The French word for “beginner” is débutante….kinda nice, I think…and I suppose it is good that I like the word as I am sure I will be using as a self-descriptive adjective for a while!

My first week of French classes fell during a week that France also had a national holiday or un jour férié.  Ascension Day was Thursday, June 2 which meant not only was my corner boulanger and marché closed, but my 5 day class week shrunk to 4. I guess I am really easing into learning this language.

My school’s name is L’Atelier 9.  It is located in the 9e close to the Galeries Lafayette, Folies Bergere and lots of great little cafes. I have decided to walk to school in the morning which a wonderful 45 minute stroll through all the side streets in my neighborhood, Montmarte in the 18th and then a small part of the 9th.  Every morning I window shop the cute boutiques on Rue de Abbesses and wish I had more time to sit at a sidewalk table with all the boho-chic, creative-looking patrons as they take their espresso and croissants (cigarettes usually too…these people smoke like the French National Assembly is going to illegalize cigarettes tomorrow!).

This is the Church of Saint-Jean-de-Montmartre that I pass each morning on the Rue de Abesses on my way to school.

My group has the maximum amount of students allowed in a class, 9.  There is Pedro and Andrea from Brazil, Carlotta and Felice from Italy, Yuka from Japan, Hema from Spain and then Lindsay and me from Les Etats-Unis. Fabian is the patient soul assigned to teach us.  In class he doesn’t speak a word of English….only his perfect French. My brain is usually spinning after class from all the new words, verb tenses and rationalizing why the French language insists on including vowels and consonants in words that aren’t  pronounced! Argh!  I love my class, and I love the camaraderie that we are developing as a group…we all struggle very well together :).  Ah, fun factoid about one of my classmates, Andrea from Brazil is a bikini designer!!!  Of course la Brésilienne designs itty-bitty swimwear! 

Since I didn’t have class today, I decided to take a break from conjugating the verbs Etre, Faire, Aller and Avoir to go explore Le Bon Marche.  Called the oldest department store in Paris, it specializes in luxury fashion for men and women as well as fine house wares and furniture….but I wasn’t interested in these departments today.  My goal was to witness firsthand the department called “La grande épicerie de Paris.”

Place de Clichy

This is place is near my apartment and was on my way to Le Bonne Marche.

It is one of the few places in Paris where four arrondissements (the 8th, 9th, 17th, and 18th) meet at a single point.

I find that it doesn’t matter how often I see the Eiffel Tower, I still reach for my camera. Here I had to steal a shot as I passed though Place de Concorde. There was a model shoot going on as I walked through…I don’t know what designer or brand she was posing for, but since she was leaning against a Bentley I ruled out H&M :).

Made it!

Inside is 5000 different products selected from around the world. A hard-to-find bottle of mineral water from Wales, jams made by a French artisan, a famed tomato sauce from Naples! What you can’t find anywhere else, you can find it here.

Dangerous? Yes!

Just a peek inside…it was beautiful!

Not shown was the amazing fresh produce department, extensive cheese counter, Spanish ham section, colorful pastry display, and jaw-dropping cave de vin.

Uh, cool!

Either you can choose your own fresh ouefs and the colorful carton they will call home for a short time

OR

you can grab a pre-packed pastel package of 6.

Another First!

I have never seen bottles from the great Châteaux of Yquem, Moulton-Rothschild, Lafite, Latour…..and Petrus, but Le Bon Marche carries them all!

Not exactly a wine that one opens at 5pm on a Tuesday because she is thirsty.

These cheesecakes come decorated with edible flowers. 

The little oval objects stuck in the cake like candles are individual serving size capsules of different fruit sauces to drizzle over your piece of cake. Really, when it comes to food, the French think of everything…and package it perfectly!

The cake I bought was called “Tonka Chic.” I will learn more about it tomorrow when I eat it, but it is a vanilla and chocolate mousse cake that is apparently flavored in part by Tonka beans from South America. These beans are used in French desserts as a substitute for vanilla. I will report back later….but I can say now that it looks absolutely amazing.

After being surrounded by all that food…I needed to go eat something!…and do some homework.

Sitting at the bar, I did get a few chuckles as the Frenchies would look at my homework sheets. To them, my homework looks a little like, “Dick is going to the market. Jane is going to school.” Ah, C’est la vie…at least I was able to order my entire lunch in French and even ask the difference between the two types of jambons on the menu. I will take being laughed at if it means progress.

Le week end commence!  And the apartment search continues, but I will leave that for a later post….the whole ordeal needs its own dedicated entry :).

Here’s to using my new skills this weekend! Oh, and this Sunday (1st Sunday of the month) c’est gratuit to enter public museums….perhaps the Louvre is in my future!