hard to find these around town. I have always loved them and it has been a long time since I've indulged. Now I'm heading to the mecca of custard tarts and I'll be damned if I miss out on the opportunity.
I'll probably be the one on the plane back to Paris with a whole suitcase full of them.
See you when I get back.
While I was lost in my own misery, the city seems to have come alive again. Everyone is back from their vacations and suddenly there are line ups at the laundromat, the dry cleaners, and everywhere else in between. There is nothing worse than lugging all your clothes to the laundromat and having to drag them all back, still dirty.
Even the street cleaners are back in full gear. The other morning I spotted a fellow on a scooter, darting madly around the sidewalks, narrowly (but expertly) missing the pedestrians. It wasn't until he went by me a second time that I saw what he was up to.
He pulled up beside a pile of dog poop, and with a swift motion he whipped out the hose that was attached to the back of his scooter, and sucked up those droppings faster than I could say "Am I on candid camera?"
He did it with such moxy, such flair, I almost didn't believe it was real. I couldn't help but respect him, despite the oddball nature of his work--riding around town hoovering up poop.
And then, I was struck with the following thought:
Man, I'd hate to be the guy who has to clean out the little compartment at the back of the scooter..
But I ramble.
In exciting news, G and I are off to Lisbon, Portugal tomorrow for the weekend.
This will mark my first visit to Portugal. A week ago I didn't know a lick of Portuguese. But now of course, I know how to ask for 'the menu', 'a carafe of wine', 'a beer', and 'the bill'.
Not forgetting all the crucial niceties such as 'excuse me', 'no problem' and 'good morning, nice day for a bike ride, wouldn't you say?'
Not sure I'll get a chance to use that one, but you never know.
I'm already dreaming of the famous Pasteis, or as I have always called them "custard tarts".. Toronto has a good sized Portuguese community and it was never hard to find these around town. I have always loved them and it has been a long time since I've indulged. Now I'm heading to the mecca of custard tarts and I'll be damned if I miss out on the opportunity.
I'll probably be the one on the plane back to Paris with a whole suitcase full of them.
See you when I get back.
posted by Michèle at 3:30 AM
15 Comments:
lucky you...i love lisboa and the custard tarts..enjoy
Lisbon-what a brilliant city for food. I was there last Easter break and had the most delicious lunch of grilled sardines and new potatoes, rock salt, salad and bread. Heaven! Simple food so beautifully cooked with no need for any adornment, except the rock salt. Of course, I can not remember the name of the place, but it is on the way up towards the church where St Anthony was born. A bit of a hike, but one of the trams will bring you up there and the ride is an experience in itself. That curved road houses many little cave-like restaurants which all offer prix fixe lunches for great value. This particular one is a Fado restaurant at night,with painted white walls,and the grill is on the left-hand side as you walk in. The woman working the tables was an absolute angel. Oh, God, the memories of the breakfasts- you couldn't get a bad cup of coffee if you tried. Have a brilliant break.
Have a great trip...looking forward to reading your thrice-daily blog updates from Lisbon!
glad to hear you are feeling better.
enjoy! can't wait to hear about your trip!
I really hope you enjoy your trip to Portugal, but please don't settle for Pastéis de Belém. They are highly over-rated, in my opinion. If you have a chance, go to Sintra and to a little shop called Periquita - that's the Mecca of Portuguese pastry. Once you go there, you'll never come bacl and you'll need two suitcases ;-).
Have a nice trip.
Friends have been trying to get me to visit them in Portugal for an age now...much as I love them, those custard tarts may be what put me on the plane to finally make that visit!
Bon voyage...et bon weekend!
I love the word "moxy"!
Oh MAN....cleaning out the pooper scooter...don't even want to think about it....Gotta love that indoor plumbing.
Have a fabulous time :)
I've miss the dog scooping motorcycle man! I'll start looking soon. I love walking Paris when the street cleaning crew is on the job.
Have a wonderful time in Portugal. We loved Fial in the Azores. Didn't make it to Lisbon.
lucky for me I live in lil Portugal so maybe you can come to my neck of the city next month. We can dine at Bairrada Churrasqueira, a resto that I pass by daily. It has "an ambiance of casual family dining where authentic Portuguese cuisine can be savored in a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere."
I looked at the menu many times and it isn't very veggie friendly but who says one cannot live off Port alone?
Michèle, those pooper-scooper-scooters have been around for quite a while - I first saw them in 1987, when I was here as a student. The nickname then - thanks to the then-mayor of Paris who introduced them - was Chiraclettes!
And this site:
http://bristlingbadger.blogspot.com/2004/10/chirac-little-shit.html
makes a point I hadn't ever considered, the fact that it can also be seen as a mixture of the verb to shit (chier) and raclette (the cheese scraping device). But I digress...
Have a great trip!
Hi Michele,
We've been to Lisbon earlier this year, I love this city! I'm curious how you enjoyed the trip, what were your favorite spot? Hope to read about it on your blog soon ;)
Ooh, custard tarts! You lucky thing. The closest I've been is the ones they have on Macau that spoiled me for life.
Enjoy your trip and if you have any leftovers, send them to Maryland please!
Have a wonderful time!
Paz
What has happened to you??!!!
Make sure to have fun on your vacation, and fill us all in when you get back!
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