“Now, about Monday…” my boss continues.
I have no idea what is supposed to be happening on Monday. What haven’t I organised? Whose hotel haven’t I booked?
“Monday… Now, let me see…” I reply, in the calmest, most in control super secretary voice I can muster, while hastily opening his calendar in Outlook to see what I’ve missed.
The computer responds at a leisurely pace, mired in the middle of some pesky spysweeper scan.
“Oh, you’re breaking up, can you hear me? Hello? Hello?” I improvise, praying that he is not, in fact, calling from a landline.
And then the window pops up and I notice “[PETITE] OFF” on Monday 27 March 2006.
“Ooh! I’m on holiday! I’d forgotten! What a lovely surprise!” I cry, unable to curb my enthusiasm.
Miss Moneypenny would never have lost her composure like that. I have a lot to learn.
I can almost hear in my boss’s silence his chagrin at having reminded me of my forgotten holiday. There is a good chance that had he not, I would have appeared at 9.07 am sharp, none the wiser, and done a full day’s work.
So. My question is, what shall I do with this day of freedom, which has fallen unexpectedly out of the sky and into my lap?
Suggestions in my comments box please. Preferably inexpensive ones, as the end of the month is approaching.
about
books
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petite anglaise 
S’il fait beau, le parc des Buttes-Chaumont, du vin, et de la liberté. Tout ce qu’il faut.
Comment by Kerry — March 23, 2006 @ 4:45 pm
Am happy to see that the paypal box is finally up.
Comment by SingaporeGirl — March 23, 2006 @ 4:51 pm
Click and check out the link, looks like a great exhibition and it’s open on Monday, a rare thing for France!
Comment by redlady — March 23, 2006 @ 4:59 pm
A trip down the river, a bike ride in the park.
Even if you do nothing all week I know you will make it sound wonderful.
Comment by cb — March 23, 2006 @ 5:05 pm
Why not “play tourist”, indulge your reawakened love affair with Paris, and explore some part of the city you haven’t visited before? Even after living there over 10 years, there must be some corner left to be discovered!
Comment by The Bold Soul — March 23, 2006 @ 5:25 pm
Hallo petite,
*delurk*
since I am enjoying your writing so much, I would like to contribute to your enjoyment a bit by suggesting that you spend your Monday somewhere outside, somewhere green, fresh, flowery… If it doesn’t rain bats and clogs :-)
Have fun!
alcessa
Comment by alcessa — March 23, 2006 @ 5:51 pm
I agree with The Bold Soul. Walk around- sit at a cafe with a book or your journal. . . Maybe go to the Musée d’Orsay- watch the sunset at the Sacré-Coeur. . . drink red wine in the middle of the day. . .
Comment by Nicole — March 23, 2006 @ 6:10 pm
Hmm. I am going to go against the flow here. Instead of embracing reality, if I were you I’d spend the whole day escaping. Into novels, or movies, or some deep recesses of the Internet. Or writing. Introspection versus exploration, if you know what I mean. But wine must be involved, no matter what you end up doing.
Comment by LJ — March 23, 2006 @ 6:14 pm
I’d kill for a spot on a bench in the Jardin des Tuileries, a good book, and an iPod right about now…
But since it’s going to be a three-day weekend, you could grab a train a go see a sea. La Manche, la mediterranee. It doesn’t have to be THAT expensive, particularly the first one ;)
Comment by Mathieu — March 23, 2006 @ 6:16 pm
I go with the idea of sitting in a cafe and watching people run around – seeing others busy when I have a day off always makes me feel special, like I’m a naughty child missing skiving school for the day!
Comment by kingston girl — March 23, 2006 @ 6:24 pm
Like SingaporeGirl I am very happy to see your paypal button.
On a day off, or even a long lunch, I like to go and sit on the promenade in the town where I work. The crowd on holiday usually lends me its mood.
Whatever else you do with a day off, why not write the first sentence of the book?
Comment by meredic — March 23, 2006 @ 6:39 pm
I’d:
– Kidnap tadpole from the minders and have a silly Mummy and daughter day together. Treat her to something special
– Go to those shops and try everything on that you can’t afford
– Visit an appartment you can’t afford, just in case you win the Euromillion this week. You never know…
– Do the ironing
Comment by Pauline — March 23, 2006 @ 6:41 pm
If it’s nice out take a walk in your nearest park and find a “victim” for a random act of kindness. If it’s not stay in and watch old movies… “High Society” “Breakfast at Tiffanys” “Roman Holiday” or whatever you have to escape into.
Either case accompany with your favourite wine / beer / coffee.
AND don’t under any circumstances think about work unless it’s to savour the “guilty” pleasure of not being there!
Enjoy the day whatever you decide. Then come back and write about it. Please. Pretty please.
Comment by Dr J — March 23, 2006 @ 6:48 pm
I think the Rodin museum has a great exhibition which perfectly fits you, as it is called : “la main révèle l’homme”. And the collections are magnificent anyway (although it seems that the Camille Claudel sculptures are temporarly out). And there is a very nice garden in the museum, too.
Comment by coutho — March 23, 2006 @ 6:48 pm
spend the day wandering through paris with a camera, a book, and enough cash for several coffee-shops
Comment by andre — March 23, 2006 @ 7:10 pm
The Bois de Boulogne would be nice place to spend a day just “flânant” and feeding the ducks. I say include Tadpole, she would love the park. Otherwise there is always the rest of the Ile de la Cité to fall in love with, or one of the less known Quartiers, like the 18th (but not Montmartre, the rest of it…) or the markets in the 17th…
Comment by Greenmantle — March 23, 2006 @ 7:16 pm
tadpole and you will have a great time at the zoo. eat forbidden foods.
Comment by iowaslovak — March 23, 2006 @ 7:19 pm
Sorry Andre, no coffee shops in Paris I’m afraid, but as it is a three day weekend for Petite she could always grab a thalys and head on over to Amsterdam…
Petite, you’re very welcome to come to mine and pack boxes.
Or, take Tadpole to the Jardin des Tuileries for a donkey ride (3 euros) or even more fun (and a guarantee to get her off to bed early) the trampoline but I warn you in advance, so you won’t be disapointed like I was… you have to be under 14 to get a shot.
Comment by croque madame — March 23, 2006 @ 7:23 pm
It seems a bit presumptuous to be making suggestions to a Parisienne, but if I were you I’d
– wander around the Ile Saint Louis and eat duck rillettes and icecream
– go to Laduree and feast on macaroons and champagne
– wander round a cemetery, not necessarily Pere Lachaise, with a camera or sketchbook
– go to Fontainebleau and take Tadpole walking or cycling in the forest
– visit Chartres and inspect the labyrinth
– stay in bed and watch back-to-back DVDs of ‘Sex and the City’
– treat yourself to an hour’s reflexology followed by a fabulous pedicure
– find a sympathetic fortune teller
– go to a market or your favourite store and by a single exquisite, not-at-all necessary, thing as a housewarming present for your new flat
– Jump on Eurostar and take Tadpole on the London Eye
Comment by P — March 23, 2006 @ 8:10 pm
If it’s bitterly cold and or rainy: the ultimate indoor things to do:
– get all those smellies that you got for past xmas/bdays out, and have a bit of a pampering session: nice long bath, exfoliation, home made manicure/pedicure. I can imagine it’s hard to find time for that otherwise!
– take advantage of the day-time cheapo rates in the cinemas and see a feel good movie, maybe even a silly movie, no-one has to know..
– start reading a gripping novel. By the way I am often intrigued by the books you show on the right hand bar of the blog and would love to see your comments about them! (yeah I know next I’ll be asking for a pony too :)
Comment by Zebulette — March 23, 2006 @ 8:11 pm
Lie in followed by leisurely bath. Breakfast and the papers at a cafe….window shopping in the afternoon and an early apero!
Comment by D — March 23, 2006 @ 9:33 pm
Beaubourg/Centre Pompidou
Great things there right now, and always inspirational. Takes you out of your norm, and centers you, all at the same time.
Lunch at L’As a Falafel, rue de Rosiers
Comment by alisa — March 23, 2006 @ 10:00 pm
The first sentence of a future book… yes that’s a good idea. As long as it is ONLY the first sentence. Perhaps you can write it in your head while you are doing some of the things being suggested to you? And the great thing about stopping at the first sentence is that you can delete it it, or revise it, & start it again, perhaps several times in the same day, all while enjoying yourself with/without Tadpole, depending on whether she’s at the minder’s……
After all, that first line will signal the direction of your future travel so you don’t want to be too hasty about setting it in stone.
If Paris is as cold as blighty I would certainly plan to segment my day – the morning for a bracing outdoor activity somewhere; lunch where it is warm, comfortable and atmospheric; an afternoon indoor visit, of short duration, but one well worth the effort; evening… time to meet up with one or two of your best girlfriends (too raw just now for male company!) who you can gossip with, make all sorts of plans for the future & share a glass or two of wine while Tadpole entertains herself & all of you with her drawing or whatever?
Oh & by the way, is Mother’s Day celebrated in France as it is in England? Its just that Tadpole is a mite young to be able to manage all the ideas & organisation on her own accord, but if ‘someone’ was to plant the ideas in her head I can well imagine how much she would love to offer you some lovely treats on your special day! Perhaps she’s just a bit too young to bring you your boiled egg & soldiers for you to eat in the luxory of your bed…. but one day quite soon!!
Comment by fella — March 23, 2006 @ 10:27 pm
Being a fairly new reader, I’m not sure if you enjoy drawing, but I find it very relaxing (and cheap) to not only play tourist but also bring my sketch pad and colored pencils along. It helps me really see things, even if the way I capture them on the page isn’t a masterpiece.
Comment by Agapantha — March 24, 2006 @ 12:06 am
P has some interesting suggestions. Getting out and about is always better to sitting in and ipod isolation. If Tadpole has been telling people of how you’ve been crying, then maybe some quality, fun time with her, showing her you’re happy would be a good idea. Maybe one of the Paris ‘zoos’.
But maybe you’ve done that already. In which case, the seaside would be fun for her. If you’re on your own, then there’s always the 80km trip. Take a piece of string, measure 80k radius from the centre of Paris, and then pick a place to visit. Take a camera for a blog photo or 3.
Failing that, resolve to finding a new hobby – something to get you to make new friends. Friendship is a good start for a relationship, rather than anonymous flirting… But as a last resort, art galleries are always good for that. Or the Maison européene de la photographie – there’s a ‘Magritte et la photographie’ exhibition on.
Failing that, listen to yourself, and follow your own interests, not other people’s. It will be far better. :)
Comment by Dr Analyst — March 24, 2006 @ 12:57 am
Here’s what I’d do, assuming the weather cooperated:
1. Go to the nearest patissier and pick up a chocolate croissant.
2. Take a leisurely stroll down some local streets you rather like but don’t visit very often.
3. Find another patissier, have another chocolate croissant.
4. Perhaps you can stroll on down to the Canal St. Martin. Visit the little shops – Antoine & Lili, some crazy bookshop I remember, etc.
5. When it’s time to eat some more – and that time will come – find a boulangerie, and have a jambon-gruyere and a bottle of water. Eat it on a bench by the canal. If you’ve got something amusing to read, read it.
6. Tired of reading? OK, how about a stroll down to the Beaubourg? Bypass the exhibits and head straight for the bookshop.
7. Now it’s time to head on over to St. Germain-des-Pres. Hang out by the fountain and people-watch.
8. Find a spot to have a lovely verre.
9. Pick up a little treat from a patissier for Tadpole before you fetch her from the babysitter.
Comment by Louis — March 24, 2006 @ 12:58 am
Morning: Sneak to patisserie in pyjamas and buy almond croissants. Take long lazy morning with coffee, croissants and crosswards.
Mid-morning: Go to Hotel de Ville to see black and white photo exhibit.
Noon: Coffee in Place des Vosgues. Saunter around Les Marais and find tasty lunch spot. Falafels cheap and good.
Afternoon: Go to Pierre Hermes and buy three small macaroons. Sneak into movie theater with macaroons.
Evening: Dinner at Palais de Tokyo’s amazing restaurant (reasonable), with a walk around the current fun exhibit for dessert.
Walk the Seine until feet are sore, and go home happy.
Comment by Gillian Young — March 24, 2006 @ 1:08 am
Take a bubble bath.
Comment by Megan — March 24, 2006 @ 4:01 am
Oh ! :smile: that’s great!!!
Three days long weekend. Go and enjoy darling as you wish.
Always go by your own wishes as far as enjoyment is concerned. That’s the true one :wink:
Comment by emma — March 24, 2006 @ 7:02 am
Feed some ducks
Eat several croissants
Hang around near the Sorbonne, throw a molotov cocktail.
Pick a part of the city you never visit and go for a long walk
Happy Holidays!
Comment by dongurigal — March 24, 2006 @ 9:32 am
Taek your camera out and take shots of Paris and go and buy a chocolate at Angelina’s.
Comment by Aimee — March 24, 2006 @ 10:13 am
Darling, you know exactly what you need to do: Monday is for recovering from getting utterly sozzled on Sunday over a large fondue and several bottles of red (i’m no purist)wine with some friends.Going on the pull is obviously an integral part of that!
Comment by dan — March 24, 2006 @ 10:19 am
There can’t be anything better than crusing down a french canal on an english norrow boat ahh just the thought..
Gilbo…
Comment by Gilbo — March 24, 2006 @ 10:30 am
Come up to my neck of the woods and sail boats in the pond in the Jardin du Luxembourg.
You could also go and explore the passages off the Grand Boulevards…
For free museumness, go to the palais de tokyo.
You will let us know what you get up won’t you?
Comment by Anne — March 24, 2006 @ 11:05 am
The “Douanier” Rousseau exhibit, with or without Tadpole ! At the Grand Palais…
Comment by magillicuddy — March 24, 2006 @ 11:17 am
Swimming completely against the tide here, but how about freshening up the décor in the flat in order to get some deposit back from landlord. Every penny helps when moving house. Doesn’t sound like a day off, but I find vigorous decorating great for releasing pent up anger/frustration. Plus, unlike spring cleaning, it won’t look like it needs doing again next week! Not to mention glowing sense of achievement and (almost) instant results. Or maybe I just have no soul!
(P.S. Am only person I know to get more deposit back than we paid.)
Comment by J — March 24, 2006 @ 11:57 am
I’m surprised nobody has offered to buy you both lunch. Ho-Hum.
Take Tadpole to her favourite place and onto to her favourite restaurant.
Spend the afternoon playing games and playing her favourite toys whilst drinking wine.
Put the now tired little girl to bed early and unwind in a hot bath.
Easy.
Comment by Germain — March 24, 2006 @ 1:37 pm
Take a book to a park full of daffodils. Pack a picnic. With a flask. And a gingham tablecloth. And a spacehopper.
(The spacehopper is optional, but it would make many people smile, and I have an adult-sized one you can borrow… but I’m not sure what the postie would make of it)
Comment by Clare — March 24, 2006 @ 3:02 pm
The possibilities really are endless. Avec ou sans Tadpole? I think her behaviour, angelic or otherwise, over the weekend will be a deciding factor.
I think any plans I make will have to include falafel though. Mmmmm. Thank you for reminding me how much I love the rue des Rosiers.
Comment by petite — March 24, 2006 @ 4:26 pm
Now I am seriously wanting for that visit to Paris. You are so lucky to be among all of these options.
Such a beautiful and priceless gift: free time.
Comment by Gruntled — March 24, 2006 @ 4:57 pm
Pauvre Tadpole qui ne sait pas qu’elle va être jugée ce WE et que cela aura des conséquences (pour elle qui doit préférer rester avec sa maman) ; mais je te comprends très bien !
Il y a de super expos : Bonnard au musée d’art moderne de la ville de paris et Cézanne et pissarro, à Orsay, mais fermés tous les deux le lundi. Reste le Douanier Rousseau au Grand Palais (attention à la cohue, plutôt sans Tadpole), et Ingres au Louvre.
Sinon, pourquoi ne pas faire un délicieux repas / gâteau et inviter 2 amis le soir. (il y a de fabuleux blogs de cuisine)
Aller au Jardin des plantes (avec Tadpole).
L’idée d’aller acheter des macarons chez Pierre Hermé fait partie de ma liste du moment, et tu habites certainement tout près !
Comment by Armeli — March 24, 2006 @ 5:04 pm
C’est très intéressant de lire tout ce que les anglophones aimeraient faire sur Paris. ;-)
Je ne peux résister à préciser que je n’ai jamais vu de croissants au chocolat de ma vie… (ça doit se vendre chez Sainsbury certainement…).
Comment by Armeli — March 24, 2006 @ 5:15 pm
Armeli – j’imagine que la personne voulait dire “pains au chocolat..”
Comme par hasard, j’ai déjà invité deux copines à dîner le soir…
Comment by petite — March 24, 2006 @ 5:20 pm
Petite, c’est possible pour le pain au chocolat (on peut bien sourire un peu ;-). Je crois me souvenir que dans les supermarchés anglais on trouve des croissants qui n’ont rien à voir avec les croissants de boulangerie français, et qui sont systématiquement fourrés avec du sucre, de la crème, etc. Cela m’y a fait penser.
2 copines, c’est parfait, Enjoy ! (un petit tour sur le blog de Scally pour la cuisine ?)
Comment by Armeli — March 24, 2006 @ 5:27 pm
at the risk of repeating the resourceful P, here is my list (with prices!!).
1) Yves rocher manicure -13 €
2) buy heat at WH Smith – 3 €
3) Hot chocolate at Anglinas – 6 €, but God it’s worth it
4) Onto the Metro to Les Halles, free of charge for a dyed in the wool Petite
5) Lunch at Fooding, Rue Montorgeuil, 10 €
6) That gold pencil skirt in Naf Naf, corner of Montorgeuil and Etienne Marcel, 35 €. You have to have a treat (though maybe you don’t share Flighty’s “special” taste)
7) And here’s the best bit – go down Etienne Marcel and try on everything you fancy, pretending to be a serious shopper, and then don’t buy a thing! Remember, in the words of Seinfeld’s George, a lie isn’t a lie if you beleive it at the time…..
Comment by Flighty — March 24, 2006 @ 5:59 pm
Hi Petite –
The Rodin Museum is a great choice and has an excellent audio tour. By the way, entrance to just the garden is only 1 Euro and there are plenty of sculptures to ponder. I’m not sure you’ll have good weather for it by Monday though. And no falafels!
About your April 1st get-together, is it too late to ask to come? I’m a regular reader, a sometime blogger, and an expat resident who’d love to swap stories with some new people.
Comment by Ali — March 24, 2006 @ 5:59 pm
Ach, I can’t give you any specific ideas but I would make sure there are people around. Make some arrangements with friends or friends-to-be! That would be good time for a blogmeet though it is probably to late… Hope you will enjoy your 3 day weekend!
Comment by mag — March 24, 2006 @ 7:41 pm
*trying to imagine my bottom in a gold pencil skirt, but failing*
Comment by petite — March 24, 2006 @ 7:52 pm
I’m with Kerry (comment #1). Enjoy your day!!
Comment by Kat — March 24, 2006 @ 8:15 pm
No matter what, there must be one of these items involved in your monday off: chocolate, chocolate cake(or some other decadent confection), wine, champagne, flowers. Treat yourself because you deserve it!
Comment by Lynn — March 24, 2006 @ 8:39 pm
If you have been for a long time in Paris, you probably already know it all inside out, why not flying to another country? I love Italy and Spain, and nowadays, you can fly very cheaply to a set of destinations (for example Venice) from the Beauvais airport. I went recently to Venice and then took the plane back from Rome for something like 40 euros.
Unless you prefer parading nagging about the CPE…
Comment by Uranus — March 24, 2006 @ 10:14 pm
How about going swimming? Whenever I go swimming in Paris the pool is more full of people than full of water. During a week day I’m sure the pools will be a lot less busy. Don’t forget your rather attractive swimming cap though! The Club du Quartier Latin is great with its high balconies.
Post-swim why not head for the rue des Rosiers that you love, and eat your falafel in the Place des Vosges?
It sounds like you’ll have to be home pretty early to start the cooking so perhaps a swift chestnut kir (try it, it’s delicious) in a Marais café before heading back to the kitchen. Have a great day!
Comment by Paris Lights — March 24, 2006 @ 11:07 pm
Monday; it’s usually discouted price for movies…
Go to the Pagode theater in the VIIe arrondissement and check out “Capote”.
And have a tea in the garden while reading your Ishiguro
novel.
Enjoy.
Comment by Chicago — March 25, 2006 @ 1:12 am
one of the most theraputic activities i can think of when one has an entire day at their disposal is to rumage around in a second hand or Salvation Army kind of store. You wouldn’t belvieve the amazing cast offs i have found. You need time and patience, but I have unearthed an Hermes silk scarf in pristine condition ($20.) a perfect pink cable knit cashmere sweater ($5.) and numerous other goodies that cost next to nothing. It’s astonishing what people throw out. I’m sure Paris has all kinds of treasures waiting to be discovered. Good hunting.
Comment by elaine — March 25, 2006 @ 1:30 am
Chère Petite,
je n’arrive pas à trouver ton adresse mail…si je click on “mail” sur ton site et j’utilise cet adresse là ça ne marche pas et je voulais me mettre en contact…!!
I want also 3 days off!!! Hope to hear from you soon!
Eau
Comment by Eau — March 25, 2006 @ 6:24 pm
I’m trying to imagine any bottom in a gold pencil skirt…
Comment by croque madame — March 25, 2006 @ 6:43 pm
Moi aussi, je trouve trop marrant tous les choses les anglophones aiment faire chez notre chère ville. Je pense ton idée d’un bon weekend est tout à fait différent que le mien, donc, j’ai aucun conseil.
Comment by nardac — March 25, 2006 @ 8:22 pm
Tous les choses? Now we’re into gender bending. Well, that might make for a lively weekend.
Comment by Claire — March 25, 2006 @ 9:30 pm
Maybe I’m boring, but a day at home in bed, with chocolate, books and magazines sounds perfect to me ;)
Whatever you do Petite, I hope you enjoy your day!
Comment by Kasey — March 25, 2006 @ 11:24 pm
Get up. Smile. Hug your Tadpole. Have a coffee and embrace the day. Do whatever lifts you; for me it’s buying something vibrant and red and a sense of validation through a friend, film or novel. But as of this evening/morning I thoroughly recommend dancing, dancing, dancing. Son of a Preacher Man is still ringing in my ears :)
Comment by Claire — March 26, 2006 @ 3:46 am
Get away from it all!! Take a trip to London on the Eurostar – although come to think of it, that costs doesn’t it? Still, it might be fun for a change of pace.
Comment by emma — March 26, 2006 @ 12:05 pm
Now I can’t get bottoms and gold pencil skirts out of my imagination…..hey ho
Comment by meredic — March 26, 2006 @ 1:28 pm
Whatever you do, I hope we’ll hear all about it on Tuesday! I hope too that the weather in Paris is better than here, where it is distinctly depressing.
Comment by old school friend — March 26, 2006 @ 6:59 pm
I am so sure a gold pencil skirt will make any bottom look divine that I promise to send a photo once I have mine…..
Comment by Flighty — March 26, 2006 @ 9:51 pm
You could always comfort yourself by having a practice at making some delicious English pudding!! Then you’ll be ready in time for St George’s Day ;)
Comment by Sam — March 27, 2006 @ 8:48 am
Bugger. I have an angine* which struck yesterday evening out of nowhere and am uncertain I will see anything other than my duvet today after all.
Marvellous timing.
*French for throat infection, requiring antibiotics. That which an English person would call a sore throat and slightly swollen glands, requiring strepsils.
Comment by petite — March 27, 2006 @ 10:00 am
Petite, why don’t you think about that book you want to write. I’ve come in here in the middle of the day, but that still leaves you several hours to ponder creatively. Even struck down, as you are, with an angine…
By the way, if this is a regular occurrence, you may like to try some preventative homeopathy at the beginning of winter.
Comment by Sarah H — March 27, 2006 @ 11:07 am
Aw, bloody sod’s law innit! It’s probably your innner protestant work ethic demon, which will only allow you to be ill when you don’t have to go to work. I have one of those.
I’d try exorcism if I were you.
Comment by Clare — March 28, 2006 @ 9:39 am