A Chance Encounter

So, the other day, Judy and I were walking up Rue Mouffetard towards our place when I saw a guy on a folding bike stopped in the middle of the narrow street looking at a piece of paper. He had a stocking cap pulled down to his eyes, but his profile was unmistakable. I stopped and said to him, "Are you living here now?" He said, "No, man, I'm just on vacation here. How about you?" Sure enough it was Owen Wilson. You know, from the movies...

After we talked for a minute or so ( he was real nice. Did you know his mother, at one time, lived in Belmont?), I asked if he needed directions. He said,  "Yeah, man, do you know where the Jardins des Plantes is?", with Jardins des Plantes in the worst American accent I've heard. (Wasn't he in Midnight in Paris?). I said, sure and I showed him on my little book of maps. He said, "Actually, I'm really trying to find the Place de la Contrescape". I said, "you are there now." He said, "Actually, I'm really trying to find 74 Rue Cardinal Lemoine." I said, "I know where that street is. Go straight ahead to the light, turn right to the next light and you run into it. I'm not sure which way is 74, but you'll find it. Go left or right."

He thanked me and took off on his folding bike with, believe it or not, his mother trailing behind him. She is French and complimented Judy on her appearance, saying she looked French. She, his mother, lives in Texas now.

I was curious to find out where he was going, so later I followed my own directions to find 74 Rue Cardinal Lemoine. I went to the light and turned right, then right at the next light then turned right again to find 74. So, you know what happens when you take a right then another right then another right? You end up back where you started. Sure enough, 74 was a vegetarian restaurant about 50 feet from where we stood when I gave  him directions to go around the block. Rue Cardinal Lemoine runs right into the Place de la Contrescarpe.

I kept looking for him for the next few days to apologize to no avail. I hope he doesn't talk about me on Late Night TV...