Plat de souvenir

I would try and get off the metro a few stops from my apartment and walk myself home through the winding streets on the 14th Arrondisement. Some of the things I found along the way:

Rue de Guerre: A small street with restaurants and outdoor food stands. I shopped in a few boutiques, boulangeries, and a hot chocolate shop- the same concept as a tea shop except exclusively hot chocolate. I loved the pace and atmosphere in the street. It’s difficult to explain but every time of day that I would pass through on my way felt like the true Paris.

Cimitaire Montparnasse: I noticed this giant gated square while running one day and I made it my goal to find the entrance and sneak a peak inside. It ended up being a cemetery, much like Piere Lachaise however there were no tourists but tons of famous French graves. I only recognized Serge Gainsbourg from a movie that we had seen with class. He was a French singer, songwriter, actor, director and musical genius in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. The French adore him. We watched a film about his life for class-- maybe it was the cultural difference between me and the French or the fact that I understand about 20% of the language in the movie, but I never understood their fascination with the man. He was not a hero nor a role model; maybe a genius that got thrown into a terrible life of fame, abandonment, drugs, and alcohol. But, like I said, the French adore him and the tributes on his grave show that he is truly loved, at his tucked away grave in Paris.

Life as a marketiere was exciting. I got to try new fruits, vegetables, and cheeses. I picked up some street lingo and learned the Parisian pace. I learned new neighborhoods and smelled some mouth-watering freshly baked breads and some eye-watering scaly fish--but my best market purchase was a plate. Plat? Yes, I bought a giant ceramic serving platter, hand crafted and painted by a wonderful market vendor just outside of Paris. I fell in love with French dishware at home with my mom’s gorgeous yellow and red hand-painted serving platters. They make the dinner table come alive and the food look beautiful, so it didn’t matter to me how I was supposed to carry a giant, breakable platter through the airport- I was bringing home my plate!