I wasn’t kidding when I said I have countless photographs from Paris that I hadn’t shared with you yet. Nor was I being facetious when I made mention previously that flowers are an integral part of every day life in Paris. They are everywhere; there is a fleuriste on every corner, bouquets in shop windows, in people’s arms on the metro, wrapped in brown paper, and –most happily– on the mantle in my Paris apartment. My Saturday tradition to bring home a fresh bunch of peonies (and stop for breakfast at my favorite café) was one of the highlights of my time there. Any culture that makes a conscious effort to add flowers to the day-to-day simply because they’re pretty? Well, that’s something I can get behind.
I’m back to relying on my $4 bouquets from Trader Joe’s, and while I love how they brighten up my home, and that they are just a fraction of what I was spending at Monceau Fleurs or Cler Fleurs (€20 a pop!), there is something decidedly lacking in the experience now. Break out the tiny violins!