By staff writer Lisa A. White. Photos Copyright © Lisa A. White.

DURING A WEEK’S VACATION in Paris, it is impossible to “see all and do all” and still leave with your sanity intact.

To avoid vacation overload, we strove to become Parisian by enjoying the local culture. We stayed in an apartment rather than a hotel room and ate locally made products and produce either “at home” or in tiny cafes.

Neighborhood street market, Paris

When we travel, I generally scour a number of accommodation websites, with my ol’ standbys being AirBnB.com, HomeAway.com, and VRBO.com. Depending on the dates, the norms in the vacation location, our own preferences, and pure luck, we can generally find safe and comfortable accommodations through these sites. If you choose this route, always do your homework and pay very close attention to the reviews. We’ve had very good experiences—but I ask every question I have before booking an apartment.

Street art in Paris

Our goal was to find an apartment in an interesting area typically populated by residents. My usual accommodation sources were not working until I found this listing on Travel Library for a romantic apartment for two. The apartment is located at 103 Rue Mouffetard in the fifth arrondissement, also called the Latin Quarter. One of the oldest streets in Paris, it has an open air market, as well as shops, cafes and occasional sidewalk musicians.

Each day, you can buy necessities such as freshly baked bread, cheeses, fruits and veggies, coffee, wine, and chocolate just below the apartment. (Yes, chocolate and wine are necessities when in France!) By night, Rue Mouffetard is pretty quiet, especially on the market end where there are very few bars. A thriving nightlife can be found nearby but it was not close enough to keep us awake at night.

Various street markets on Rue Mouffetard

The Rue Mouffetard market seems to be frequented more by Parisians than tourists. When we first arrived on Rue Mouffetard, the rain was relentless yet many people were in line at Le Fournil de Mouffetard. This boulangerie has a bright red awning and is distinguished by its fast-moving queue for bread, which lasts each day from open to close. Was their bread worth it? Absolument!

Several evenings, we stopped for hot bread, went to the nearby fromagerie for cheese, grabbed a few veggies and a bottle of wine, then “ate at home.” Don’t forget the chocolate purchased.

One note to the wise: buy bread only for your next meal. This isn’t Wonder Bread and, therefore, lacks preservatives. Since I have been back home in the States, I have finally managed to make some of that crusty-on-the-outside-holey-and-soft-on-the-inside deliciousness. It really isn’t that difficult after all. [recipe below]

Our apartment at 103 Rue Mouffetard

Our apartment for the week was located in a 15th century building, but was newly renovated. It was rustic-contemporary with beamed ceilings, tall windows, and a Murphy bed that could be stowed vertically against the wall. We had the tiniest kitchen with an incredible 2-foot-wide stove/oven/dishwasher combo. The dishwasher was literally a drawer under the oven—a true multi-tasking marvel. The full tile shower was tiny but had jets all around, a handheld shower head, and a rainfall shower head. Follow that with towels straight off the towel warmer and you begin to recognize that compact can be luxurious, especially in Paris. The apartment was perfect for the week-long stay and much less expensive than a decent hotel.

Napping, reading, relaxing in Jardin du Luxembourg

Just below the apartment was a small florist shop called Zinc de Fleurs. From the start, the shopkeeper shared a wealth of information about local culture.

Jardin du Luxembourg in the autumn

One day, he suggested we take a walk to Jardin du Luxembourg. I expected to find a prim and proper garden, but instead we found a huge and diverse greenspace where families were sitting in the sunshine reading, talking, watching children play, and generally enjoying life. It includes lakes, fountains, pony rides, wooded areas, a children’s playground, and even a small scale version of our Statue of Liberty.

Amazingly, the city life slows down in this calming park.

The Statue of Liberty in Jardin du Luxembourg

Although the Eiffel Tower is a must-see in Paris, keep in mind that the park at its base is heavily populated by folks with ill intentions. Several times someone would casually walk toward us, suddenly stoop down near our feet, and appear to pick up a ring. “Oh! Is this your ring? It is your lucky day!” Apparently, they want you to pay them a finder’s fee or possibly pay them for being so honest.

After several different people “found” rings at our feet, we perfected our answer: “Nein!” stated seriously using a Hogan’s Heroes rerun-sounding accent. Hearing Nein!, the ring-finders disappear. Exploiting old French and German animosities to scam the scammers is amazingly effective (either that or they believed we were crazier than they are). I began to recognize the ring-finders and seriously considered pretending to find a ring just in front of one of them.

Paris view from Centre Pompidou

Don’t skip the opportunity to wander under, around, and past the Eiffel Tower, taking all of the mandatory photos—but also enjoy it from afar. For example, don’t miss views of the Eiffel Tower from the top of the Arc de Triomphe,* the towers of Notre Dame, or the upper level of the Centre Pompidou.*

[*Entrance fees for these included on the Paris Museum Pass]

Beneath the Eiffel Tower

We never encountered scams in the less touristy markets, parks and green spaces of Paris. Stop to watch a group of men play petanque, a game which is similar to bocce. Grab some brie and straight-from-the-oven bread, and enjoy Jardin du Luxembourg. Sip French wine in a bistro and listen to a local musician. Each step of the way, buy local, eat local, and “become Parisian,” if only for a week. Oui oui!

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RELATED TOPICS

Lisa’s recipe: Crusty Bread made in a Dutch Oven

Studio Luxembourg Notre-Dame, another wonderful apartment used by Lisa’s daughter when she visited Paris

The game of Pétanque

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Lisa drinking beer in Brussels

Lisa White has wandered through world like she has wandered through professions. In both pursuits, she always has more to explore, more to learn, and more to do. Currently she practices law in the area of dependency and neglect as well as other cases that address the well-being of children. Often this is an area of law that feels exceptionally “heavy.” When it becomes too emotionally burdensome, she catches a flight somewhere—anywhere—to remember the good, positive, beautiful, tasty, and fun of the world.