Enjoying the Hunting and Gathering
Gourmet Marché So maybe you like markets, but it's just too cold, raining, or you hate the doggy doo landmines. If you don't mind going to Sèvres-Babylone to do your shopping, the Grand Epicerie at the Bon Marché is simply the best combination of American selection/convenience/size and French quality/taste/aesthetic. It's like a gourmet market, but indoors. They have a huge selection of regional French foods and international foods (Chocolate chips and marshmallow creme!), as well as home and beauty products, free samples, and fast checkouts. You'd think they were paying me for this gushing praise, but I'm just in a jolly and generous mood today because our neighbor upstairs has finally fixed her plumbing so that we don't hear it screeching on those early Sunday mornings.
A Lesson for Life Again, it's these little things that I try to enjoy. It's just as easy to hate Paris as it is to love it. And when you're an expat who has chosen to live here of your own free will, that can be a frustrating experience. It doesn't matter where you are in the world, if you're in a regular work-metro-dinner-bed kind of routine, it's easy to get sucked into the mire. My own advice to all of you is to give yourself a little more time out of the house. Take the bus instead of the metro, go to the open market instead of the Franprix, eat a long lunch in a cozy bistro at least once a week (with wine, of course). Try browsing for new dinner ideas, indulge yourself with a long stroll down Rue du Faubourg St. Honoré, and take a good book to the post office to read in line. Hell, why not read the entire Pariscope to see what might be an interesting excuse to waste a 'sick' day. And relax. Besides, people look surprised if you're on time in Paris.
Enjoy the Great Outdoors Check out the "Tourist For a Day" links if you're really hurting for something different to do, but don't spend too much time today surfing around (I'm definitely not paid to say that). The long, dark days of January are for cozying up at home. But for now, while the crisp air is still a novelty, and your new cashmere scarf is still fluffy, get out there into the streets. Don't go inside, don't go down into the tunnels, and stay away from
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