Le Touring Hotel

Avenue Alsace-Lorraine

After hiking with friends, Leena and I went grocery shopping before dinner. Today was Pentecost, which is an official holiday in strictly atheistic France. Therefore our first and second choices of markets were closed and we ended up at a very busy Marche Plus. It appeared that the whole neighborhood was there.

When we left the store with our groceries - including a box of cookies begging to be eaten, we headed across the street to the Touring Hotel for coffee and to escape a sudden burst of rain. With the holiday, warm weather, and rain the cafe was also busy.

We both commented that the Touring Hotel gives us a familiar feeling. The bartender was playing a Tracy Chapman CD, the crowd was a mix of generations, and the bar's 1970s decor looks out onto the sidewalk through large windows. The bartender and waiter smiled and greeted us.

In short time, we were joined by Nisha and her sister Varsha, who is visiting from India. We opened the box of cookies and discussed their recent trip from Paris and how Leena and Nisha had recently bought two baguettes using only 1 and 2 cent coins.

Varsha and I are both scorpios and Leena opined her theory that every scorpio is born to replace someone in the family who has died or will die within a year. The rest of us expressed our doubts about this.

Varsha ordered a grand cafe creme, Nisha a petit cafe, and Leena and I both had grand cafes.