Sunny Day in the 5th: Rue Mouffetard, Jardin des Plantes, and Tea at the Grande Mosquée

Okay, let’s face it – when I use the word Sunny, what I actually mean is that a handful of sun rays peeked through the clouds intermittently during the day. What I DON’T mean is the bright, powerful, stark sunshine of California – That kind of sunshine, my friends, I probably won’t be seeing anytime soon. But for now, a few warming rays bring a much-needed feeling of warm happiness.

This Saturday, I went on a little wander through the 5th Arrondissement with my friend Ellen. She introduced me to a really great Crêperie on well-known Rue Mouffetard that has made its appearances on many a travel itinerary, but which I had never heard of. In fact, I had never even walked this famous foodie road until now! I was pleasantly surprised with how charming it was – on a slight incline, full of delicious scents of roasting meat, felafel, and sweet crêpes, miscellaneous shops, an American diner… shall I go on?

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The Paris Memoirs: Marché Aux Puces de Saint-Ouen

Flea Markets – where else can you find such a wide array of STUFF? When you go to flea markets, you find things you never knew you wanted. For instance, I don’t typically sit at home making shopping lists that consist of “fabric scraps,” “miscellaneous beads,” “gilt frames,” “amateur oil paintings,” “skeleton keys,” and “kitschy teacups,” and yet, the minute I set foot within a flea market, I just want ALL of the things!

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The Paris Memoirs: Magical Moments

The memories that remain with you the longest aren’t the landmarks you saw or the things you bought – they’re the experiences you have with people and the feelings you get. I could go on for hours about all the amazing meals, nights out, nights in, and inside jokes I had during my five months in Paris, but no amount of storytelling skill would convey the reality of each personal experience.

So instead, in order to make this way more accessible, I’ve decided to share my top four memories of Paris, that is, the images I get in my head when I think of this city. These were the magical moments.

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Musée Gustave Moreau

When my Mom was in Paris, we took an hour to check out the Gustave Moreau museum. Most people, even people who have some knowledge of art history, aren’t super familiar with this artist, but I gotta say, he’s extremely interesting!

{View of the lower studio space}

He’s considered a Symbolist painter, so many of his tableaux are a fantastical melange of biblical, mythological, medieval, and otherwise imagined references. Some of his work is more textured, expressive, and colorful, like the later work of Delacroix, while his more famous works are expertly drawn, highly ornate, and almost scintillate with detail. His mix of symbolism with extreme attention to detail bring to mind, at least in my own head, apocalyptic yet ancient, and cult-like, ritualistic themes. I picture his images taking place in an imaginary time that is futuristic, yet extremely ancient at the same time, and it’s pretty easy to become lost in them.

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