–
la Ville Lumière – “The City of Light”; a common nickname for Paris, in reference to the ideas of the city’s philosophers during the Age of Enlightenment (and, some say, to its early adoption of street lighting)
un quartier – neighbourhood
se retrouver – to meet up (with each other)
Quel truc de ouf ! – “What a crazy stunt!” *
faire un pique-nique – to have a picnic
Et si on se faisait un pique-nique? – Why don’t we have ourselves a little picnic?
–
******
–
“This afternoon I will go to les Champs Élysées. They have transformed it to a big garden for the week end.”
–
I squinted groggily at the message on my cell phone, the words on the tiny LCD screen slowly swimming into focus. Roused just seconds before from a near catatonic sleep by a lo-fi version of the Beatles’ Revolution (theme song and ring tone for Orange, my service provider), I wasn’t yet operating at a fully-cognitive level. The wheels in my brain screeched loudly in protest as they sluggishly kicked into gear. I blinked again, still processing, then sat up straight in bed.
Did I want to see Paris’ most famous avenue and busiest autoroute transformed into a giant garden? You bet your fancy Hermès scarf I did.
I shook the last traces of sleep off and quickly texted my friend Sebastien back. “When and where do you want to meet?”
The Vanishing Point 