A day in the 9th

Back on deck after a day of rest trying to shake a horrid cold...both of us!

We metro'd from one of our local stops Sèvres-Babylone to Notre-Dame-de-Lorette in the 9th arrondissement.  The 9th is an interesting wander.  The northern edge borders on Pigalle and Montmartre, and is still a little edgy these days, but tame when compared to its history.  The southern part of the arrondissement is home to les grands magasins - Galeries Lafayette, Printemps - and is well and truly up-market.

First stop ... Le Bonheur des Dames for me to pick up some cross-stitch supplies.  In our Criss Crossing Paris book, we created some projects using articles from this shop and referenced the shop in the acknowledgements, so I took a copy of the book as a gift for the owner.  She was delighted and said, "I will show everyone"!  Such a rewarding reaction ... made me happy.

The shop is located in one of Paris' passages couverts (picture the Paris equivalent of Royal or Block Arcade).  These arcades are picturesque and lined with secondhand book stores, art and photography galeries, tiny cafés - some have a specific speciality or theme.  And they're gorgeous!  Today we wandered Passage Verdeau and Passage Jouffroy.

Then it was re-visits to Le Chat et la Souris and Plus de Bruit - record shops that are faves of Brent, and he was not disappointed.  The proprietor of the Le Chat et la Souris is a gem - passionate, funny, flirty - and it's a memorable experience every time!

Lunch break was between record shops, at a brasserie serving typical brasserie fare - poulet roti, et bière for Brent, entrecôte grillée et frites, et rosé for me. 

Final stop, a surprise find of a local designer Juju s'amuse, where the proprietor was so engaging I couldn't help but try on a bunch of clothes!  Ooh, this is fun.

Sun shining, 27 degrees, cool breeze, lunch en terrasse, new discoveries, old favourites ... j'adore les vacances!