Mange, Prie, Aime

I googled english bookstores in Paris the other day in a desparate sudden urge to read "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert

I don't know if it was because I needed an escape from all the french reading or whether I just really wanted to read this book, but the second I stepped into the "Village Voice" bookstore in the quaint little St. Germain des Pres quartier my day was immediately brighter. Seriously, kid in a candy shop effect. walls and tables and more walls of books -- all in english! and my book was just sitting there in the middle of one of the tables, calling me :-). Needless to say, 2 days later I'm already 1/3 through it and trying to read it as slowly as possible a) because its like the perfect book for my life right now...I identify almost too much with this woman...and b) because if I finish it now, I'm going to be compelled to buy another book and the bank account is not gonna be happy about that....I mean, 13 euro for a paperback book is pushing it, its only 8 pounds in the UK....I'm sure its like $13 in the U.S. So not fair :P

Anyways, so my plan for today was to go check out the Club Quartier Latin, a gym nearby that has all sorts of fitness classes, machines, a pool, etc. and a "formule fitness" (a pass to access all that) for 15 euro/day. Probably the cheapest in paris, and I'm dying for a gym. So I force myself up at 8:30...ok...9 on a Saturday morning, take the metro like 6 stops up, and get off at Maubert Mutualité. Immediately I run into the most amazing weekend morning fruit/veggie/meat/cheese/homemade goods market ever. >< maybe not ever, but since I havent really visited one, and I realize this right this moment, since I got to Paris, I feel a sudden urge to browse. I force myself past it though and come upon the gym...pause....think about not walking in and just taking off on a random walk (i wonder if the french word "randonnée which means a hike/ride/trek has anything to do with the english word random...doubtful, but close~) around paris....pause again and force self to enter. It looks a little bit like a school gym and is humid/sweaty inside. Seems reasonable enough, but I miss my american air-conditioned, carpeted, sleek-looking gym that makes you want to get fit....a peach-tiled old high school gym does not motivate me whatsoever. Anywho, so I walk in, get in line, make a sudden to decision to flee, pretend I just came in to grab a copy of "Fusac" which has all the classifieds in it....and I peace. The weather outside is SO perfect today: breezy, sunny and 60's. The perfect day for a promenade in Paris. And for the first time since I've been here, I really felt like I loved this city. Not to say that I haven't enjoyed Paris and all its culture, but Saturday Morning Paris is what I've been missing. I will sleep till noon no longer.

So I walked a little past, then back-tracked to the open-air market. Here's the evidence:

Grapefruits [pomelos roses] - sorry Florida, I've betrayed you, these are Moroccan grapefruits, 3 for 2 euro. Can't beat that here.
Ground Nutmeg [muscade moulue] - so expensive here, usually 5 euro at least, but 2 euro at the marché!
a Jazz Apple [pomme jazz] - one of my faves, up there with Pink Ladys, which are popular here, but expensive
Cashews [noix Cajou] - just recently discovered I like these...the guy who sold them kept making fun of me because i kept asking for less than he was giving me :P
a Red Pepper [poivron rouge] - a great deal here, cheaper than in the states.

So after that stop I wandered. and wandered. and wandered. I had a general idea of where I was - walked past notre dame, saint-chapelle, crossed the seine, saw loads of tourists (i guess tourist season has begun), and made a big circle all the way around to Hôtel de Ville and to the Bastille. Once I found Hôtel de Ville I began purposefully heading into le Marais where I found another open-air market to wander through (and a humorous boucher (butcher) singing about "pommes de terre" or potatoes to the tune of Old MacDonald, haha, and then headed towards the amazing patisseries in the St. Paul area.

I suppose all of this wandering was inspired partially by Elizabeth Gilbert's talk of indulging in all of italy, foodwise, and partially by my recent frequenting of this blog: The Girl Who Ate Everything which has lovely photos of Miss Manon and Aux Désirs de Manon and the Atelier du Chocolat, all located in le Marais right near Charles V where I have one of my classes. I decided to follow in her footsteps and indulge in the wonderful delights that I've been avoiding for about a month now.

Step 1: Rid my skepticism of everything pistachio flavored. I love pistachios, but doubted forever that pistachio ice cream, pistachio macarons, and pistachio pastries could taste at all good. Wrongo. This lovely roulé chocolat pistache was amazing and amazingly rich, like eating solid pistachio chocolate sugar butter in airy flaky form:

Step 2: Follow EDUCO staff member Valérie's instructions and go get real chocolate from a chocolaterie. Good choice #2. I didnt even look at anything else and went right for the feuilleté blanc - white chocolate covered milk chocolate praline. Like a creamy hazelnut crunch bar on the inside. If I might borrow from rachael ray, yummo.

Step 3: Recharge phone minutes, yeah, not too exciting, but it had to be done.

Step 4: Wander around for another hour, make my way home having only been unable to resist the pistachio thingy, take pictures of all food, then devour said pistachio thingy and the chocolate. Wait an hour. Get request from Sophie to go get falafel....think a second about the morning's gluttony. Go for the falafel anyways. Here's to being in Paris!

Needless to say I haven't quite passed the "Eat" section of the book. But I'm praying that I haven't gained 5 pounds by tomorrow, and I loved every second of today. (and I did walk for three hours...maybe the french women don't get fat theory comes into play here? maybe?)

I-should-be-doing-work-related vocab of the day: s'ensevelir = to bury oneself (dans un travail/in one's work)