Day 16

Where has the time gone? I can't believe that my time is already more than half over! And I'm behind on blogging. I think it's time to just focus on writing each day as it happens, and posting it when the Internet is functioning at a bearable speed. As for posting photos, it will have to wait.

This morning, I got home at around 05:00. For the story, read the post for yesterday, when I have time to to write it. Suffice to say, that after a shower, I collapsed into bed.

I didn't sleep as long as I'd planned, but it was middle-ish. Too late to go to the Maubert open air market, but too early to go to meet Pranali. Instead of blogging, as I should have, I surfed around on the Internet. I finally started to get my act together, and tried to register to buy our tickets online, but I couldn't get a hold of Pranali on the phone, and I wasn't 100% sure that she was coming, or if she would qualify for the student rate. In the end, I didn't do it. 

Of course, it was raining, when I left the apartment. Started getting worse when I arrived at BHV. Of course, I was early, so I shopped around a little. Pranali got to the meeting spot a little late, and in my head, I formed backup plans. The rain was still going hard when we finally met up, and it didn't look promising for the weather to improve enough for fireworks. So, we scrapped that plan, and headed over to E. Dehillerin (dehillerin.com), after a quick stop at my place for my map and discount coupon.

I've passed by the shop a few times, and visited it on the Bellies on Foot tour the other day. Dehillerin is a famous cookware shop that was founded in 1820, in Les Halles. It's definitely a feast for the eyes of anyone who loves to cook, or even just loves cooking utensils. Amazing range of pots, pans, knives, rolling pins, baking forms, porcelain ware, and copper wares. The one thing that held me back was that very few of the items have the price listed. So, if you want something, you have to find a salesperson, who then looks up the item on an old fashioned flip chart, and tells it to you. And even though I absolutely fell on love with some copper pots on the wall (about the size of a volleyball, but a little taller, and absolutely round on the bottom, so I have no idea what they are used for), I was too inhibited to ask someone for the price, knowing it would probably be more than I wanted to pay. The sad thing is that I couldn't find a curvy sauce pan, like the one I had a while ago. I like curved and well-rounded cookware. Didn't end up buying anything today. But I have a few ideas percolating in my head.

Lunch at a sushi place in Les Halles. I know ... sushi? But it was a compromise. I laughed when I saw that the gyoza were called "ravioli japonais."

Walked on Rue Montorgueil, and stopped in at the Storer bakery to see if they had the criollo cake. Yes! Score!

Walked up to boulevard that is alternatively labeled as Haussmann, Montremartre, Poissonniere, Bonne Nouvelle, St. Denis, and St. Martin. All in about 5 inches of map space. Seems like a street with an identity crisis. Walked along a bit and found the Passages de Panoramas. It sounded grand on paper, but the reality was a little less exciting. Although it looked like a stamp collector's heaven.

Continued walking down toward the Grand Magasins. Walked through the Galleries Lafayette, but it was annoyingly crowded with rude tourists. The gourmet food floor was a little better, but I still haven't found mustard ancienne in small containers yet. Maybe the ones at the Monoprix will work. Bought some bee pollen, which came in a jar, and looked like little balls of yellow, because they were intriguing. Again, lots of ideas percolating in my mind, but very little I the way of purchases.

Quick look through the housewares area. Found a few smaller prints of some artwork that I like, and am considering. 

And then, I was beat. Pranali and I plan to meet in the morning, to go to an open air market near my apartment, and then maybe I will attend church, if I can get the Internet to work, enough to find the local congregation information.

Back to Maubert. The boulangerie was closed, so I stopped in at the market. A desire for a baguette for the morning, turned into a baguette, yogurt, capers, those tender lettuce leaflets that I love, lemon juice, olive oil, eggplant spread, and goat cheese. Suffice to say that I ate a good dinner tonight. Not quite as delicious as Alex's grand creation, but well for my singular efforts for just myself.