Port Boulet

Ah! I had an incredible day today. I went to visit a very good friend of mine, Marion, in a small town outside of Paris called Port Boulet. Marion and I met while she was an exchange student at NYU and we took a course together taught by the infamous Anna Deavere Smith. Anna partnered the two of us together to create and perform an acting piece which combined Quartet a monologue that Marion taught me in French and June Jordan's "A Poem About My Rights", an African-American writer. It was during this process that Marion and I became great friends and explored concepts of race, identity, womanhood and each other. We have been soul-mates ever since.. But I digress..

I called Marion when I arrived in Paris and she told me that she was away on a road-trip with her boyfriend in the French countryside and that she was not able to meet up with me while I was in Paris. "Are you upset with me?" she asked, "Of course not!" I responded.. And we said our goodbyes. Marion has always been very receptive to my change in emotions because like me, she is a CANCER.. Our birthdays are only a few days apart. She called me right back and asked me to meet her in Port Boulet.. And as she says, she knew I would say Yes.

So early this morning I managed to navigate my way on the Paris Metro to the Gare Montparnasse train station and purchased a round-trip ticket to Port Boulet where she, her boyfriend, and his mother picked me up.


As if the train ride through the French countryside wasn't beautiful enough, they drove me around to see the town which is by far the most charming place I have ever seen. They took me to see a Catholic Cathedral which was built in the 1100s and a number of castles which peppered the countryside. (we were planning to see it all by bicycle but somehow I managed to bring the rain with me from New York to Ghana and also to France).

While it was raining we stopped to have tea and cider and this amazing little place which had all sorts of old books for sale.



Then we went to visit a shop that made soaps by hand from all of the roses that grew all over the town.. Literally all over..




This place smelled like heaven.. So of course I had to pick up a fewthings for my mother and I.. But I decided that I would have to bring her back here one day.



While at the cafe, Marion and I decided to purchase these little notebooks that displayed famous commedia dell arte scenes. I chose this one..



Which shows a woman stabbing a man in the heart.. A scene from Moliere. It says on the back, "Ah! La belle chose que de savoir quelque chose" which Julian explains means vaguely that things aren't always how they seem. He found it ironic that I chose that one while Marion chose one with men pouring themselves over one woman. She bats her eyelids and asks him to buy them for us. He of course blushes and says "of course". Later, Marion informs me that I will Never find a boyfriend by stabbing them in the heart. I guess she is right about this one.. She asks me what I think of her boyfriend and I tell her he's a sweetheart. She says she wants to find a French boyfriend for me so that I will have to stay here with her.. We'll see.

We ride through the countryside and they point out many more beautiful things.. My heart slows and for the first time all trip I am peaceful.



They drop me off at the train station and we say our goodbyes.. Marion and I hug and tear up a little. She promises me that next time I will stay with her at her parents' horse ranch. I of course think this is a great idea because I love to ride! (even though it has been many years). On the way back to Paris, I stop in a town called Tours for dinner.. Margherita pizza and wine of course. Merci!

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