Paris//day 1: locals only

street market near Emily's apt

morbier (streak of ash in the middle); triple cream brie (the tall one, my fave); chevre

les confitures....all complimentary...you don't get that in the states!

cheese galore...so many options

mmmm...bakery...breakfast every morning

bonjour!! i made it to paris. phew.

i was so glad to see my friend Emily's familiar face at the train station...we headed to her beautiful apartment, settled down with some lovely tea and chocolate, and let the day begin. jetlag's got nothing on me.

first stop: local bakery - a fresh croissant (yummm), and some pain poolish which is a cross between sourdough and ciabatta..sooo delish.

then to local food market - pick up some white wine for tonite's dinner: mussels with white wine, creme fraiche, and blue cheese. can't wait.

2:30pm: super hungry, we head to one of Emily's favorite local cafes...i am fascinated by the amount of confitures (jams) that are complimentary. we've got strawberry jam, peach preserve, chocolate dip, and vanilla dip. in-san-i-ty.

3:45pm: la fromagerie...cheese!! triple cream brie, chevre, morbier (a sliver of ash runs thru the middle). the smells overwhelm the senses.

4pm: les puces! (flea markets!) i'm ready to hunt... we subway it to porte de clignancourt...perhaps the most famous and biggest one...lovely antique shops crammed together in picturesque cobblestone alleys. some shops were closing early.....but i picked up a table-runner-turned-crochet lace scarf, chantilly lace glovelettes, and some lace doilies. at 1 and/or 2 euros, trust me, these were dirt cheap compared to the garment district.

7:30 pm: back to the apt for dinner! so delicious. the cheeses we picked out were perfect. my favorite was the triple cream. and the white wine - 3 euros. a lot of body and sweet flavor for a little price. c'est parfait.

10pm: house party, in the 8th arrondisemant. pleasure. the elevator is in the middle of the ground floor with the stair case winding around it. kind of a brooklyn vibe where the people are stylish. everyone was very sweet, well mannered, and sincere. and they spoke english!! lovely, lovely people.

pooped now, 2:48am. pictures to upload soon.

day 2 resumes at 11am. be there.