Les Flâneurs

One of the joys of being in Paris for an extended period of time is that you don't feel in a panic to rush out every day, afraid of missing something. Instead, life takes on a leisurely pace. Some days we don't go out at all. Other times we don't plan to go out, but then suddenly the sun bursts out, blue skies appear and we decide, spontaneously, to go for a stroll, to become a couple of "flâneurs" for an hour or so.

A few days ago we were lured by the warm sunshine to wander a bit in our 2nd arrondissement neighborhood, which is the heart and soul of the garment district of Paris.

The streets are often full of men like this one, rolling carts piled high with bolts of fabrics.

I've been intrigued for a while by all the Egyptian names that adorn street signs and buildings in our quartier. We live on the corner of rue d'Aboukir. Across the busy rue Réaumur, I'd noticed a rue de Nil, and we'd been told of  a Passage de Caire, all names honoring the exploits of Napoleon in his Egyptian campaigns. So that was my vague goal, to find this Passage, whilst Matthew was interested in yet another, Passage Brady, in the 10th arrondissement.

 We stumbled across the Passage du Caire almost immediately and admired the large scale Egyptian heads on the building, and the more delicate carvings above the entrance to the Passage itself, a flying horse and sacred bird.

We were quite flabbergasted to find, inside, that this is one of the biggest Passages in the city. It covers several blocks, shooting out right and left to connect with adjoining streets. And it's almost entirely devoted to all things to do with the rag trade.

From shops selling fabrics...

...to shops selling all manner of lacy and sequin encrusted trim...

...to dress shops with astonishing bargains to be had, although I didn't quite see me in either of these outfits!

Nor this one, for that matter!

Should you be in the market for a mannequin, though, this is where you go to find one in all sizes, shapes and colors.

And if you want that dress to have a true stamp of authenticity, here's where you get your faux "haut couture" labels!

Right in the middle of the Passage du Caire, the Restaurant Beverly, under the control of the Loubevitch de France, is a reminder of the days when this was strictly a Jewish neighborhood. Today, most of the businesses seem to be owned and run by Asian and Indian companies.

Emerging at the far end of the Passage du Caire, we found ourselves facing the glorious arch dedicated to Louis XIV "Ludovico Magno", basking in the late afternoon sun.

We soon realized that we had come out onto rue St. Denis, the notorious "call girl" street, where every doorway seemed to be inhabited by a middle-aged woman with dyed blonde hair and black fishnet stockings, desperately trying to recapture her youth.  Really sad to see.

Crossing over behind the Louis XIV arch, and heading up Boulevard Strasbourg, we found ourselves in the gritty 10th arrondissement, with its slogans blazing out...

...and soon came across the chipped, worn entrance to the Passage Brady.

Once inside the Passage, however, we were delighted to discover  Paris' Little Mumbai! Along with several delicious looking restaurants, which we will certainly return to sample...

...a whole row of Indian dress shops displayed their selections of multi-colored saris...

...and food stalls offered exotic, and in some cases unknown, fruits and vegetables.

Leaving the Passage Brady we came to the rue du Faubourg St. Martin. To the left, just a few blocks up, stood the Gare de l'Est, to the right this baby clothing shop caught the eye of both of us (soon to be grandparents!), and in particular this display of boxes of baby booties, emblazoned with symbols of countries and religions, two dozen in each box!

By now we'd been sauntering around for an hour or so. Time for an afternoon coffee and a bit of a sit down to watch the passing parade, before heading for home.

As we made our way along rue de Cléry, one more discovery awaited us. Linking the rue de Cléry and the street above, rue Beauregard, is this "street" - rue des Degrés. It comprises just fourteen steps, is 5.50 meters long, has no doors, no windows, and yet it is an official street! We joked that it must be the shortest street in Paris. And, after a little research, we discovered later that it is exactly that.

Ah,  the joys and pleasures of passing an unplanned hour or two as a "flâneur" or a "flâneuse"!

À bientôt!

Les Galettes des Rois

Barely a week goes by here in France without there being some kind of a holiday, or fête. Very often these are tied to a religious event, a saint's birthday perhaps or, in some instances, their grisly demise. January 6 celebrated two events that I know of: the birthday of Joan of Arc, the Maid of Lorraine, and the Feast of the Epiphany. Joan of Arc's birthday gets pretty skimpy coverage -- maybe because no one is absolutely certain if this is her birthday! --  but the Feast of the Epiphany seems to take over the town for the whole month of January.

You notice it right away at the bakeries, where lavish displays of "galettes" (cakes or wafers) appear front and centre in display cases. Tradition has it that these cakes, and the secret charms hidden within,  drew the Three Kings, the Magi, as they followed the Star of Bethlehem to the stable of the Christ child. Their journey lasted 12 days, thus the 12 days of Christmas, ending on the Epiphany, the twelfth night.

The delectable treats consist of super flaky pastry layers with a dense centre of frangipane. Yum!

When you're ready to buy your own Galette des Rois, a gold paper crown is wrapped around it before it's carefully placed in a pretty wax bag that features a handsome looking king.

 And so it was that we found ourselves yesterday chez our 4th floor neighbors, Ingrid and Olivier and their five month old baby, Gisèle, at their Fête des Galettes.

As Ingrid carefully cut the galettes into equal slices...

...both Matiis and Elena, from the other 4th floor flat, waited with excitement to see who would find the lucky charm, the "fève" in their slice.

Today, these "fèves" are tiny porcelain figurines. In earlier times, they were, literally, a bean, une fève. In either case, whoever finds the lucky charm is crowned "king" or "queen" for the day and gets to wear the paper crown.

At our party, it was Naïs, their sister, who found the lucky charm, and proudly wore the crown!

Not to be outdone, however,  Matiis produced his very own crown that he'd made at school. And since les galettes des rois continue to be offered throughout January, he will no doubt find his own fève before the month is out.

In a new (to me) tradition for "twelfth night", our niece and nephew each year host a delicious dinner with American and French friends at their home here, followed by a reading by all the guests of the entire text of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night!  I last read this play in high school and just loved revisiting it -- as we all munched our way through large slices of scrumptious Galette des Rois! The two are now forever entwined in my mind (and taste buds).

À bientôt!

Happy New Year!

Seasons Greetings from our favorite city, where we arrived just a couple of days before Christmas to mild, damp weather and a city in full holiday swing. Long museum lines (the Louvre had a line that stretched clear around the courtyard and beyond!), stores jammed with last minute shoppers, and the streets, buses and metro filled with people, scurrying here and there. The popular "grande roule" (the big wheel), that stands at the bottom of the Champs Élysées by the Place de la Concorde, attracts thousands of visitors and residents alike,  and every neighborhood somehow manages to deck itself out in festive splendor.

On our very own rue Montorgeuil, merchants organized sparkly street lights to augment their individual displays of holiday goodies. This being, basically, a "food" street, it's hard not to begin salivating as soon as you step into it!

Our first evening we took a stroll to see the local sights, and had only gone a few steps when we almost tripped over the dozens of boxes of Panettone spilling out from the Italian Deli's doorway and onto the pavement.

A little further down we passed the U-Marché and smacked our lips at its trays of shrimp, langoustines and bottles of champagne.

Our jaws really dropped, though, when we came to the window of Maison Collett! Our eyes could barely take in this amazing array of Bûches de Noël,  the traditional Christmas Eve dessert.  We resisted the temptation, however, because we'd received an excellent bottle of Sauternes from a friend and, with a substantial slab of our favorite butcher's homemade foie, we thoroughly indulged ourselves!

A feature of Paris at this time of year are the many Christmas markets that set up shop from mid-December on. Some of these offer regional foods and wines, others focus more on arts and crafts. On the Left Bank, on the Boulevard St. Germain, this row of stalls pretty much offered a bit of everything...

...from cosy hats on an extensive display of mannequin heads...

...bright, colorful stacking Russian dolls...

...charming wooden toys and decorations...

...to this jolly fellow, who seemed to be offering all of the above, as well as tasty-looking cakes and cookies.

Another "must see" stop during the holiday season are the famous windows of Au Printemps and Galeries Lafayette, the "grands magazins" that form the heart of the shopping hub on the Boulevard Hausmann. Every year, each store selects a theme and, under some corporate sponsorship or other, transform their windows into a moving, musical extravaganza. A couple of years ago, I remember the theme was Alice in Wonderland, with predictable displays of rabbit holes and tea parties.

This year, Maison Chanel has glitzed up Au Printemps‘ windows with a theme of a world tour.  Each of the 11 windows has been transformed into a diverse city from Tokyo to Los Angeles to Venice. Karl Lagerfeld himself is featured in some, including this group of hip, silver-haired gentlemen making music against the backdrop of Parisian icons.

In front of each window display, a raised walkway allows children of all ages to get a good close look at it all...and then turn around so Papa can take their photo.

Between the musical marionnettes, the fashion windows of Au Printemps offer a glittering selection of haute couture items. This being Au Printemps, it was a good thing we were only window shopping!

Meanwhile, Galeries Lafayette is offering a ‘Rock ‘n’ Mode’ Christmas theme. Mini puppets, “kouklistars”, are shown rocking the day away in cocktail outfits though not before having their hair blow-dried and styled in sequins.

Other windows show the “kouklistars” waving to the fans within the window, and the fans looking on from the outside viewing stands.

Needless to say, all other displays tend to pale in comparison to these glittering windows,  but I was surprised -- and amazed -- that the usually dreadful nightmare of an underground shopping mall, known as Le Forum des Halles, hung these beautiful, almost transparent giant balloon ornaments in the main square. For a moment it made you forget the million little ant-people scurrying around beneath.

Along with all the commercial aspects of Christmas, Paris does not neglect the spiritual side. Christmas Masses are celebrated in all the churches, with special recitals preceding or following the services.  In past years, I have made the pilgrimage to Notre-Dame Cathedral, but this year we discovered a beautiful early 17th century basilica in our own neighborhood. Built by Louis XIII, its name, Notre-Dame des Victoires,  was his expression of gratitude for what he believed was Mary's help in his battles and in consolidating his kingdom.

Today, it is known as a "Marian Sanctuary" and a place of pilgrimage. The walls of the basilica are covered with ex voto messages of thanks carved in marble, giving the whole interior a white glow.  Side chapels are filled with candles, left by today's pilgrims. We attended Vespers on Christmas Day afternoon, followed by a recital on the basilica's impressive organ.

On a slightly more secular note, a couple of days after Christmas, the majestic Église St.-Sulpice, over in the 6th arrondissement, presented Mozart's Requiem in D minor. The large choir, chamber orchestra and soloists gave full measure to this work to a packed, enthusiastic audience. Among the encore pieces was César Franck's Panis Angelicus (Bread of Angels), a beautiful haunting melody, whose words date back to the 13th century.

With 2012 officially here, there remain just a few more days of "Christmas" before Twelfth Night (January 6), when all the decorations come down, and Paris gears up for the next big event:  the winter sales!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

À bientôt!