My first flea market à la Parisienne
There are so many things to do in and around Paris Bois de Boulogne , touring Versailles la Porte Caen
So, off I went last weekend to try my hand at sifting and negotiating. I started early, knowing that the stands pack it up and close up shop by about
At the start of the day, I had made a mental list of what I wanted to find, but I also told myself to keep an open mind about finding treasures that were not on my list. I got pretty lucky, and about 20 minutes into my flea market adventure, I stumbled upon a lovely old alarm clock - one nearly identical to the vintage clock that I have in my "Favorites" on Etsy. I wound the clock to check if it worked, and when I heard some tic-tocking, I asked for the price. The lady said she bought it for 25€, but was selling it for 15. There was no way I was paying that much, so I told her I'd give her 10€ if that was alright and after a slight customary hesitation, she agreed and I walked off with this lovely timepiece:
(sorry for the crappy iPhone pics - my digital camera's still broken)
I was really proud of my negotiating abilities and it felt like a victory not only in the purchase I made, but also in the proficiency of my verbal French. I kind of already knew how much was too much to pay for a clock like that, and I think that was what made me so confident to suggest a lower price. Now, I know to come armed with information!
I spent a long time sifting through boxes of button cards before finding a couple of grey plastic button bundles for a Euro each. I nearly caved for an old, rusty coffee grinder that was in totally workable condition (another item I have favorited on Etsy), but I just told the guy selling it I’d think about it. Sadly, I didn’t get to dig as much as I wanted and I passed up so many racks of vintage clothes to save time. But, I must say it was quite a lovely first experience, and I’m so glad to have finally done it. I plan on going back many times now that I have a feel for the place and ambiance, and hopefully I’ll stumble upon more good deals just waiting to be made.
A perfect lunch
I've lived in Paris for nearly three years now, and I'm a little ashamed to admit that there are still not many things that make me nostalgic about the city. Of course, the Eiffel Tower at night takes my breath away, and the colors of autumn and spring make me feel hopeful, but my connection with the city is not yet strong enough to make my heart pound. Still, I have had some very perfect moments in my life here that I've found myself getting caught up with - ones that produce a feeling of utter, raw happiness in my soul and cause an involuntary smile on my face or chuckle in my belly. Today, I very simply made a moment like this. One that I will probably attempt to repeat in the near future, but will likely fall short of doing.
It was my lunch hour and as it usually goes, I had no idea where I felt like eating. I tend to come to work starving, but completely lose my appetite by noon. I'm weird. So, as I've been doing all week while everyone else in my department is still on holiday, I set out and went where the wind took me. Well, the wind today (lovely as it's ever been) took me to Bert's, a little, well-known lunch hotspot of sorts where I've been only once before. I got excited to see the big bags of Pepperidge Farms Chunk cookies, Tim-Tams and Reese's peanut cutter cups on the shelves next to endless assortment of cold salads and dessert cups.
I picked out my lunch (paprika chicken fusilli and pineapple pieces), took it to-go and had every intention of returning to my office to eat in front of the computer when I spotted an empty, lonely green bench in the square nearby. As I sat and ate my lunch, I watched and judged the passersby - the tourists on vacation looking for their next destination, the American interns heading back to the office after lunch, the busy businessman running to make his meeting, the tired security guard on his smoke break. Everyone had their perfect place in this scene. I looked up and saw the green leaves of the tree shading me outlined in orange against a piercing blue sky. Autumn is so close now. The wind was cool and the sun was warm, and I felt the quiet rumble of the metro echo through the bench seat every five minutes. This is Paris. This is the city that I'm starting to love and feel a part of - a reflection that until that very moment would not have been true.
As I finished my pineapples, a young city worker in a neon yellow vest and green jumpsuit rolled by me with his wheel barrow full of shovels and wished me a genuine bon appétit. I knew that this type of interaction could only happen in such a perfect moment, and after giving him my thanks and wishing him a good day, I sat back on my bench, felt my heart swell and smiled. Perfection.
It was my lunch hour and as it usually goes, I had no idea where I felt like eating. I tend to come to work starving, but completely lose my appetite by noon. I'm weird. So, as I've been doing all week while everyone else in my department is still on holiday, I set out and went where the wind took me. Well, the wind today (lovely as it's ever been) took me to Bert's, a little, well-known lunch hotspot of sorts where I've been only once before. I got excited to see the big bags of Pepperidge Farms Chunk cookies, Tim-Tams and Reese's peanut cutter cups on the shelves next to endless assortment of cold salads and dessert cups.
I picked out my lunch (paprika chicken fusilli and pineapple pieces), took it to-go and had every intention of returning to my office to eat in front of the computer when I spotted an empty, lonely green bench in the square nearby. As I sat and ate my lunch, I watched and judged the passersby - the tourists on vacation looking for their next destination, the American interns heading back to the office after lunch, the busy businessman running to make his meeting, the tired security guard on his smoke break. Everyone had their perfect place in this scene. I looked up and saw the green leaves of the tree shading me outlined in orange against a piercing blue sky. Autumn is so close now. The wind was cool and the sun was warm, and I felt the quiet rumble of the metro echo through the bench seat every five minutes. This is Paris. This is the city that I'm starting to love and feel a part of - a reflection that until that very moment would not have been true.
As I finished my pineapples, a young city worker in a neon yellow vest and green jumpsuit rolled by me with his wheel barrow full of shovels and wished me a genuine bon appétit. I knew that this type of interaction could only happen in such a perfect moment, and after giving him my thanks and wishing him a good day, I sat back on my bench, felt my heart swell and smiled. Perfection.
Un jour à Bruxelles
I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: Paris
So, Gui and I decided to get out of the tourist-laden city for a bit. Realizing that we’d only just come back a week ago from a full week of holidays, we were still itchin’ to do some traveling before la rentrée and in anticipation of fuller workloads at the end of the month.Belgium Austin Dallas Bruges Brussels Brussels
I was pretty amazed at how much I remembered and recognized from my one single night spent there over 2 years ago. It was warmer this time around than that first February trip, so we sipped a beer on a terrace, ate moules-frites and boeuf à la bière among the locals, grabbed some nutella gaufres and strolled around the streets and parks of the city without any rush or fuss. We had no idea that we were coming to the city during one of its most popular weeks – the week of the Flower Carpet – so we were surprised at how big the crowds were in the Grand Place. We didn’t spend too much time there, opting instead to visit some greener areas of the city I’d never seen before.
There was a lot going on in town, though, and we came across a music festival (Massive Attack and some other groups were playing), a park full of people and even a few pianos in the street. It was an interesting daytrip, though much of it totally unexpected. In the end, we came home with full and happy bellies, a trunk full of beer and a few bags of our favorite chocolates. A day well spent if I do say so myself.
So, Gui and I decided to get out of the tourist-laden city for a bit. Realizing that we’d only just come back a week ago from a full week of holidays, we were still itchin’ to do some traveling before la rentrée and in anticipation of fuller workloads at the end of the month.
I was pretty amazed at how much I remembered and recognized from my one single night spent there over 2 years ago. It was warmer this time around than that first February trip, so we sipped a beer on a terrace, ate moules-frites and boeuf à la bière among the locals, grabbed some nutella gaufres and strolled around the streets and parks of the city without any rush or fuss. We had no idea that we were coming to the city during one of its most popular weeks – the week of the Flower Carpet – so we were surprised at how big the crowds were in the Grand Place. We didn’t spend too much time there, opting instead to visit some greener areas of the city I’d never seen before.
There was a lot going on in town, though, and we came across a music festival (Massive Attack and some other groups were playing), a park full of people and even a few pianos in the street. It was an interesting daytrip, though much of it totally unexpected. In the end, we came home with full and happy bellies, a trunk full of beer and a few bags of our favorite chocolates. A day well spent if I do say so myself.
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| Taking flight |
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| Gui loves his Kwak |
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| The flower carpet at the Grand Place |
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| a little gaufre for Gui |
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| street pianos |
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| Manneken pis |
Vacances
So, half of our vacation is over. It's a sad reality, really, but we're making the most of the precious few days we have left before we take on a desolate Paris Monday morning. We spent nearly five glorious days basking in the sun on the Cote d'Azur. Gui's grandmother (Mamie) has a lovely home on a small piece of land a bit west of Nice and a short drive away from the celebrated city of Cannes. We soaked up enough sunshine to get us through the rest of our beach-less summer; our lunches were made of the freshest summer fruits and vegetables, picked directly from the enormous garden each and every morning; and we relished in our free time spent reading, knitting and napping by the pool, on the terrace and in the comfort of Mamie's domain.
We spent one day on the beach in Cannes, where we people-watched, sunbathed and dipped our sandy toes in the refreshing blue sea. The beach is so magical, isn't it? I could seriously spend my life trotting around from beach to beach, taking in the sun and rolling in the sand with a good book. I'm not much into swimming around in salt water with marine life, but I can't think of any better place in the world than a sandy beach with cool, clear water within arm's reach - heaven on earth.
I got a lot of knitting and reading done during our long, leisurely days, but I admittedly spent a good deal of the late afternoons snoozing to the sounds of far-off crop planes and mountain winds. The coolest thing about the south of France I found, was how varied the landscape is - mountains, sea, farmland - it's all there. And I found myself in the rare circumstance of feeling overwhelmed with absolute calmness and tranquility, which I wholeheartedly reveled in.
We did run into a few snags along the way though, in the form of my sensitive skin's allergic reactions to weird, country insects. A wasp flew into my chest as I was running out to the pool, which scared the crap out of me. I'd never been stung by anything other than a mosquito, and man, is it painful! Mamie brought out some fleur de lis petals and I rubbed them on my wound until all was better. Nature versus nature, I guess. Then, the day before we left, I broke out in some sort of rash along my collarbone and upper arms. We never figured out what it was, but it went away and came back the next day only to go away again. There's no sign of it now, so we're chalking it up to over-exposure to the sun or something.
Now, we're in the lovely center of France. It's not exactly in the middle of the the big hexagon, but it is kind of in the middle of nowhere. We're here to celebrate a wedding of a friend of my father-in-law and to finish off our week of vacation in the countryside with a bit of R&R. The landscape is tremendously beautiful here, but the cool winds and sweater weather is a stark difference from the hot sands of the French Riviera. I plan on lounging around, finishing my knitting project and catching up on some True Blood before we pack it up and head back to Paris on Sunday. I heart les vacances!
We spent one day on the beach in Cannes, where we people-watched, sunbathed and dipped our sandy toes in the refreshing blue sea. The beach is so magical, isn't it? I could seriously spend my life trotting around from beach to beach, taking in the sun and rolling in the sand with a good book. I'm not much into swimming around in salt water with marine life, but I can't think of any better place in the world than a sandy beach with cool, clear water within arm's reach - heaven on earth.
I got a lot of knitting and reading done during our long, leisurely days, but I admittedly spent a good deal of the late afternoons snoozing to the sounds of far-off crop planes and mountain winds. The coolest thing about the south of France I found, was how varied the landscape is - mountains, sea, farmland - it's all there. And I found myself in the rare circumstance of feeling overwhelmed with absolute calmness and tranquility, which I wholeheartedly reveled in.
We did run into a few snags along the way though, in the form of my sensitive skin's allergic reactions to weird, country insects. A wasp flew into my chest as I was running out to the pool, which scared the crap out of me. I'd never been stung by anything other than a mosquito, and man, is it painful! Mamie brought out some fleur de lis petals and I rubbed them on my wound until all was better. Nature versus nature, I guess. Then, the day before we left, I broke out in some sort of rash along my collarbone and upper arms. We never figured out what it was, but it went away and came back the next day only to go away again. There's no sign of it now, so we're chalking it up to over-exposure to the sun or something.
Now, we're in the lovely center of France. It's not exactly in the middle of the the big hexagon, but it is kind of in the middle of nowhere. We're here to celebrate a wedding of a friend of my father-in-law and to finish off our week of vacation in the countryside with a bit of R&R. The landscape is tremendously beautiful here, but the cool winds and sweater weather is a stark difference from the hot sands of the French Riviera. I plan on lounging around, finishing my knitting project and catching up on some True Blood before we pack it up and head back to Paris on Sunday. I heart les vacances!
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| Herbs that came home with us from Mamie's garden. |
Creative project fail
It's so nice to take a day off to do nothing. And, that's exactly what I did on Friday. Wednesday was the fête nationale in France so I had the day off, and I worked it out with my colleague to take advantage of the empty office and take a long weekend. I didn't have anything in particular planned, but I ended up being really productive around the house. I even made a skirt! I haven't sewn in ages, but I wanted to use up some fabric I've had stocked up for a while, so I found this tutorial and gave it a go. Well, I think I'm a little rusty from being out of the game for so long, and I ended up with a skirt more in the size L range than my more usual size, XS. I took my measurements and all, but I think I over-compensated for my waste size, thinking I would go larger in case I needed room to grow. So, I ended up with a poofy, green, bag-of-a-skirt that adds on about 20 pounds to my lower-half...and that's just never flattering.
It's not horrendous, but even the my fashion care-less husband remarked right away that it was way too big for me. I think I'll save it anyway for a day when maybe it might be wearable. I really like the color, and I think it'd be cute as a maternity skirt, so maybe I'll save it for that far-off day. I'm just glad that I know now how to measure for my next skirt, which I plan on making very soon. (Will keep you posted on how that turns out.)
It's not horrendous, but even the my fashion care-less husband remarked right away that it was way too big for me. I think I'll save it anyway for a day when maybe it might be wearable. I really like the color, and I think it'd be cute as a maternity skirt, so maybe I'll save it for that far-off day. I'm just glad that I know now how to measure for my next skirt, which I plan on making very soon. (Will keep you posted on how that turns out.)
Entre temps
What can I say? I just haven’t been in the mood to write. I feel a bit like I’ve put half of my life on hold to focus on the other, lacking half. But, that’s kind of the ultimate human struggle, isn’t it? You plan and then you do. Plan and do. And for me, it’s teetering on the brink of impossibility to be able to balance my wants and needs, my pleasures and responsibilities, my dreams and reality. So, I stay focused on one for now and hope that one day balance will just come.
We’ve been in a bit of a limbo here these past couple of months, trying to solidify some real next steps to take, but just waiting on the light to turn green. Mostly, we’re just waiting to find out if my current contract job will evolve into a permanent position. It wouldn’t seem like this one little detail could make or break our plans, but it kind of already has. The odds are, we’ll be hanging around Paris for at least a couple of more years – before all the baby-making and home-buying starts – which is just peachy for both of us, but kind of puts a 180-degree spin on all the plans we previously made (i.e. the ones that involved packing it up and moving it back to the Lone Star State). We’re keeping our fingers and toes crossed that we’ll have a finite answer by the end of this month, but, well, it’s France, and that’s kind of asking for a lot.
But, it’s sunny in Paris. I mean, really sunny! And hot, too! We had a hard winter and it seems summer isn’t letting its colder competitor take the Harshest Season of the Year title with ease. Gui and I left for two weeks to Dallas/Kansas/Austin when the skies were an unyielding gray and the metros were still rank with urine and not repulsive body odor. But, it seems we brought the sunshine and heat with us on the flight back and it’s been pretty non-stop since then. We’ve been spending the long summer days mostly enjoying each other’s company – doing lots of necessary admin stuff, restocking the fridge, cooking and organizing, planning and pondering, and even a little soldes shopping. Two weeks isn’t very long to be away from home, but it’s always a little more difficult to get back into the swing of things after a trip to Austin. Our friends and family, of course, spoiled us to no end, making it so hard to leave them behind until our next visit. If only life was a vacation, right?
Which reminds me, we’ve got another week of holidays planned soon. We’ll be heading to the south of France to spend some time by the pool and in the ginormous vegetable garden (yay!) at Gui’s grandparents’ house. Then, we’re off to Aubrac for what will surely be a lovely, countryside wedding (horses included). We had planned to get out of France and maybe hit up Italy with a friend, but we just couldn’t work out the logistics to make it work. Next time, I suppose.
I leave you with a few photos to meander through and a promise of - at the very least - some great vacation photos from the south of France! (The last 3 photos we took on Tuesday from our bedroom window - fireworks celebrating France's fête nationale.)
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