In the cool of the morn

The early morning hours, just after sunrise, give a feeling of space and air on the avenues.  The streets are uncrowded, and although some of the few people who are out are in a hurry, some of them are decidedly unrushed.  The relaxed months of summer are almost here.

Early morning view of the Seine from the Pont des Invalides.

This early morning air is as cool as it will be today.  Afternoon temperatures will be in the high 90s.  Tomorrow and the next day will be even hotter -- much hotter.  I don't think we ever experienced 107 degrees F before -- not even in the deadly heat wave of 2003, when 15,000 people died in France from heat and, I would say, air pollution. 

Statues in the garden of the Chinese Cultural
Center on the Avenue de la Tour Maubourg.

The temperature reached 104 in 2003 -- and it stayed there for many days.  On Thursday afternoon, we will experience 107 degrees, according to the forecasters, but thankfully, we will not simultaneously breathe heavily polluted air as we did in 2003.  And thankfully, we do not have Florida-type humidity with this heat.  Yesterday's humidity was a desert-like 33%.  We are most thankful that the weather will return to almost normal on Friday.

So I walked early this morning, all the way to the Petit Palais, the City of Paris Beaux-Arts museum.  The museum was not open that early, of course, but early was the time to walk today.  While I rested on a park bench for a few minutes, I admired the handsome façades of both the Grand and Petit Palais. 

Beautiful banners on the Petit Palais promote the special exhibitions of paintings of the Romantic movement.  Tom and I plan to see those exhibitions this summer.  Each year, we visit the Petit Palais a couple times, because it is our favorite museum.  What's not to love about it?  Even the cafeteria is beautiful.  Admission is free for the museum's permanent collection, and for the cafeteria which is situated on the gorgeous garden that the museum encircles.

Garden behind the Grand Palais.

The little parks at the back corners of the Grand Palais were pleasantly cool, lush green oases, tucked away like small secrets known only to flaneurs.

A Gothic building that I've admired for decades, as seen
from the Cour de la Reine.

I'd walked up the Avenues de la Motte Picquet and de la Tour Maubourg to reach the right bank via the Pont des Invalides, so I selected the Cour de la Reine (Queen's Court) and the Pont de l'Alma to the Avenue Rapp for the way home.  From the apartment, this is a little over 5 miles, round trip.

Now that noon approaches, we have the apartment closed up to trap the cooler morning air.  With no air conditioning, this is the best we can do to stay cool.  Awnings are down, sheer drapes are closed, and one fan is operating.  Thursday, we will probably wear intentionally damp clothing and have all four fans operating.  During the hottest 8 hours of the day, staying indoors is a must for us.

Dinosaur on a Bateau Mouche, above, and the steeple of the American Church,
not far from the Eiffel Tower, as seen from the Cour de la Reine.

Maybe we will spend Thursday afternoon and early evening at the American Library.  Getting there and back in the heat is a challenge, but we can take air conditioned taxis.

Most of our days are consumed by working, which we can do in the Library, if need be.  Even though we are retired, we still work.   Even though it is summer vacation time, we still work.  We can't not work, because the marketplace needs Tom's textbooks.  Work, work, work.

Yet the evenings and the early morning hours are ours.  They're ours, to share with you.

Entrance to the Petit Palais.

We had a fun dinner at Indian Villa on the Rue de la Croix Nivert on Sunday evening.

The best garlic cheese nan ever!