Paris continues to offer up the unexpected, the bizarre and the beautiful. Even the grey days are glamorous.
Saturday we stopped by the newest Hermes store which is housed in an old swimming pool. You enter into a long narrow space with a gallery display on one side and a flower shop on the other. Every plant and stem is carefully chosen, arranged and stunning. As is everything in the place. The makers at Hermes are master craftspeople; every piece provides an example of the best skill. The flowers were the only thing that might fit into my financial plan but they are hard to stuff into a suitcase.
The precise entry draws you into a massive opening where the undulating stair rails draw you to descend into a sculptural womb-like wooden fantasy where goods are displayed as if in a museum. Clothing, home furnishings and saddlery all share this vast gorgeous space.
I'm always curious to see who is sitting (or napping) in the lounge at the top of the first floor escalator at the Bon Marche. This elderly gentleman, dressed in his Sunday best, came prepared for his shopping respite.
Just in case you need an idea for a new holiday decoration, consider fake fur Christmas trees. If these are too subtle there are so many possible choices of color and texture available in faux fur these days...
Marcy and Martine in the subway at Arts et Metiers. It was a great pleasure to turn the corner and emerge into this gleaming subway waiting area - like being inside a big copper machine.
At Pere Lachaise the marvelous sepulchres, gravestones and tight layout reminisce the city that surround it. A beautiful spot to meander on a Sunday afternoon.
After all that death we attended Olivier Giraud's amuse a minute one-man show 'How to Become a Parisian in One Hour'. Nothing like lots of laughter to bring things back to life.
Today is another day...
A bientot,
Katherine
