We were up bright and early on this Saturday morning. Chalk it up to my mother's jetlag, as I would have been perfectly happy to lounge in bed all morning if left to my own devices. Anyway, by 9:30 we were sitting at Le Pain Quotidien drinking cafe creme and plotting our day.
We had planned on going to the flea market at the Porte de Vanvres, but since it was raining, we decided that picking through damp antiques might not be the best decision. Instead, we decided to meet Joleen at the Bon Marche, which is always a good decision.
But first, my mother wanted to stop at Picard.
Picard is a chain that exclusively sells frozen foods. That may not sound terribly exciting, but believe me, Picard is a marvel. Whole roasted and stuffed ducks, peeled fava beans, macarons, pate brisee...truly, they have everything, frozen and ready to pop into your oven or microwave. My mother had heard tales of this miraculous place and wanted to see it with her own eyes. In the picture above, she is, I believe, holding a whole stuffed fish.
Anyway, after Picard we hopped on the metro and beelined to the Bon Marche, where we met up with Jolene and oggled the foodstuffs for a while before stopping for a little break at Foucher, a charming chocolate shop with a tea room in the back.
Then we wandered around some more before lunching on salads and tartines at Le Cuisine de Bar. Next door to Le Cuisine de Bar is Poilane, the hugely famous bakery. My uncle actually worked there for a summer when he was a teenager, slaving away kneading bread well into the middle of the night or some such thing. The place is an institution, and of course we had to stop by.
And also buy some of their punitions- tiny butter cookies, perfect with tea.
After sampling cookies, we decided to check out an exhibit on the treasures of the Medicis at the Musee Maillol. The art was impressive, but the museum was unspeakably crowded, which made it difficult to take everything in in a measured way. As I've mentioned, I don't like being jostled.
Post-museum, we stopped for kir royales and a moelleaux au chocolat on rue Cherche Midi.
I love having my mom in town.
We're spending the evening in tonight, watching Marie Antoinette and relaxing before our trip to Fontainebleau tomorrow.
134 rue du bac
75006 Paris
Poilaine
8 rue cherche midi
75006 Paris
Musee Maillol
61 rue de grenelle
75006 Paris
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