Photo credit: Margy
It's been a long time coming! I decided to come to Paris with the Tiltons almost exactly one year ago. Margy decided to join me, and here we are, at last!
We haven't yet met up with the Tiltons—the official trip starts in a few days. Margy and I have been having fun bumbling around Paris on our own, visiting shops we've long heard about, finding new shops, learning the Paris subway system, and adjusting both geographically and with the time change. (Europe changed to standard time a full week before the U.S. and, of course, Margy only arrived in this time zone a few days ago.)
TOC:
- Trippens!
- Groom Paris
- Clingancourt Flea Market
- Places des Vosges
- Window Licking
- Street Wear
- Edibles
- Miscellaneous
Sorry if I sound a bit like a broken record, but you know that we love Trippens!
One of our first stops in Paris was the Trippens store. It was fun to compare it to the Munich Trippens store! (For the record, the Munich store had a wall of red shoes, but seemed smaller than the Paris store. They do carry slightly different stock, but both have the wonderful tiled floors.)
Margy and I each found a pair of Trippens to add to our collections. Margy will show hers when she blogs, but I found these "Judy Jetson" boots!
OH! I almost forgot! Rumor has it that the Trippen folk are considering opening a Trippen store in San Francisco!!!
For many years Marcy has sold Groom bags on her website and, in fact, she made a video in 2011 of her visit to the Groom store in Paris:
So, of course, Margy and I had to visit!
Neither Margy nor I are big flea market aficionados, but one hears that flea markets are a "thing to do" in Paris, so we decided to head to one of the biggest, Porte de Clignancourt Les Puces Flea Market, aka Clingancourt. It's outside of Paris proper, but you can ride the #4 subway line to the end and it drops you very close to the market. All the guidebooks tell you to watch out for pickpockets, but we went early and saw/heard no problems. As we left, it was getting quite crowded and that's probably when you need to be more careful.
It was interesting to check out the market. I found a necklace made of sterling silver and Daum glass that was very unique. Margy didn't find anything but it was fun to look and take some photos.
The Places des Vosges is an historic square in the Marais. Around the square, under beautiful tiled arched walkways, are art galleries (with amazing art, but I didn't feel comfortable taking pics), restaurants, and shops. The very center features a beautiful park with a fountain, a statue of Louis XIII, and a playground.
I think it's fairly well documented that what we call window shopping the French call lèche-vitrine, or window licking.
Pretty apt.
Here are some of the window displays that inspired me. Some didn't photograph well, but c'est la vie.
The biggest story I noticed is the knitwear! The wonderful wonderful knitwear, often distressed. In fact, I purchased a distressed-looking sweater in the Marais.
Don't ask me where these photos were taken, because I have no idea. I just clicked and kept moving!
I didn't take too many photos of street wear, though I saw some interesting clothing. I'm also including some pics of Margy and myself. Well... we were also on the street. ;)
Photo credit: Margy
Photo credit: Margy
Photo credit: Margy
Photo credit: Anca, a very friendly sales woman
I don't take a lot of food shots (Margy took more than I did), but here are a few, along with a pic or two of a cafe.
Halloween is pretty low key in Paris, but I did see Halloween themed items for sale, especially at Marks and Spencers Food shop and at the many chocolate shops I've seen.
Just a few other pics!
By the way, I learned that November 1st is a big holiday in France! Many shops are closed on All Saints Day, much to our chagrin!
Last night when Margy went to sleep, I was blogging. When she woke up, I was blogging. She quipped that she fully expects me to blog on my deathbed, if possible...
Well, YEAH!!!
More later!