Wednesday 28 March 2012

Flaner

I read that "flaner" means "stroll" in French. I think I read that in Paris Made by Hand (if you don't already have it, it's a wonderful book about unique, beautiful Paris shops). We've been doing lots of strolling and I think it's the best way to explore a city, to wander and get lost in the nooks and crannies and see sights and find things you weren't expecting. I especially think that's the best way to find interesting shops, but we've also been going to some larger (more touristy areas) like the Tuileries for picnics and playground fun and seeing the Eiffel Tower light up at night.
Paris is very easy to navigate and fairly compact, so it doesn't take very long to walk from one side of the city to the other, great for walking. Here's a bit more from some recent Paris days...
Notre Dame at sundown. 
Shakespeare and Company bookstore. You might remember it from Midnight in Paris. I just peeked because we had Lois with us and it was getting late. I'd like to go back. 
We've had some nice picnics, below we had one in front of the Louvre
I popped into some really great shops on Rue St. Paul in the 4th, like this one below, Au Petit Bonheur al Chance. Their web site is under construction, but I found a nice blog post here. I'd like to go back and take more photos and do a longer blog post. The shop is adorable! And jam packed with great vintage kitchen goods and craft supplies. 
And I also went to La Droguerie, a wonderful craft supply store! I have read about it on blogs and books (Paris Made by Hand included) and was really looking forward to going in. 
They have jewelry supplies, beads, buttons, yarn, fabric, embroidery floss and much more. It's a wonderful store. A longer post on La Droguerie coming soon. 
And earlier this week we went to see the Eiffel Tower at night. I wanted Lois to see it light up after sundown. She loved it! 
She was soooo excited when the lights came on, especially when the sparkly lights came on (which I think they do once an hour). It was a lot of fun. I think it would make for a fun picnic dinner one night too. 
And we've had lots of great weather. It's going to get cooler this weekend, but I'm still happy it's spring. Finally!
My mom comes to visit next week, and I'm so excited to explore Paris with her!

3 comments:

Jo Waterhouse said...

Yes! beautiful! You should look up the flaneurs - Baudelaire et al who made sauntering around Paris an art form. One of them took to walking a lobster around on a ribbon - I can't remember properly but I think it was to set the correct pace.

marilu said...

I live your big photos!!you found a paradise with these craft supply shops!!Jessie said she was going to visit you in Paris and I saw the very pretty dress you posted her!

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