Day five: It was a gloriously sunny morning so we walked toward Luxembourg Garden and stopped for pastries and coffee at Bread and
Roses Boulangerie Biologique, 62 rue Madame, 75006.
From there we walked to Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche, Paris' first ever modern department store, at 24 Rue de Sèvres, 75007. Le Bon Marché offered a gorgeous shopping experience. We took our own sweet time wandering through a wide range of departments: groceries, housewares, stationery, and even haute couture for kids.
La Grande Epicerie de Paris was a feast for the eyes and palate, and we found plenty of goodies to pack for our picnic lunch.
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| Fun summer display of French condiments |
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tellement de fromage
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| Loved the books and stationery department |
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| A child's frock with latex balloon hem |
We bought the most delicious French picnic items and set out for a picnic in Luxembourg Garden. We basked in the sun, watched children
playing with vintage sailboats and riding Shetland
ponies, cheered on women playing Pétanque, and checked out the bee hives housed in the park.
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| Our picture perfect picnic spot...except for the pesky wasps and pigeons |
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| The duck pond was full of these vintage boats powered only by children and wind |
Pétanque is a boules sport
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| Jardin du Luxembourg has been home to a beekeeping school since 1856 |
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| Everything is cuter in France |
After exploring the gardens, we claimed a sidewalk table and cooled off with refreshing Aperol spritzes and tea at Café Mabillon, 164 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 75006.
After our late afternoon refreshments, we made our way back to the Île de la Cité and attended 5:45 p.m. mass at Notre-Dame Cathedrale de Paris, Vepres du Temps Ordinaire Saturday II.
We found dinner near the courthouse at Brasserie Les Deux Palais on the Île de la Cité, 3 Boulevard du Palais, 75004, where the waiter annoyingly said
"ooh la la" after every interaction. Despite this, we had a delicious dinner before (literally) running across the street to try to make it in time for a concert we hoped to attend. By this time we knew full well that it's impossible to rush French meals (or French servers).
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| French pickles? Merci infiniment! |
We just barely made it to the concert in time and what a relief because--oh, it was divine! Seated under 1113 stained glass windows at La Sainte-Chapelle du Palais de la Cite, 8 Boulevard du Palais, 75001, we were treated to a string quartet and soprano concert featuring Ghislaine Roux, mezzo soprano, performing a dozen or so variations of Ave Maria. It was glorious.
Another fabulous day in
la Ville Lumière!
