Aujourd'hui

Everyday life in Paris will probably be the thing I miss the most when we leave.  And we will leave.  The Mr. finished school in December and in a few months we will start saying our goodbyes. We are so excited about getting home to our family and friends and starting the next chapter of our life but it is going to be very hard to let her go.  So for now, we are enjoying today and spending every moment we have soaking her in.

Today I've decided to go back to the beginning and chronologically blog about our daily life in Paris.  Every little detail of Parisian life fully captured my attention in the beginning, became a bit lost on me in the middle and has re-captivated me completely as we look toward the end. 

Place des Vosges, Le Marais

So, aujourd'hui.  This morning we set out to take advantage of the very last bit of the soldes before they end next week.  (Shopping is a great way to get out and explore the city, and of course, who doesn't love a great sale?)  We walked down to the Bir-Hakeim bridge (a beautiful bridge just to the right of the Eiffel Tower) and hopped on a bus taking us straight to Hotel de Ville.  I absolutely love boutique shopping in the Marais and highly recommend (although it is a little more enjoyable when it is not 30 degrees out). 

Our first stop was L'as du Fallafel (the Mr.'s favorite lunch spot... I made an egg white omelet before we left knowing that I will be indulging in Italy for the next two weeks).  L'as du Fallafel is the most popular kebab place in Paris and a fun place to grab a quick bite and walk.  (The line is much shorter on week days). 

I popped into a few of my favorite stores and found a new favorite on Rue Rivoli. (On the walk between the Hotel de Ville metro stop and St. Paul metro stop, there are great little stores with inexpensive trendy-wear). While walking down rue Vieille du Temple, we found a great art gallery with an interesting concept.  Carré D'Artistes has galleries in 8 different cities in France, Spain and the UK spotlighting 350 artists a year.  Each week, the art rotates between the 8 different cities.  I think it's such a fun way to see lots of artists and can't wait to keep checking back in. 

Next, we argued about the fastest way to get to the left bank.  Unable to come to an agreed upon conclusion, we chose our own separate routes.  After I speedily arrived at the Sevres-Babylon metro stop, I took the escalator right up to the front door of Le Bon Marche.  There, I browsed the Yves Salomon furs (my favorite), contemplated on whether a very marked down fur vest was a sound purchase (seeing that we are moving back to the South of the US) and checked the price tags on all of my favorite  Céline bags (as I always do, hoping one day they are going to miraculously change). 

Important note:  this picture is not an accurate representation of the writer of this blog.  I would never walk around Paris in pumps and I do not own Louboutins (yet).

The Mr. shows up (30 minutes later) and we head to the mens' department.  (Vicomte is his favorite French brand).  There is great Vicomte store on rue du dragon, just a few blocks from Bon Marche (next to Eggs & Co.).  And of course we can't leave Le Bon Marche without a trip to the Grande Epicerie. 

Our last stop is one of my favorite home decor spots (thanks Aunt Cathy!) Mis En Demeure.  I found some little coffee cups here that I adore and keep checking to see if they have gotten more in and am sadly dissappointed every time.  Neverthless, it's fun to roam around in this beautiful store of French reproductions.  We spotted this blue-gray marble top comode and loved. If only we could get it home!

On the way home, we stopped at the boulangerie to pick up a baguette for dinner.  We usually go with the baguette traditional but today the baguette viennoise caught my eye so we decided to try it.  And Oh. My. Gosh.  Is it delicious.  It is basically a brioche in baguette form.  It's soft and buttery and has a hint of sweetness to it.  I compared it to a Sister Shubert dinner roll kind of taste/texture... the Mr. had never heard of these, so maybe you haven't either....but anyway, just trust me, it is amazing.  Spread with a little Bonne Maman figues violettes and a slice of crottin de chavignol and I was in seventh heaven.  (Did I try to say I was dieting before? Right....).

And so here we are.  Winding down and getting ready to cook dinner.  (We picked up some home made quatre fromage ravioli from the Italian grocery next door and are going to mix them with the boeuf bourguignon ravioli that we bought at Bon Marche for an easy dinner).  And I guess we are back where we started.  Talking about things I am going to miss desperately when we're gone.  The Italian grocery store (next door!!) The fromagerie (that has my favorite crottin de chavignol)  The boulangerie (with choices of baguette styles)  The Eiffel Tower (at the end of the street, staring at me every time I catch the bus) The everyday fabulous life that Paris lays out on a silver platter. 

It's the little everyday moments in life the tend to pass us by. Let's all agree to do our best to enjoy them.  No matter where you are in the world or in your life, we all have so much beauty around us to soak in and enjoy.  So here's to trying to appreciate every last aujourd'hui to the fullest.

Salut!  

Images:  1) via 2) via 3) via 4)  via 5) via  6) iphone 7) iphone