This is going to be a short post, since day 11 got off to a late start. Upon waking, Monica and I headed to Port des Vanves to check out the marché aux puces (flea market), which is known for vintage clothing, dolls, and jewelry (all of my favorite things!). In order to find good deals you are supposed to go early, but we were both more interested in browsing than shopping. The only thing I liked was a 300-something Euro antique doll (too high, even if bargained down), so I left empty handed.
Shoppers at the Port de Vanves flea market
Table at the Port de Vanves flea market
After the flea market, Monica went to meet friends and I walked to Montparnasse, a neighborhood known for its intellectual and artistic heritage (Picasso, Léger, and Soutine were among the artists who moved there when the rents in Montmarte became too high). I stopped in the Montparnasse cemetery and visited Marguerite Duras, who is one of my favorite writers. It was a bit difficult finding her grave, since she is apparently less popular than Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Man Ray, who are also buried there.
Marguerite Duras' grave has a lot of shrubbery
Notice the canister of film appropriately placed on Man Ray's grave
Sartre and Beauvoir's joint grave is very popular
Following the cemetery I checked out boutiques along the Rue de Bac and then visited the Chapelle Notre Dame de la Medaille Miraculeuse (Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal), which is a pilgrimage site across from Le Bon Marché department store. I finished my walk early around Saint-Sulpice, since I was going to have dinner with family friends in Neuilly and I wanted to change (Neuilly is a suburb of Paris that is a bit far out).
Delectable cakes in the window of Gérard Mulot Pâtisserie
Macaron Eiffel tower in the window of Gérard Mulot Pâtisserie
Later that night I met up with Monica, Véronique, and Jacqueline and though we had planned to hang out on the Canal Saint-Martin, it was raining, so instead we happened upon a dance party at the House of Architecture (I’m not sure how many architecture-related events actually take place there since I only saw the center used for lounging and partying, but it was a cool space nonetheless…hehe).
