No PJ’s, no hot water bottle but three doonas later I slept like a baby – well until the wee hours at least. But hey jetlag does that to you.
I could already sense a routine coming on. I got up to what felt like the middle of the night, in the dark and dead quiet, which was really around 7am and made a coffee and some scrambled eggs and scrambled back to bed to the warmth of my pile of doonas, to eat and read.
The only book that ended up in my carry on was Lonely Planet’s Encounter Paris. I decided I would lay back and check out what happens in my neck of the woods. Not one but two markets on a Sunday.
After washing my hair with the apartment’s complimentary bar of soap, brushed my hair with my fingers, put on my only set of clothes, I went to market to market. One of which is literally around the corner.
What a fabulous market!
The great thing about staying in an apartment and staying in one place for a while is having the pleasure of food shopping. I remember going to markets in Hong Kong and Vietnam and all I wanted to do was buy food and cook.
Today the world was my oyster, chicken, or ready cooked suckling pig!
Marche Aux Puces D’Aligre – is a flea market and wonderful food market. The fresh fruit and veg are outside but there is also an undercover section that has fabulous food. Suckling pigs on rotisseries, wonderful meats all stuffed and ready to cook. Cheeses, olives, terrines, it goes on. It isn’t huge but really wonderful. Everyone is freezing but on a mission to buy and sell despite the freezing elements.
This also proved to be a good opportunity to find a jumper or something to wear. I bought two second hand jumpers for 4 Euros each, a muff to wear around my neck because the gloves just aren’t enough.
Then there was the food. Some pepper rolled salami, celeriac remoulade, rabbit terrine, potato gratin dauphinois, eggs and bread. My most practical find was one little shop on the way back to the apartment that was open and sells all odds and sods, pet care, electrical and international plug converters. I have power!
Marchè Bastille was alive with people squeezing past with trolleys and dogs buying up anything from seafood to tripe to flowers or socks and jocks.
It was starting to get difficult to control myself but I ended up with a lovely cream jumper, some pickled chillies, more bread, some underpants. I even helped some lost Argentinian tourists and bought the latest French Marie Claire on the way back to the apartment again.
Now with water, shampoo and a few other essentials, I am moving in.
I look forward to next Sunday where I think I will buy wonderful pre-cooked food from around the globe to have for dinner.
I don’t think it will be just my luggage that will be over weight.
You gotta love a good Parisian market.
