Observation of the day: No ruffing it for Parisian dogs.
VM & HM: Upon arrival in Paris, we were thrilled to find out it was Spring and equally flummoxed as all we had was winter wear. Paris had been hit by an early warm streak & after consulting with our weather app, we realized we were in for upper 70s & even 80 degree weather while here. Basically, Florida weather. And what did this mean? We had to go shopping. HM was thrilled as shopping is one of her favorite pastimes. VM, on the other hand, was dreading finding clothes that would work without breaking the budget.
Via our new floor manager friend at Louis Vuitton on Friday evening, we learned the “yellow vesters” were due to protest on the Champs Elysees on Saturday & that this week’s protests were expected to be more violent than usual. He recommended we stay away from the area and of course, we didn’t need convincing.
Instead, we happily chose to stay in our ‘hood all day. We are staying right next to the Marais. It is the equivalent of New York City’s Village. It is a fun, artsy, funky area.
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| The entrance to the Marche de Enfants Rouge market. It gets its name from the fact it used to be an orphanage many years ago. |
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| The French produce is all enticing. |
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| It all tastes even better than it looks. |
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| It's easy to see why the French have discerning palettes. |
On Saturday morning, we first started our day by stopping by our neighborhood boulangerie which we frequented often when we were last here. Here, we picked up a fresh baguette and café au lait. Next, we headed to the famed Marché des Enfants Rouges open-air food market which is just blocks from where we’re staying. The unbelievable produce immediately lured us in. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, red grapes, avocado and even a French melon sucked us in.
And to complement these, we bought whole milk yogurt made in France which is like heaven on earth, and of course, salted butter, strawberry jam and fresh eggs. Last, but not least, we stopped by our market to fresh press our orange juice. We returned to our apartment for a delicious Parisian breakfast feast.
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| Our Parisian breakfast feast was magnifique! |
After cleaning up, we tackled the clothes shopping. We started in some local vintage shops our landlady had recommended but as we were sweating to death and getting claustrophobic, we finally hit a department store equivalent to Nordstrom. Here, HM found a dress to make her feel like all the Parisian ladies we were seeing. I just found a couple of tops that weren’t long sleeve or sweaters to pair with jeans.
Thanks to a Trip Advisor consultation, we had a delicious lunch at a local bistro / bar called Le Bouquet de Archives Brassiere. It was not a fancy spot but yummy. I had a traditional Croque Monsieur which is like a grilled ham & cheese sandwich smothered with more cheese topped with a fried egg. Yes, a heart attack on a plate but well worth it. HM had a burger. We enjoyed conversing with a lovely man sitting next to us who was a Marais local and had seen it go through many changes.
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| The police presence & sirens was evident all day long. |
Throughout our pleasant day, we had a sad reminder of the civil unrest in Paris as ALL day long you heard police sirens and saw streams of police vehicles racing down the street. Our produce vendor in the market commented on how fed up they all were with these protests as it really affects business. The floor manager at Louis Vuitton also explained that it was terribly disrupting for them as they closed on Saturday and then had to be open Easter Sunday to try to make up the lost business. In addition to this, many businesses along and close to the Champs Elysees are showing the physical effects of the assaults. Louis Vuitton has metal grates on their windows, and when we came upon Bulgari, another luxury store, we found all their windows boarded up as if they were expecting a hurricane!
Despite all this, we really enjoyed just meandering the streets and hanging with the locals. The warm weather had everyone out and about with super cute kids and doggies everywhere. Most of the dog owners indulge our requests to pet their pooches and we love seeing that they go absolutely EVERYWHERE with them. You see them in the market, in the department stores, at the cafes. Even in Louis Vuitton. They go absolutely everywhere. We decided Mila and Millie would really like it here!
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| Signs of the protests can be seen throughout the city. |
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| We decided to focus on more positive things & loved exploring all the fabulous Marais boutiques including this flower shop. We couldn't resist taking home some fresh flowers. |
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| Our flower shop was also home to Ziggy, who looks just like our Coolidge, except she is a girl and she's pregnant! |
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| Dogs are welcome everywhere. Look at this cute doggie booty at a Marais cafe. |
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| This sweet pup offered kisses right away. |
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| While this little guy happily trotted along with his master. |
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| We stopped in the pet shop to try to find Millie a French shirt, but just like their human clothes, everything runs small! |
After a long day of shopping, we came home to refresh a bit. Out of curiosity and respect, we then decided to take the Metro to see what was happening at Notre Dame. After the massive fire, the neighborhood surrounding the ancient cathedral is completely closed to visitors. Only locals who show proof of residency are allowed in the area. It is very sad.
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| When we were here four years ago, these buildings had tributes to the victims of the Charlie Hebdo attacks. Today, they sadly have tributes to Notre Dame. |
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| You can't currently visit the Notre Dame neighborhood unless you are a resident. |
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| The police presence is even on the River Seine. |
We chose to walk along the Seine River towards home, doing some people-watching as we watched the sunset. Afterwards, we called it a night.
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| Despite the crazy times, Parisians continue to gather to share kinship and wine as they watch the sun set over the River Seine. |
RANDOM PIC OF THE DAY
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| This sweet pup patiently awaited his mistress as she bought her morning baguette at our boulangerie. French dogs rule! |
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