Paris. 7th-13th arr
Although we have been friends for many years, Paris had never showed me what it did this time – parts of the city reflecting another Parisian way of life where even during the day, the streets are empty and silent, houses smaller and neater, and locals more relaxed and straightforward. I (with my weekly card that costs only 27 euros) took the metro, and as it crawled out of the underground, I looked outside the window, waiting for my stop Corvisart. It was apparent that we entered another Paris, as it were. The houses there are famous for their Alsatian style and exterior paintings, the streets make you wonder if you have gone to a village somewhere in France, and the bistros are full of locals. It is a day (stop by stop) walk up to the Eiffel Tower.
It was around eleven when after a walk around the neighborhood, I sat down at Les Tanneurs de la Butte for tea that was delivered with small speculoos. I watched the lady organizing everyone so they would not be close to the lift that was about to appear from under the ground with boxes full of cheese, vegetables, and meat. Others, used to the daily spectacle, kept talking and reading newspapers when I left for a 40-minute walk towards the Seine. I disappeared in the small streets of Butte aux Cailles, looking at the artists' work displayed on the walls. I passed Place d’Italie, continuing on Rue Monge, taking my time at Rue Censier farmers’ market where I bought award-winning Cantal cheese, but not before trying six others. Walking down the street, Christmas trees were everywhere (it was not too long until Christmas), and I found the famous Le Bonbon au Palais (19 Rue Monge) candy shop that has all the typical candies from the different regions of France. Nougats, guimauves, pralines, dragées, caramels, and everything you could ever dream of in all colors and sizes.
I’ve let myself down a few times in the past by not giving myself what was promised – a visit to the most famous book shop in Paris –Sheaskpeare and the Company. While some come for the sake of crossing off this place on their to-do list by taking a picture and leaving, I got lost in the shop for 30 minutes trying to grasp every little detail and helping an Indian family choose their French cookbook – I suggested David Lebowitz's My Paris Kitchen: recipes and stories.
I love the Left Bank in Paris (5th, 6th, and 7th) as it is the same, but oh so different than the Right. The streets there seem narrower and more historic, and the pace of living is somewhat different. It is touristy if you walk the big streets, but more local if you look for places like Rue Grégoire de Tours where one of the most historical magazine and stationery shops Buci News is. Walking on to Jardin du Luxemburg, I took Rue de Touronne as I love to window shop at Bonpoint and Astier de Villate (home decorations, soaps, and candles). Taking my time in Jardin du Luxemburg is a way of meditating. I walk and admire the sculptures, trying to take pictures of them so as not to forget their look and sit, watching people live their lives, especially during wintertime when the tourist flow is less active, and locals are the ones enjoying the park.
I walked to Au Bon Marche, the most famous department store on this side of the Seine, taking small streets like Rue Jean Ferrand. with its beautiful cookbook shop Appetit and the most charming flower shop just next door Pas de Deux (12 Rue Jean Ferrandi). Not far, I entered the world of French desserts -Quatrehommes fromagerie (62 Rue de Sèvres). The aroma of blue, matured, crystalized, fresh and runny cheeses made me freeze and inhale every little bit to fill me until my next time in Paris. I wandered through the Au Bon Marche gastronomy section, touching every little thing and then walked to one of my favorite patisseries in the 7th, Philippe Conticini – Gâteaux d'Emotions patisserie (37 Rue de Varenne). His pastries are not only pieces of art but a joy to the palette. I have never eaten more superb canneles, and his lemon cakes, Paris-Brest and Chocolate Tonka cake are splendid. It is a treasure to enjoy as slowly as possible (in the park next to Ministère de la Défense).
I turned into one of the most famous market streets in Paris – Rue Cler. I pretended to be a local looking for fruit, freshly-roasted chicken, cake at the historical A La mere de Famille shop, and honey for breakfast, smiling at the people having their aperitif in the bars. You can buy everything for your weekly meal plan here as well as foods like foie gras, champagne, and all dinner needs. I take my time there, window shopping, tasting, and talking to locals up until the moment I see the Eiffel Tower, one of the most magical engineering examples the world has seen.
It is evening when I like to walk by the tower and get on the stairs of Esplanade de Trocadero, waiting for the sparkling lights to shine. They do every hour, making even the most skeptical people shine within. There is nothing like that in the world – no tower, no place, no feeling. It is the best way to finish the day – sitting there and admiring the beauty of something so spectacular, no matter how touristy some may think it is.
PS. Chez Gladines at Butte aux Cailles is the place to stop if you are looking for good and reasonably-priced Basque food. It is as local as local can be, serving their food for so many years that no one even counts now. For a cup of tea, coffee, and people-watching,
PPS. For more expensive and fashionably local cake, head to Les Deux Abeilles and enjoy all the local fashion world that stops by. They have done that for years and still do. It is a place to visit whenever the urge for some local gossip, chat, and faces takes you.
From a trip in year 2020
