Atlantica - 01.11.2002, Page 25

A T L A N T I C A 23
funky, fashionable, beatnik and hip neighbourhood where the bak-
ery smells lure me into Boulanger Patissier for a loaf of challah
bread which I quickly wolf down while roaming the crowded side-
walks of the Marais looking for Musée Picasso. Taking a few wrong
turns, I arrive as the museum is closing.
Shut out by Picasso, I leave the Marais seeking high fashion.
Welcome to Colette. Located on rue St. Honoré, home to Paris’ fash-
ion elite, this lifestyle store is a playground for those who enjoy car-
rying the massive, hard paper shopping bags that say Gucci, Prada
or Max Mara on the side. Wearing grungy cargo shorts, a baggy tee
shirt and a pair of four-year-old Nikes, I’m feeling underdressed. The
guys tending bar at the downstairs water bar (enough said) out-
fashion me by a mile. Not interested in sampling the different min-
eral waters, I head upstairs where a rather large employee spots me
with my notepad and kindly tells me that “You’re not allowed to take
notes”. Browsing Colette I can hear my mother’s voice telling me
not to touch anything. Not to worry, the white long-sleeve shirt with
tassels is safely locked behind glass. The price tag startles me. I
don’t care if it is by Dior. I think when you fork over EUR 2,260 for a
shirt, it shouldn’t look as if Roy Rogers wore it while trying to
impress Dale Evans. Giddy-up Trigger.
ONE RED WHEELBARROW
Visitors flock to Paris because of the city’s history. One doesn’t need
to possess scholarly acumen to appreciate the historical milieu Paris
exudes. If history is what you’re after (or gargoyles), no doubt your
first stop will be Notre-Dame cathedral. Started in 1163 during the
reign of Louis VII and taking two centuries to complete, the cathe-
dral, flanked by two branches of the Seine river, is located on Ile de
la Cité. If you can stomach the crowds (the cathedral holds more
Francesca Phillips
teaches English
at Lycée Paul le Rolland.
What do you like most about Paris?
Listening to the elegant, subtle,
graceful language. No other lan-
guage has such soft, beautiful
vowel sounds. I love the colours
and the city’s architecture.
PARIS
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