Paris Shopping & Random Bites

Do you like to shop?

Then Paris is your town.

I have never seen better dressed women in my life, and I am a New Yorker.

How they walk in those high heels on cobblestone streets is still a mystery to me. Must be in their genes.

Spice shops, mustard shops, chocolate shops, cheese shops, you name it, there is a special shop for it.

I always laugh when we walk by a Christian Louboutin or a Louis Vuitton store.

There are lines of tourists waiting to get in around the block with a special rope and a door man. It's comical.

There are also lines outside the popular restaurants that don't accept reservations.

The sales people and waiters are always extra nice, and we always try speaking in our poor French, though we wind up finishing the conversation in English.

I bring an extra small suitcase just to bring home specialty foods.

Never carry them on, pack them well in your checked luggage.

This year we visited the Maille Moutarde boutique.

Did you know that the Maille mustard you buy in the supermarket here in the states is no longer imported from France?
Yup. It is made in Canada for the U.S. now, and it just doesn't have that zing to it anymore.

This shop is amazing.

They have every specialty seasonal mustard (right now it's figue and mirabelle, which of course I bought!) and flavor you could ever dream of. And of course they have the traditional French mustards with white wine and ancienne, the grainy variety.

You choose the size clay jar you want and they hand pump the mustard fresh into the jar and seal it with a cork (there was also a long line in this store).

Needless to say, I have enough mustard to last me 3 years.

We stopped in one of our favorite cafes in St. Germain for a much needed coffee after shopping.

I always love the cute Parisian kids and can't help but snap their picture.

A gorgeous view of the entire city can be seen from the top of the Arc de Triumph. Worth the climb.

After that, I rewarded myself with the best cassoulet I have ever had in my life.

I don't know why I liked this, it just seemed cute to me.

See you tomorrow with more.....................xo