Twas A Rainy Weekend In Paris

Bonjour, mes amis!

I don’t usually post at this time of the day (afternoon in Paris) but I leave early tomorrow morning for Seville (yea!) and I don’t think I will have the presence of mind to launch this before I go.  Besides, it’s good for the soul to mix things up a little bit every now and then, oui?

Friday was crisp and sunny here, so I headed out to enjoy a walk and some retail therapy.

First stop was a drop-dead gorgeous chocolate/caramel/pastry shop, Jacques Genin, that I have been dreaming about since David Lebovitz described it here.  If you read his post you will totally understand why I was skipping down the street in the Marais, happy to finally be entering this realm of deliciousness.  What I really want to do is go there with a friend, get a coffee and a pastry,  sit down at a table, and enjoy the surroundings and the sweets.  This time, however, I wasn’t hungry and I didn’t have a friend, so my mission was a bag of the famous caramels to give to my hostess in Seville.  And a bag for moi, because caramels do it for me in a way that chocolates never will.  These were divine.  I got half plain and half with pistachios.  So good.  I hope I can resist tearing into my hostess’s bag once mine is empty.

Wanted: Someone to sit here with me and be shameless.

As I had made the trip and was standing at the counter with no line, I thought it would be foolish not to take home a few pastries, too.  So they boxed up three caramel eclairs for me.  They were amazing, even several hours later.  I definitely think this place is worthy of a follow-up post.  Can I get an “Amen, Sistah”?

With my sweets in my tote (which I have learned to carry with me at all times, for those pre-meditated and unexpected  purchases) I continued skipping down the sidewalks, congratulating myself for bringing an umbrella and no sunglasses, thus ensuring a  bright and sunny day.  This colorful window caught my eye.

colorful window

Next stop was my favorite kitchen shop, E. Dehillerin. It’s  always a treat to wander about this cozy, dusty, culinary heaven.  I had to have this copper beauty and a traditional French rolling-pin.

Yeah, my tote was getting heavy by this point.

All that shopping and walking and toting had made me thirsty, so I stopped at Place Colette for a Coke and a view.

Saturday was not so bright.  In fact, the whole weekend has been wet and grey.  This was particularly unfortunate for the Fete de Vendange (“festival of the grape harvest”) going on in Montmartre.  Mark and I braved the rain and checked it out for you. Booths wrapped around Sacre Coeur, offering tastes of wine, champagne, sausages, sandwiches, pastries, foie gras, and every other French delicacy you can think of.  It was really fun, and would have been much more so if one hand had not been occupied with an umbrella.  Also, let me just say that a rainy day in Montmartre is NOT the time you want to find out that your new boots are dangerously slippery on wet surfaces.

After enjoying some wine samples, we decided to take shelter in a cafe for lunch.  This cafe was perfect, offering a dry awning and warm heaters, which allowed us to enjoy the sound of the rain and the cool air while staying warm and dry.

something I adore about living here- heated sidewalk tables

Wow.  This post is getting long.  Is anyone still there?

Today is another rainy day, which I have taken advantage of to make Eggplant Parmesan and Chicken Noodle Soup to leave with my family while I am in Spain.

And you, my Paris Posse, I leave with this long post and gros bisous.  I am not taking my computer to Spain, so it may be awhile before I appear again.  But ya’ll come back now, ya hear?