Café de Flore Paris Letter

 

MIA! MIA! (Missing in action) 

Remember breakfast at Café de Flore? This  one was a struggle 🙀

Cafe de Flore Store

Cafe day today. I'm sick of looking at desserts I can't have.

There are lots of chatchkas you can bring home. Cafe stuff for sale at the cafes.

You'll find these signature souvenirs at posh cafes like Flore and Deux Magots.

Not the same as being there. But you can have your own little make believe cafe in your home kitchen. I've got a cafe table and chairs in mine.

A few French sugar cubes, a cafe cup and a glass. Your bottle of Vittel and you're set.

Wait! You need the aroma of French roast coffee too.

Nothing like a bit of cafe music playing in the background. Who knew Cafe de Flore has their own music CDs? They thought of everything for your-make-believe-cafe recreation.

Why didn't I buy a Flore keychain as a reminder of where I'd rather to be when I go out the door?

Here the cafe boutique where you can get your cafe gear.
26, rue Saint-Benoit, 75006
Now sadly CLOSED

 Watch this Paris cafe video

Do you have any cafe souvenirs in your kitchen?

BONJOUR CAFE TODAY!

Un Jour à Paris

What I did yesterday - another gorgeous day in Paris!
I'm off to see an expo of watercolors by sketchbook artist par excellance, Fabrice Moireau from his new book Toits de Paris on 5, rue St.-Romaine 75006 at his publishers.
 Exquisite views in shades of Paris greys.
You come out and automatically look 👁️ up to those rooftops.

Then 👁️ down at the cerises everywhere in the marche

 A bit further up rue de Sevres I'm in the irresistable Le Grand Epicerie. I trail after un homme in a cerise red jacket

I pick out a 'designer' box lunch of cerise tomatoes for a snack - a layered affair like a verrine.

Back in the Metro to Sonia's expo in St. Germain. In Le Hune's vitrine this red poster makes me pause. Should I start doing leg circles right here in the street? It couldn't hurt.

Cafe de Flore across the street. Jam packed, every square inch of pavement

I stop at the Cafe de Flore shop, which for once is open.

Naturalment the credit card machine won't take my card so I just buy this packet of cafe magnets and run 🏃‍♀️ 

At 15,rue Saint-Benoit to la galerie Catherine Houard of Sonia Rykiel  - 2 floors of croqui sketches.

Back into the Metro for a tiny trip to l'Isle St-Louis to pick up a tiny dolls house silver tray at L'Ile Flottante

I check if La Charlotte de L'Isle is open. Not. Only on Thursdays - Sundays. Closed forever😥

Another Metro to an expo of architecture + bande dessine -BD/comic books at Cité de la l’Architecture.

The exhibition covers New York, Paris, Tokyo and the evolution of comic books through various cities and their relationship to architecture

 Videos, giant sketchbook blowups, interactive demos where you can turn the pages. Altogether a brilliant display of great drawings

 Incomparable city views tied in with cultural aspects...Just Go!

Time for some R & R again

Out comes the silver tray I bought on Isle St-Louis to shoot some still life setups. Plus a gouter of macarons + a tisane de fleurs d'oranger

At last I head home to collapse with a stop in Printemps - displays girls walking dogs. It reminds me of Sonia Rykiel's doodle of dog walkers.

BONJOUR A DAY IN PARIS!

Make Believe Cafe...

Cafe day today!

And I'm sick of looking at desserts I can't have...

There are lots of little chatchkas you can bring home.

Cafe stuff for sale at the cafes...

You'll find these signature souvenirs only at posh cafes like Flore and Deux Magots.. Not the same as being there...
But you can have your own little make believe cafe in your own kitchen
I've got a cafe table and chairs in mine...
A few French sugar cubes, a cafe cup or two and a glass...
Your bottle of Vittel and you're set up!
Wait!
You need the aroma of French roast coffee too...And nothing like a bit of cafe music playing in the background...
Who knew Cafe de Flore has their own music CDs?
They've kindly thought of everything for your make believe cafe recreation..
One thing I wish I'd bought.A Cafe Flore key chain as a reminder of where I'd like to be,
as I go out the door to the real world...Here the cafe boutique where you can get your cafe gear.
26, rue Saint-Benoit, 75006
Just don't go before noon
CLOSED!

Look at this Paris cafe video

Do you have any cafe souvenirs in your kitchen?

Paul Boulangerie

Petit Dejeuner, watercolor, 9" x 11 1/2"

Melissa asked me, would I please visit the chain a boulangerie/patisserie this trip. Since it was right across the street from my hotel on rue de Seine, I had petit dejeuner there.

*Note the petit dejeuner is called "Le Parisien"

I do have a problem with the French insisting on calling Danish pastries, "Viennoiseries" I took this up with Merisi from Vienna, but I forget her response

Paul Boulangerie has set up this demo tray in the entry so you know what your getting.I think in fact I went all out and got "Le Continental" = The Works.
When C. emailed me in Paris requesting I bring her back boxes of French chocolate,
my immediate response was,
NON! NINE, NIENTE, NADA, DE JEITO NENHUM (Portuguese for NO WAY!)
My bags are filled with what Marcel Proust calls Remembrances of Things Past..True, I do bring back empty chocolate boxes, but that's for still life usage.Do Paris cafes have my picture up? WANTED DEAD or ALIVE for stealing sugar cubes etc.
Paul Petit Dejeuner, watercolor, 9" x 11 1/2"

M. says many cafes no longer put their name brand on glasses etc, like Cafe de Flore, so they won't find a new home. The spoon is from Italy by the way...The dining area.

I love the use of old graphics and typography on their outdoor signs..