sundays in paris: flowers + shopping in le marais
I'm starting a new series, "Sundays in Paris," to offer ideas on what to do in Paris when, well, practically 90 percent of the city shuts down, making finding even a pack of band-aids an adventure for the books. What I do may not be particularly revolutionary (let's be honest, Sundays are designated homework days), but I hope they'll save you the frustration of researching what the hell is actually open--and worth doing. The shops in Le Marais (3ème & 4ème; métro stop St. Paul), one of my favorite neighborhoods in Paris, are always open on Sundays. Granted, that means the narrow sidewalks are even more congested. But although I always crap about how much I hate going to Le Marais on weekends, I find myself gravitating there anyway for its trendy brunch spots and shops. Among others, Le Marais is home to Café Kitsuné, Merci, Ob-La-Di, L'as du Fallafel, L'Éclair de Génie, Sandro, The Kooples, Maje, and Diptyque, as well as MAC and Kiehl's--just in case your French-fatigued brain is craving something familiar, the back of which you won't have to read with Wordreference in hand to decipher its function.
This particular Sunday, I'd managed to sear my forehead with my curling iron, and was almost moved to tears upon finding a pharmacy right in front of the St. Paul métro stop, directly across from the stand that sells cards.
Throbbing forehead pacified with a thick dollop of white, €15 ointment, I headed to L'Artisan Fleuriste, which has a large, moderately priced selection of individual blooms, pre-made bouquets, and vases. I purchased a pre-made bouquet and small fishbowl vase for €15, since it was cheaper than buying the vase (€5) and hydrangeas to fill the vase (€11) separately.
Come to think of it, I thought €15 was too much to pay for the ointment, but I'd paid the same for flowers that would die within a week, thinking it was a "good deal." Clearly, you can see where my priorities lie...
I hadn't eaten anything that day, so my friend Yeha and I dropped into Breizh Café for a quick bite around 4 p.m. It's a pretty popular spot, but we thankfully didn't have to wait to get a table. I wasn't feeling particularly adventurous, so I got a standard ham and cheese galette (savory crepe made with buckwheat flour), but there are certainly far more interesting items on the menu, like seaweed and smoked butters. Also, note that almost every crepe is topped with a fried egg. You could certainly ask them to leave it out, but I just saved myself the hassle and ordered one of the few egg-free options.
We then headed to A.P.C, where we both fell in love with the bags, especially the Ella (€440) and the Soho (€340). The Ella is offered in black and in a reddish burgundy shade, which feels very luxurious due to the strong brown tones. Because it's not a strong pop of color, it would be a good piece for someone who prefers more monochromatic outfits as well. I also loved this lace dress (€275) and this glorious silk cami (€145), but alas, couldn't bring myself to spend that much money, especially since I was anticipating my upcoming trip to London to be quite spendy (and it was). At least poring over them is free, right? Click away~