On Saturday, I took a walk through the Latin Quarter to the Luxembourg Garden. It is unbelievably pretty - So many flower beds, tree lined walkways, sculptures, fountains... Anything that could beautify an outdoor space, this place has. I just sat for a while people watching and enjoying my coffee. I broke down and went to a close Starbucks (gasp!) for my regular Americano. I needed a caffeine boost and didn’t want to spend an hour at a cafe.
From there, I walked around some really cool side streets and made my way to the Bon Marche. The less commercial streets are so much more interesting. There were a lot of tiny antique stores selling books, furniture, ceramics, and weird instrument-type things. The buildings themselves were gorgeous and it seemed everyone had different colored, intricately carved double doors. I found a flower market but was just starting my walk, so didn’t get anything.
In one of the guide books I read it had a list of stock shops, which are basically like outlets. It listed one called Mouton a Cinq Pattes that just happened to be on the way to the Bon Marche so I stopped in. It was incredible - it had Alberta Ferretti, Jean Paul Gaultier, Moschino, Narcisco Rodriguez, among quite a few others. And the sales girl was so nice and patient with me! It wasn’t the most glamourous shopping experience to be had, but I tried on a lot and ended up getting an olive green linen Prada skirt (for only fifty euro!) I have a feeling it will look better on my mom, so may have to share/give it up when she comes in September. But, needless to say, I think I will be a repeat customer!
The Bon Marche was practically across the street from this store, but worlds apart. Everything was immaculately presented and the salespeople were not quite so friendly. Probably because I looked a little worse for wear from the outrageous heat! It was still nice to look around and enjoy some air conditioning. The Bon Marche also has a gourmet grocery store that is amazing. I will definitely be going back to buy some chocolate and cheese, and interesting mustards and relishes. This is definitely somewhere I’ll be taking those who come to visit me.
I was getting super hungry, so decided to head home. I was too stubborn to look at a map, went in the wrong direction and got really lost (...just my typical navigation skills at work). My 45 minute walk home turned into about two hours. On the way, I was sworn at by a homeless man (multiple times and on the steps of a church, no less!) because I didn’t have any change, got some funny burn lines on my back from my cut-out dress, and my Monoprix grocery bag bottomed out about a block away from my apartment in a crowd of people! Luckily, I kept my sense of humour and the only casualty was a jar of pesto. I still had a delicious dinner at home and re-read the YSL catalgoue - so it was practically a perfect day.
Yesterday, I slept in because I’ve been having troubles getting to sleep at night anytime before 3 in the morning. I know I’ll get into a routine soon enough, but its annoying - I need sleep! I read for the rest of the afternoon, and went to meet some friends for dinner. One of Matt’s really good friends (and by extension mine), Jenna, was on her honeymoon with her new husband, Dylan. And Dylan’s cousin was also on his honeymoon with his new wife... So basically, I was their honeymoon crasher. I met all four of them at the Louvre courtyard and walked back around my apartment for dinner. The restaurants around here are really touristy, so its hard to find a good one. Hopefully by December, I’ll be a better tour guide! But we went to a cafe that was alright. I had a cheese omelette, mostly because I couldn’t decide what I wanted and knew I needed some protein. After that, the plan was to go on a boat cruise down the Seine. In all honesty, I was going to skip it because I thought it was going to be kind of lame - but I ended up going and it was awesome! Its such a different perspective and you cover so much ground without having to walk for hours. It was really cool to see the city lit up at night, and I got my first close up view of the Eiffel Tower. We brought our own bottles of wine and sat at the very back, so it was an amazing view with great company!
Anyway, I just looked at the time and I have to get ready for Matt to come! He gets here in about four hours, and I have to stock up on some dinner supplies and get my place ready. I’m also going to meet him at the airport by taking the RER train, so have to figure that out too - wish me luck!
I haven’t taken very many pictures the past couple days, but here are a few:
At the Luxembourg Garden:
This is for my Dad - I found my cool initial in a lamp post, but he gets his own door to the Louvre!
Jenna and I on the boat... I look a little cross-eyed, but only because I had to get rid of my red eye (not the wine!)
Both, your writing and photography, are fantastic!!
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