French was ridiculously hard today, at least for me. My comprehension isn’t bad, but articulating anything istrés difficile. I need 6 months here, totally immersed. A good sign, though, at the gym the other day I noticed myself counting reps in French.

Went to the Quai Branly, a controversial museum of Oceanic cultures, www.quaibranly.fr containing much tribal art and artefact, the historical significance, I’m afraid, lost on us. The building itself, which we passed and noted a number of blogs ago, is disjointedly quirky but with great textural appeal, both inside and out. To boot, there is a tremendously interesting Jazz Exhibition on now and we were very glad we saw it. Art, film, literature and music all blended to trace the history of jazz.

Had a very pleasant and not so riotous dinner with Gerry, Amie and Eric tonight at Le Petit Pontoise, 9, rue de Pontoise, in the 5th arr, just off Blvd. Saint-Germain. The proprietor told us not to bother with the chicken so, except for Gerry, we didn’t, and she was right. Excellent tarte tatin à la grand-mère.