My trip to Giverny last weekend was just the start of an amazing Parisian weekend. On Saturday, I went with my friend Leah to the Marché Dauphine, a Parisian farmer's market near the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris. I was thankful that Leah was so knowledgable about the flea, because getting to it is a bit complicated. You see, the entire area is covered with tents and vendors trying to sell knockoff designer clothing and other wares, aggressively coming up to you to try to sell their merchandise. However, this is not the true flea market. Instead, the Marché Dauphine is in a building past all of the tents, but it's worth the effort. Inside, you have stall after stall of different antique wares, the warehouse divided by type of merchandise. On the first floor you have jewelry, furniture, and decor. Upstairs you have music and clothing, with more antique records and music players of all kinds than I've seen in my entire life. Stalls with button boots and corsets and 1930's clothing on mannequins with signs that say "Please do not touch". Leah and I didn't leave with much, but the experience itself was so cool. I bought two rings and two antique black and white postcards with the writing still visible on the back, and Leah found a ring and a beautiful silk scarf. I intend to return with Mom when she come to Paris, now that I know how the whole thing works.
Afterwards we stopped for lunch at a corner bistro in our neighborhood before heading our separate ways to do homework. Later that night, we met up for drinks with Madeline and Hannah as well at a bar called Bar & Beer where I tried Lagavulin for the first time (And felt closer spiritually to Ron Swanson that ever before). We also met the owner, who told us about how he used to be an Uber driver in New York before proceeding to show us the positive Uber reviews he saved from former clients. Seeing how utterly happy those reviews made him convinced me to forever more rate my Uber drivers.
On Sunday, Leah, Madeline, and Hannah went to Shakespeare and Company, a coffee shop and bookshop right across from the Notre Dame. It might very well be one of my favorite places in Paris. It reminded me so much of The Book Loft in German Village, but much older, dating back to the 1920s. Each room boasts books from floor to ceiling, in English and French alike, as well as an entire section devoted to Shakespeare himself. It took all of my willpower to not buy a third copy of Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth. But I intend to return, so I might buy another copy yet. There's nothing in the world I love quite look a bookshop, and to find one named after Williams Shakespeare, one of my first loves, and located in the city I adore was almost to good to be true.
The coffee shop also spoke to my soul, considering they offered vegan foods and alternative milk options, meaning I got to drink a soy cappuccino and eat a slice of vegan apple pie while hazing lovingly at Notre Dame.
If you happen to find yourself in Paris, promise me that you'll take a trip to Shakespeare and Company. Here's a link to their website that tells all about the shop's history and how it's become what it is today: https://shakespeareandcompany.com/
After our coffee excursion, we took the metro to Montmartre to see the Basilica Sacre Coeur, which if I'm completely honesty has been my least favorite places I've been to in Paris. That's not to say by any means that I didn't like it, but compared to everywhere else I've been and everything else I've seen, it was the least thrilled by it. Granted, we went on a Sunday afternoon during a service, so it was a bit awkward walking through the Basilica itself. But I also found the crowds of people that were there to be a bit overwhelming. However, the Basilica itself was stunning and the view it offered of Paris made me realize how big the city truly is. When Mom comes, we're going to be staying in Montmartre, so maybe I'll give it another chance -- but not on a Sunday.
For a weekend with no excursions through the program, I was so pleased to be able to do so much and see so much of Paris that I hadn't seen before. I'm still so in love with Paris, though everyday I see it more as a real city rather than the version that Hollywood shows Americans... but I think I love this version even more.