Rue Montorgueil – Shopping Day

I think this is my favorite part of Paris.  Yes, more than the Eiffel Tower, Versailles, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysées, or even the Luxembourg Gardens - -  I love this little corner in the Marais, deep in the Jewish quarter, the very best.  I feel happy here.  I feel safe here.  I love the men striding by with their tall hats, holding their little boys’ hands with their very own child-size yarmulkes.  There is history here, some of it not so good, some of it actually shaming, you can really feel the war here.  But this little corner has survived it all and in fact, has thrived.  This place has soul.

I also particularly love this patisserie, Muriano.  (Can you see the sign in the picture?)  I believe it just may be my favorite patisserie in all of Paris.  How could Amy Thomas have missed it in Paris My Sweet, I’d like to know?  They make this apple strudel thing that I believe I would die for.  In fact, when I really do die, I want you to sprinkle a few of my ashes here in this little corner. .

We began our day, sitting in this quiet little space, me with my beloved croissant amande au chocolate, Rob with a truly moan-inspiring pastry thing with creamy filling.  Again, it is always important to have enough sugar and fat in the system; this time to fuel proper shopping decisions.

Mariage Freres

(I’m sorry there is no picture, they wouldn’t let me take one – thank the good Lord I asked!)

Now this is a tea shop.  This tea shop soars above any other tea shop I’ve ever seen.  This is also a shop where one can open cans and smell and then smell a little more.  There is spicy tea, floral tea, herbal tea, basic black tea, green tea and white tea; tea with ginger, tea with almonds, tea with orange peel; I think there may have even been chocolate tea.

This is also a place for gifts; Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, bringing back from vacation gifts, staying in your home gifts; gifts for parishioners, gifts for chaplains, gifts for friends, hostess gifts.  Let’s just say that Mariage Freres contributed extensively to the Droste gift box.

It is truly a genteel shopping experience.  It is quiet – hushed – reverent – basically a church for tea.  The tea people, all dressed in suits and ties, stand behind a gleaming wood counter in front of cans upon cans of tea, carefully placed on shelves from floor to ceiling, waiting to help you spend lots of euros.  A dapper young man with a skinny tie gathered all of our purchases, carefully counting the number of Mariage Freres bags, one for each purchase, slipping in a Mariage Freres card in each one.  I think they do a lot of gifts here.  They have a great system.

Beauty Supplies

It’s even fun to shop for normal things in Paris like beauty supplies. I spotted one, much like ours on Lakeshore, but this one was on rue de Rivoli, thereby special. For a mere 75 euros I bought an assortment of shower gels, shampoos, soaps, make-up brushes, face cleansers and even a darling pink On Tour blow dryer.  It’s so pink.  It’s so adorable.  (I’m sure I’ve lost all of male readers at this point . . .)

Office Supplies

Can I perhaps lure you back dear gentlemen, with office supplies?  French office supplies are just cooler than American office supplies.  We found these bright orange tablets, with a little swirly design on the front, each less than 2 euros and bought three of them.  We bought four re-fills of ink for the pens we bought last time and could not find replacement ink in the U.S.  Rob bought himself an elegant dark blue journal and me a pink linen journal with a little pink pencil.  I bought something very purple for a special friend, who will go unnamed, just in case she is reading. . .

Rob says we have a crush on Paris.  I think that may be so.

Rue Montorgueil

We dropped off our purchases and finally made it over here.  This street just may be the Paris corollary to College Avenue in Rockridge.  I’ve wanted to check it out every time we’ve come here and we’ve never quite had the time.  (One of the reasons that this trip has been so deeply satisfying is because there are so many things I’ve had on my list for years that we’ve never quite gotten to for lack of time.)  It is chock full of cafes, charcuteries, fromageries, poissoneries, patisseries and fresh fruit and legume stands.

We stopped at the famous patisserie, Stohrers, where I bought a delectable bar of very dark chocolate for a dear chaplain, who shall also remain unnamed in case she is reading.  We each had a chocolate chip cookie from Eric Kayser, the best chocolate chip cookie I have ever put in my mouth, bar none.  Thank you to the good Amy Thomas of Paris My Sweet.

The Parisians definitely have it going on, no doubt about it.  Take a look at where they have their hair done – can you make out those delicate white lights leading back to a charming alley?

 

As we made our way back over to the Marais, Rob made a new friend, Danielle, an older French woman, fiercely political and die hard socialiste at the Red Wheelbarrow, American bookstore on the rue Saint Paul.

Time for a NAP!