Along the avenues on a long summer day

The École Militaire (Military School, or war college) was pockmarked with old bullet wounds and plagued by rotting window frames when we first started summering in Paris (1998).  The grounds were tattered patches of weeds, even though somebody evidently cared for the red rose bushes in front of the complex's façade along the Avenue de la Motte Picquet.

I was perplexed by this state of decay in what is clearly a historically important compound.

The top of the main entryway to the École Militaire.

Then several years ago, the work began.  The interior courtyard and façades, which you can see from the Avenue de Lowendal, were the first to be restored.  Then the fence was made to shine again.

In the past few years, the southwest part of the main structure has been enveloped in scaffolding while it underwent a rebirth.

The main entryway to the École Militaire, on the Avenue de la Motte Picquet.

Then the grand main entrance on the Avenue de la Motte Picquet was shrouded and restored.

Now, finally, all that scaffolding has been removed from that southwest portion and the northeast part of the main structure is now engulfed in new scaffolding.

The main entrance caught my eye yesterday.  It is positively gleaming.  I especially admire the handsome doors.

The main entryway doors to the École Militaire.

Maybe in just a few more years, the entire École Militaire will be perfect, and it will rise to its challenge as the other anchor, opposite the majestic Eiffel Tower, on an end of the Champ de Mars.

We went walking earlier in the afternoon than we expected.  We'd been working hard, and then Tom received the sad news about the death of one of his closest friends, Chris.  While we knew Chris was seriously ill, we did not expect the end to be so near.  The world will miss this wonderfully smart, gentle, and kind man.

Work was then abandoned.   We walked out into the sunshine for comfort.  I could sense the grace of God in this beautiful day.

We strolled along the Avenue de Suffren and the Avenue de Ségur, littered with sparkling dots of sun amid lacy shadows from the tree canopy overhead.  The streets were calm and uncrowded.  We passed by a couple of favorite restaurants.

I've always liked the jolly face carved above the doorway on this apartment building on the Avenue de Suffren. 
The European Space Agency is in the background on the left of this photo. 
The scooter and bike are rentals that you can just scan, using an app on your phone, and then you can go.
These things are everywhere now.  The scooters go dangerously fast, and the folks on them generally do not wear helmets!

Then, up ahead on the Avenue de Ségur, we could see lots of police and police vehicles.  When we were closer, I could see that the police were wearing heavy protective vests.  Then we heard demonstrators chanting as they marched up the Avenue Dusquesne or Avenue Breteuil.  The police had the roads leading to the École Militaire and Les Invalides totally barricaded.

I told Tom that I wanted to turn around and go back the other way, away from this confrontation that was about to happen.  But Tom wanted to wait and see what was going on.  We hesitated long enough to see the head of the demonstrators' parade.  The banners clearly marked the group as members of the national trade union group, the CGT (Confédération générale du travail).  It is one of the top two labor union organizations in France, with a little over 700,000 members.

We did turn back before any confrontation could occur.  "That's how you live a long life," I explained to Tom while insisting that we leave.  When I see police in riot gear, I do not want to be there.

So we walked around to the Avenue de Lowendal and up to our favorite brasserie, La Terrasse.  There we had our afternoon tea (actually, sparkling water for both, espresso for Tom, glass of wine for me, and ice cream for Tom).  I just love that place because it is elegant and comfortable at the same time, and it is dependably good.  We feel welcome there.

When we were totally relaxed, we walked back to the apartment.  A couple hours later, we emerged to walk to dinner at Madame Claude, just off the Avenue de la Motte Picquet.

Dinner was delightful, beginning with a lobster salad that we shared (photo below).  It was a surprising mix of veggies like peas and sprouts, with a generous appetizer portion of fresh lobster.

Tom's sautéed veal with sticky rice and my chicken with morel mushroom sauce and puréed potatoes were excellent.  With the 40 percent discount from Lafourchette.com, the price was acceptable; it would have been pricey for what it was, without that discount.

Sautéed veal

Chicken with morel mushroom sauce and potato purée.

Dessert was a chocolate and fruit concoction, which we shared.

This would not have been a good place to go in a heat wave, but on a delightful evening like yesterday's, it was comfortable enough.

Back at the apartment, we enjoyed sitting on the balcony for the first time this year.  We have a small but mighty marble and iron bistro table out there, along with a couple metal ice-cream-parlor-like chairs.  Sit on one side of the table and you can watch the sunset over and in between the towers of the Front de Seine.  Sit on the other side, and you see the warm sunset glow bathe the apartment buildings and the old theater building on our block.

Not a bad way to end of one these lovely, long summer days in Paris.