The most delightful part of travel – slow travel, that is – comes when you stumble upon something wonderful and magical.Just what that might be depends on who you are and what you value and what simply strikes your fancy.
We took the Number 42 bus to Place de l’Opera and walked to E. Dehillerin so I could buy a copper bowl and a new whisk (more about that later).
I was so excited I forgot to take a photo and was about to suggest turning back when we chanced upon the plaza that was once the site of Les Halles, or very near the site of Les Halles. The Forum des Halles shopping complex is near by, perhaps underneath. I did not look. It did not matter.
Something there resonated with me. Perhaps it was the noonday sun and the lightness of the air in the raised plaza. Perhaps it was the grandeur of the surrounding buildings, the old Bourse de Commerce and St. Eustache Church. Or maybe the noonday sun.
It is not old, certainly, and it is often the old that strikes a respondent chord with me.
But there was something here. Whatever it was, it brought tears to my eyes, because the day was so lovely and the space so green and yet so urban.
I like to think the spirits of the old fishmongers and butchers and bakers linger here, welcoming visitors to the Paris sun.
14 comments:
Oh, I know this place. We've taken a bench and just sat in the sun some days. We once got locked in St. Eustache Church! Is it still under renovation, it was in October last year.
Oh yes, Mimi. This place must have been a sight to see ....a 450,000 square-foot hub of activity where venders hawked their wares and hurried shoppers ran around to pick out the best produce-just imagine all the halls with designated products! I would love to visit this place today~
Gorgeous photos and I have no doubt at all that many, many, ghosts continue to hover in Paris. The energy there is some of the highest I've ever felt.
Really enjoying hearing about your stay there. I'll be back tomorrow and you keep soaking it all up.
Alas there is a bench in Teachers Park amongst the pastures of Wisconsin that has your name on it when you return. Much as I enjoy reading this blog I miss our daily dish and look forward to your return as do your local readers.
The Milkmaid
You have been there before Mimi, no doubt about it.
Your French spirit is speaking to you :)
Mimi - le forum is a great place indeed. I've had a few picnics on those benches (I used to spend some time there at the cinémathèque before they moved it). Have you read Zola's Le ventre de Paris (The Belly of Paris)? It's a nineteenth-century novel set in Les Halles. It has some wonderful descriptions of the markets, the people who worked there and, of course, the food.
I can truly see you are lovin this
Also, this is not far from the wonderful market street of Rue Montorgueil -- hope you made it there!
Ah, these posts from Paris are merveilleux! Thanks for sharing it all. Of course, I wish I were there right now. But vicarious is good, too.
No need to question why you were moved, Mimi. The very fact that you were is enough. Places (and the people who inhabited them) speak to us. We just have to listen. Obviously you do.
I'm so enjoying your adventures, big and small.
Just checking back for updates...but you're way too busy enjoying Paris to blog, I see.
Needed my daily Parisian fix...but nothing here.
Well, since it's been four days that you've posted...I'd say you're just having entirely too much fun in Paris!
Hope all is well with you.
Once again, I am longing to see what you are seeing, eat where you are eating, etc. Enjoy!
Tanna, what fun! How did you get out? St. Sulpice is now under renovations.
Jann, I truly could feel their spirits. We saw photos at the Eugene Atget exhibit at the national library not too far away.
Terri, I am sorry I have been slow to post the past few days. We did not get to the library on Saturday and it was closed Sunday and Monday.
Milkmaid, I have un petit lapin gift for you!
Fi, surely among all those French ancestors there must be some Parisian blood...
Mary, I have not read Zola's book, but I will now. It is mentioned in nearly every little blurb about the park.
CF, I am having fun. Learned so much more about Paris than on previous visits. Glad we rented an apartment.
ChrisL, we caught the tail end of the Raspail market the other day...
Lisa, I just wish I could stay!
Christine, isn't it funny some places just move you like that, they speak to you in some way.
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