Day 7: A Moveable Feast

Posted on July 6, 2011 by mreece85

The morning was very wet and chilly.  The plan was to go to the Luxembourg Gardens, but the weather did not seem appropriate.  Carolyn and I decided to head up to Montmartre instead.  We found some shops and I got some unique souvenirs.  We also went into Sacre Coeur.  Unfortunately we could not take any pictures.  It was calming inside.  It was interesting to think about all of the activity just outside the walls.  We sat down for a few minutes and my mind wandered.  I felt something that I have never felt before in a church, peace.
After that we went to some fabric shops, but I didn’t find anything.  I was so happy to return to my favorite store in Montmartre.  I have had dreams about returning to that store, and now I feel more complete.  I love having little things in my home that remind me of my travels.
While we were up at Montmartre, we stopped at the cafe I’ve seen in so many pictures and paintings.  Le Consulat served coffees, crepes, and other dishes.  I got un cafe and a rum crepe.  I thought the crepe would be more like a sweet liquor flavor, but instead it was purely a rum flavor.  It even burned on the tongue.  I took a bite, and that was all I had.

We then made our way down to Pigalle.  We saw the sex shops with all their gadgets and went down to Moulin Rouge.  I got some different pictures of the posters at the Moulin Rouge, so that was exciting.  We decided to make our way around to the gift shop, and as we did, I saw Le Deux Moulins, the restaurant where Amelie worked.  It looked just like it did in the film.  I saw where she wrote on the glass, right behind the guy, and where she turned into a puddle after he left.

After Pigalle, we took the metro to return to Shakespeare and Company.  We went the previous night, but it was closed early due to the music festival.  I absolutely loved Shakespeare and Company.  I love going to places full of history.  I tried to imagine Hemingway borrowing money from Sylvia at the desk or James Joyce coming in to exchange books.  There were many Americans and English speakers.  The shop was small and packed with books.  There was a piano player upstairs.  I took a picture and realized as I walked back downstairs that I wasn’t supposed to take photographs up there.  Oh well.  Someday I will probably be cursed for taking pictures where I’m not supposed to.

I bought “A Moveable Feast,” a journal, and a tote.  I was so excited when she asked if I wanted the stamp.  I have seen it in so many movies and I have read about the store.  Once I finished with my purchases, I sat outside to wait for Carolyn.  I found a bench and started reading “A Moveable Feast” in the sunshine.  There was an American talking to an Irishman.  He seemed kind of arrogant, but he kept moving his legs back and forth nervously, so maybe he lacked in self-confidence.
After we finished at the store, we returned home.  We grabbed dinner at a nice brasserie where I had escargot on my last night in Paris.  My aunt kept trying to take a picture of some guys across the way, but the motorcycles were in the way.  We walked around the Marais for a little while, grabbed glace (probably the best of the trip), and returned home to pack.