Phantom Friends

Last night after dinner around 11pm, I went to the café next door w/ my computer to have a coffee and hang out for a little while. A waiter stopped at my table and declared in English in a very French accent, “Why always alone! Why no friends? Ees no possible!” He was so exasperated for me!

He ran off before I had a chance to explain that I JUST went to dinner with friends…I do have friends, but I live right next door, so that’s why I’m always solo when they see me. It’s not like I need to call up a friend to sit and journal at a cafe w/ an espresso!

Look, I have friends!

Here’s Emily & Travis Rudolph visiting me a few weeks ago…

Work friends who like to dress identical down to their sunglasses and shoes and chapstick…

We met a group from work to have burgers for Memorial Day at a Scottish pub, which end up having a super fun quiz night!

An amazing lunch at Les Fables with Jillian, a friend from work and fellow foodie…

The the gang got together again for quiz night the next Monday night since it was the moderator’s 4 year anniversary…

Oh and the ceiling says 1739. You know, no big deal. We’re just playing pool in a room that is older than the U.S.

Had coffee at this adorable coffee shop in the Marais with a new friend, Emily, who has lived here for two years, and is about to move back to the states.

We got connected through mutual friends from Watermark who knew we’d both be in Paris. We had great, great convo and delicious lattes followed by falafel in the Marais. If she weren’t moving back in a month, I would get an apartment with this girl!! That’s how great she is.

I hung out on the Champs de Mars with a fave new friend, Kristin, who just joined our office staff for the summer!

We watched the sunset and then ran for the hills when the dark clouds rolling in behind us told us we wouldn’t be dry for long.

We headed to a café for dinner, and then met up with friends from work.

Then last week after work, I made LOTS of friends while having bo bun at a place near the office that we just call “Bo Bun.”

We interchanged between French and English, joined tables, swapped stories, learned secret handshakes, it was great!

We all did the French cheek kisses goodbye and said we’d meet up again this week.

Bo bun is a Vietnamese dish that usually has rice noodles, beef slices, peanuts, carrots, and little pieces of spring roll. This places is not actually Vietnamese, though, and it has everything on the menu from beef bourgignon to pasta carbonara to bo bun, which they makes using spaghetti noodles and ground beef (which I suspect is used in the pasta bolognaise, add marinara, and voila!)…but it is delicious!! I was skeptical at first…spaghetti noodles in an Asian dish?? But I’m hooked. Look at it.

Oh so good. If they delivered, I would call and have them deliver right now, at 11:15pm, even though I have to get up at 7:30am for work. Anyway, super fun night. The place is so tiny you can’t help but make friends.

Last night, I went to dinner w/ Maygan & Kyle and two others who were in town, and we had a delightful dinner at Les Cocottes in our neighborhood! I had rabbit for the first time, which I’ve always wanted to try, and it was delicious!! It’s similar to chicken, but tender and juicy, and it was in a mustard sauce with herbs & fresh vegetables.

Then the dessert du jour, a coffee flavored crème brulée.

I almost frisbee-flung that cookie across the room to get to the creme brulee. It was silky smooth with that perfectly crisped topping, and just the right amount of coffee flavor. A++

All that to say…I have friends!! A girl can’t hang out at a café by herself and write some blog posts without being judged by her waiter??

The funny thing as I look over this post is that most of the pictures don’t even have people in them…empty chairs…Eiffel tower…people’s backs…a ceiling…food pictures…It’s like I’m making it all up. Believe as you will.

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