marché maubert

One of the things I appreciate most about living in France is the abundance of outdoor markets. I love them. All the foodstuffs, all the people pushing and mowing over feet with their shopping hampers.

Usually I go to the Sunday market on rue Montmartre because it's close to my apartment, but sometimes I go to the fancier market over on Raspail in the 6th. This Saturday I stopped by the Marche Maubert over in the 5th for a change of pace.

It's funny- I spent a lot of time in the 5th when I lived in Paris in college and studied at the Sorbonne, but now I rarely ever go there. I'm not sure why exactly- I guess you just fall into certain patterns. But it was nice to revisit it this weekend.

The market is also a good one. Fairly small but densely packed. I don't really like taking pictures in markets though. It feels so touristy and gets in the way of people actually trying to buy/sell things. SinceI wasn't doing any shopping that morning, I just hovered around the edges and tried to sneak a few photos without looking like a hopeless rube.

But then I had to take a picture of this:

After squealing with excitement (me, not the pig) I was actually a little bit discomfited because why was there a piglet for sale here, in the middle of Paris?

Hm. 

Then there were these gentlemen and their various instruments. They were actually quite good, so the pig and I listened for a while. 

All in all, a very pleasant way to spend a Saturday morning.