Yesterday I took the #1 up to Concorde after a run to la Poste 📬 mailing out your PARIS LETTERS 💌
Rue Royale and windows were waiting A stop in Laduree to see what’s on for Valentines ❤️Hearts on pedestals called “Mon Chou” is their Valentines theme. I bought a small piece of cake citron, telling myself I’d paint it later. Ha Individual slices come in cute little boxes (4,50€). It was trés delish. “Une cadeau?” The vendeuse asked.
“Oui, madame!”I said.
*Always say Oui and ask for some ribbon svp 🎀 Why not?
Next stop Fauchon at 11, Place de la Madeleine I’ve been flirting with their 2-3-5 minute tea-timer for years. Who am I kidding? My nick name will always be ‘Johnny-come-lately’. Some things don’t change. Are you always on time?
They sent me an email promo for their Chinese New Year’s tea Instant coupe de foudre/❤️love for their bunny (sorry Jeanette). It is the year of the lapin/rabbit. The vendeuse checked with the manager. The bunny is not for sale. “You will have to wait…” she said.
No date given.
With Easter coming, prognosis negative.
Mariage Fréres is such a beautiful shop. Nearby a ‘so French’ cafe I want to paint this cup. The mundane purpose of my uptown jaunt? I badly needed a new space heater at Merlon Leroy. Cachemire-wool blend turtlenecks are great but not nailing it in my drafty chambre de bonne. *Update - All the cashmere/wool blend turtlenecks sold out on Sunday after I posted on Le Cachemire. I picked up this round-neck number…still very warm. Don’t ask me why it’s taken me a lifetime to figure out real fibers like wool and cashmere keep you warmer than acrylic blends🤔 I felt brave and popped into a cashmere shop nearby, Kujten. The window says, ’Dernière Démarques’ Last markdown.
”Les soldés?” (Sol-day)
My pronunciation was politely corrected,
Everything in the shop was 30% off of 300-600+€ 😳
Veddy nice but I’m sticking with my locale brew 😊
By popular request - moi in new mustard yellow scarf & pull - elevator shot. And what Parisians are wearing. I headed home to test out the new heater. So that’s what I did yesterday.
The light show on the Seine never disappoints.
Ohhh! Love the wall of colourful tea pots in Marriage Freres! I do find in Europe (including France) I bring my own strong tea bag with me, as the cafes usually have rather weak black tea for my taste. However Marriage Freres tea is pretty classy. You look good in the yellow jumper too. I find the mix of wool/cashmere more affordable and still warm, hope you do too!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this post as Rue Royale is one of my favorite streets. As a matter of fact my sister & I stayed in that area on our last trip and I am pretty sure we frequented that “so French cafe”, where you wanted to paint the cup. They had great hamburgers and pomme frites. Since I am a rabbit collector I would have liked that rabbit at Mariage Freres. Hope your space heater helps keep you warm. You sure do look good in your new scarf.🗼❤️🫖🐇🍔🍟
ReplyDeleteRue Royale and Place de la Madeleine is a very good area to stay in Paris. You’re at the center of everything. The space heater is working fine 👍Thanks Daina
Delete"Cheerful rabbit" will be my quiet model.
ReplyDeleteI've loved your last couple of posts, tracking you throughout your day. They remind me of what Frank O'Hara called his "I do this, I do that" poems--so charming, and giving the vrai flavor of la vie a Paris. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteOh thank you! I sit at home so much pushing a pencil that when I finally get out there’s a stack of to-dos. I must look up O’Hara’s poems. I’m really enjoying doing these daily reports.
DeleteAdieu to Norman, Bonjour to Joan and Jean-Paul by Frank O’Hara
Deletethe only thing to do is simply continue
is that simple
yes, it is simple because it is the only thing to do
can you do it
yes, you can because it is the only thing to do
blue light over the Bois de Boulogne it continues
the Seine continues
the Louvre stays open it continues it hardly closes at all
the Bar Américain continues to be French
de Gaulle continues to be Algerian as does Camus
Shirley Goldfarb continues to be Shirley Goldfarb
and Jane Hazan continues to be Jane Freilicher (I think!)
and Irving Sandler continues to be the balayeur des artistes
and so do I (sometimes I think I'm "in love" with painting)
and surely the Piscine Deligny continues to have water in it
and the Flore continues to have tables and newspapers
and people under them
You look great in the mustard yellow!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jeanne. Its a new color for me.
DeleteI expected Mariage to be much larger,But certainly so pleasing on the eye.Eye candy.Loved it.
ReplyDeleteHope the heater is doing it/s job..no comparison real wool and acrylic..and you know I know:) No cashmere here but wool.
MF HQ is in the Marais. They now have many petit branches all over town. The shop actually went deep in the back.
DeleteThat first picture of a grey day is so Paris ! Annie
ReplyDeleteBeautiful sweater & scarf! I can't wear cashmere or wool, I itch terribly, but admire from afar.
ReplyDeleteI honestly like your posts more and more! You have hit your stride and then some. Charlotte
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a dusting of snow at the Concorde. Beautiful photo, perfectly framed.
ReplyDeleteJust reflections…snow is a rare thing in Paris 😊
DeleteI love a cashmere blend! I have 3 that are a few years old, there are only a few months here in Arizona to wear them, sigh. I would be in heaven in the tea shop viewing the tea pots, they remind me of my teen years before I drank coffee. Good Tuesday to you Carol, Nancy
ReplyDeleteCarol,
ReplyDeleteI sleep in my old cashmere sweaters in the winter. I go to second hand stores for cashmere sweaters as well. You look good in the mustard scarf. I look at my Laduree painting often and wish I could be in Paris. Stay well, we got snow on East end of LI first time this winter.Dorry
I am sleeping in the round-neck one 💤💤💤
DeleteLove the mustard scarf on you, Carol. I try and wear only natural fibers and found a great online only shop that is very reasonable. I am going to buy a space heater this week as our gas prices have quadrupled and my two story house is chilly - even in Southern California.
ReplyDeleteTry to test it first. Mine is noisy. And don’t get the radiator oil-filled style. They do not give off heat.
DeleteI’m also enjoying votre vie quotidienne…fascinating! Never a dull moment in Paris. You look lovely in your new sweater and scarf. Mirrored French elevators are so convenient for selfies. Stay warm. ❤️
ReplyDeleteAh la vie quotidienne ! Making the ordinary interesting.
DeleteCarol--Since you've had so many compliments on your mustard sweater and scarf, perhaps you should feature a little figure of yourself in the next Paris letter. How cute would that be?
ReplyDelete😊 I will try Mary Lou ✏️
DeleteI'm so glad to see people in Paris are wearing comfortable shoes. Loving your scarf and daily jaunt. Yup. Real fibers are warmer, go figure. Well done on such a sweet, compact space heater. Remeber when they were big behemoths? This is perfect!
ReplyDeleteYou look absolutely gorgeous in your new yellow scarf! It suits you perfectly <3 And such a beautiful photo you captured at Place de la Concorde, love it! Lovely grey clouds and the man biking. So Paris!
ReplyDelete