Sunday 14th April 2013.
Michael, who knows about these things, reacons that the best market in Paris is the one at Grenelle/ Motte-Picquet metro. Under the elevated metro line. It is held on Wednesday and Sunday mornings in the 15th arrondissement in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower and very accessible by metro lines 6,8 &10.
When I ask him what is the fascination of markets, he says ” the noise, the energy and the variety and the character, the freshness of the foods……. Shopping in a supermarket is a bit like shopping in a library! “
Certainly at home he visits the local market at least three times a week, he is very friendly with the local traders and struggles home with his bags of fruit and veg often on the bus. He refuses to use the wheeled trolley, a la Parisian, I bought, he said it would ” ruin his street image!” LOL!
Its a bit of a ritual for him to call at La Motte- Picquet/ Grenelle market on Sunday morning for picnic food before he goes to the races at Longchamps.
I just go along with him, once you have seen one market, you have seen them all, in my opinion. But this was HIS trip and for whatever reason markets fascinate him, so he has become something of an expert on the intricacies of fresh produce and household goods.
I have to agree that this market is very good. There are a lot of artisanal breads,cakes, cheeses, leather goods. clothes etc. I bought a new leather coin purse and wallet for my cards to replace the ones I bought a couple of years ago.
We buy our picnic of cheese, ham, bread and cakes and continue on line 10 to Autiel, where free buses wait to whisk you to the racecourse. French racecourses are so well organised. The day was free and nicely uncrowded.
The impressive entrance at Longchamps
This event was billed as a family fun day. There were lots of children around and two races for children on little ponies. There were various fairground rides and other activities.
The best bit was watching how excited the children got when watching the racing. Future gamblers in the making.
One of the childrens pony races
We won on the first two races. Very exciting!…. but then down hill from then on as we picked the wrong horse time after time.
Still the weather was lovely, the crowd was manageable and it was a pleasant way to spend an after noon and I enjoy the people watching.
The girl on the left was wearing a lovely tan coloured possibly silk jacket and I stalked her trying to get a photo. All to no avail.
Eventually we cut our losses and came home before the last race as we had arranged to have dinner with my New Zealand friend Muriel and Planejane from Cincinatti with her friend
We had a lovely meal and good company at, one of our favourite eating places. Le Relais du Massif Central, near the Bastille.
A very very unpretentious tiny cafe. Where they serve very simple dishes consistently well cooked at very reasonable prices.
My friends had fun trying to get the owner to smile!
I had a tasty, falling apart boeuf bourguinon with the creamiest mashed potatoes, followed by one of those chocolate puddings which are oozing inside…..mmmm, delicious!
Nice to have friends in Paris.
Love Denise.
denisefrombolton 
Tell Michael to send his “street image” to hell ! Or better, to play it snobbish : “I shop Parisian-style and you don’t even know it, pfff !”. Trolley are SO convenient, I wouldn’t dream of going to the market without mine, especially in the summer when I buy several kilos at a time of tomatoes at farmers’ stalls. Also it would allow him to walk more rather than take the bus, always a good thing.
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Sadly in the Uk, shopping trolleys are seen as something only very old people use. My daughter was horrified when I bought one. I think it is silly as they are so practical and useful. I agree they are very convenient, I always use one myself if my shopping will be too heavy for my bike. Thanks for dropping b Anne.
Love Denise
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That horse picture looks funny, like one of those old arcade games where the two dimensional pictures of horses race along at different speeds with different coloured lights.
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