no Kitchen Orphan

Merci, Paris

I almost had an argument with a friend the other day. He wondered why during my 1.5 day stay in Paris I had not been to the Palais de Tokyo and unmissable exhibitions in town. I answered that no, I had not been to any closed space for more than 10 minutes as all I wanted was to stroll around, enjoying the mix of Parisian charme, early spring temperatures and the fashion crowd (it was still fashion week), only to stop and feed myself.
I've spent most of the time in the enchanting Marais district, where several art galleries hade been turned into fashion ateliers for international buyers. My friend Maria was showing her collection for the second time in Paris and I thought it would be nice to be there. The first new place I discovered (I still wonder how I could have missed it on previous trips) was the Marche' des Enfants Rouges, an indoor market and the oldest in town. I found myself in the area just in time for lunch: besides a few fruit and veg stalls, there were queues of people in front of the stands preparing fresh food to eat in or take away. I chose the Moroccan one (the following day I went for the Japanese) and it was just perfect: a lovely chicken pastilla, some couscous and vegetable, and a mint tea was all I enjoyed while sitting amongst a crowd of intellectuals and fashionistas.

The second highight of my trip has been Merci, the fantastic concept store on Boulevard Beaumarchais that since its opening in 2009 has been a point of reference for trends in clothing, design and homeware. This time I visited the shop for breakfast, where I enjoyed  a traditional baguette-beurre-confiture at the Used Book Cafe with my friend and ex colleague Fiona.

While sneeking around, something made me smile. What was considered a trend for the spring season, something in between gardening and homeware, was London's Columbia Rd Flower Market bag.  How funny...

And finally, following a long afternoon walk that took me to the less busy Quai de Jenmapes canal area, I went back to the Marais and sipped a refreshing drink in pure French style at Cafe Au Petit Fer a Cheval, where Parisians were meeting for a Pastis pre dinner.

So this is what I eventually explained to my friend. Paris - just like London or any major capital that one has the luxury of visiting more than other destinations -, can still be a surprise for the traveller. There are indeed some iconic spots one wouldn't want to miss, however the real charme is not giving oneself a pre-organised plan but rather discover the "arrondissements" (the boroughs), all the little corners, the cafes and the small shops, and even the people, who by the way are getting more and more rude.