Sundays with Copain

Routine. Usually I crave it, it keeps me sane; too much free time and I'm like whooooaaaaa there doggie. No bueno.  But then again, too much routine and you fall into a rut. A boring, old rut. You sit on the left side of the couch, I sit on the right. You like the bigger-sized fork, I like the smaller one. You  get up first in the morning, I get up second. On Sundays we go to the marché, clean the house, and go for a walk. Rut. 

What are we...60? 

So this morning, after Copain got up first and I got up second, after he drank his OJ on the left side of the couch and I drank my coffee on the right, after he used the bigger fork for his lunch and I used the smaller one, after we went to the marché and cleaned the house, instead of taking our usual Sunday walk to the Marais, seeing the same old streets, the same old people, we hiked up to Belleville, took streets we'd never taken, saw people we'd never seen, and had the most amazing afternoon...

We found rue Denoyez, covered in art...

and shells...

and hanging red shoes...

and mosaic flower pots...

and gold camo trash cans...

Finally up at the Parc de Belleville, we took in the views...

enjoyed the décor...

reveled in the jardin partagé (shared garden)...

walked up flower-lined trails, down steep, covered stairs...

and along shaded pathways...

Until we were outside the park, taking in some more genius street art...

We passed through Chinatown and family picnics, cobble-stoned streets and hidden cafés, until finally, once inside the Parc des Buttes Chaumont, just a few minutes' walk from the Parc de Belleville, we were in hipster-ville, drinking rosé and eating fig-filled chèvre at Rosa Bonheur. 

Tellement bon.

Sometimes the best moments are found just a little off course, to the left instead of right, up the other side of the mountain...far from the ol' routine.

For Copain - Tout à 1 Euro!!!!

Copain is in London this weekend, so he put me in charge of doing our Sunday marché shopping (Bah!!).  See, normally, while I sit on the couch with coffee and good blogs, he goes to the marché and then likes to show me how much food he got for only 15 Euros OMG can you believe it!


This morning, at 11am, I got a text from Copain:

Copain: You awake?  What time did you go to bed? Try to get us some fruit please. You know how I love them :-)

Thankfully for him, I was awake. I responded, totally ignoring his request for fruit from the marché, just to see how long it would take for him to bring it up again:

FCC: Hey babe. How was the cheese club? (he had gone to a club in London called Club de Fromage...seriously)

Copain: It was so much fun there. Really liked the club. Only 80's and 90's music. 

FCC: Oh cool:-) did you dance? (For the record, Copain has a "rhythm deficiency" - it's a very serious disorder.)

Copain: Haha A lot!

FCC: Hmmm, are you sure?

Copain: You have no idea. At the end, I was one with the music. Marché? (see how he just casually tosses the marché back into the text?? ps - I'm pretty sure that "one with the music" means "too many pints")

FCC: Yes yes, I'm going to go AFTER my coffee. (this is a non-negotiable)

Copain: Cool!!! (probably shocked that I was actually planning on getting off the couch)

FCC: Yes yes, I know, freak of French nature. (It had to be said)

By the time I finally got my bootay off the couch, into clothes that did not resemble pajamas and out the door, it was already 12:30 (a new record!).  I hurried to the Marché d'Aligre just in time for the final mad scramble - the time when tout est à 1 Euro! (everything is just 1 Euro!).

Check out my loot:

Pamplemousse - 5 for 1 Euro!

Clementines, blette, navets, fenouil, carottes!

1 kilo of onions and 1 kilo of potatoes - all for 1 Euro!

Zucchini! Figs! Bananas!

2 kilos of apples for 2 Euros!

All of this for under 15 Euros OMG Copain would be so proud.  Copain? Are you seeing this?  I would like to state publicly, right here and now, that none of this will be used for Stella.