Tuesday, January 18, 2011

French friend... la boulangère

Not far from Saint-Eustache, we happened in this boulangerie and met this sweet girl, French through and through, a native Parisienne. Who can say that the Parisians are not friendly?


We bought two warm sandwiches and fresh baguettes to share with Peter at our apartment and all was delish!


34 comments:

Vreni said...

Up to now I never met an unfriendly Parisian! I think it depends a lot on how you confront people...

Pat said...

And a very chic boulangere at that.

Andy said...

I had to lookup boulangerie. Thanks to Google I now know it's a bakery shop. Hard to believe I live in a country that has French and English as official languages. I don't know a word of French except boulangerie. The young lady is bundled up nice and warm. This shop has to outside. Right?

Anonymous said...

It's not hard to find a friend in France x.

Carol Schiff Daily Painting said...

Adorable!

Nina said...

I´ve given you a prize on my blog!

Virginia said...

French Stranger #1 n'est-ce pas?? What a cutie she is. I could use a pain au chocolat right now!!!
V

Malyss said...

When you're in France ,to become friend with your boulanger(e) is a must if you want to survive! :o)

Louis la Vache said...

In «Louis'» experience, Parisians have always been warm and gracious. Perhaps some Americans mistake exuberance for friendliness, though this young woman seems to be both...
;-D

Genie -- Paris and Beyond said...

Vreni -- I agree with you totally... and it does matter how you extend yourself to a stranger

Bibi -- Chic and cute as a button

Andy -- I confess that I had to look up the spelling for the female version, having never used the term.

Genie -- Paris and Beyond said...

Andy -- I did want to say that this was not outside but it was a small boulangerie and the activity of ins/outs made it quite chilly inside. The highs for that week were just above FREEZING!

Suzi -- I was going to say that you sound like a "Southern girl" but I guess that you really are... southern hemisphere, actually!

Carol -- Merci, mon amie

Nina -- Merci, I will go over and check!

Virginia -- Oui! Pour moi aussi! I have several featured "people" like this and need a good title for them...

James said...

Great capture! She sure does look nice and very happy. :)

Jack said...

My own experience is that Parisians are usually friendly, which is an oxymoron similar to my other experience: New Yorkers are usually friendy. The trick is just to approach them respectfully and with a smile on your face. (I will hedge with "usually" . . . )

Genie -- Paris and Beyond said...

Malyss -- That would be a great idea even if one is staying only for a week or two

Louis -- Excellent point of distinction... she did have both exuberance and friendliness

James -- Merci, mon ami

Jack -- You are exactly right, but I have better experiences in Paris than in NYC... The cab ride from the airport comes to mind in NYC.

Alexa said...

Elle est mignonne! Good for you for getting her picture, Genie. In my experience, Parisians are almost unfailingly charming and polite. Wouldn't describe my fellow new Yorkers that way, but we ARE friendly. (And you can't count cab drivers, Genie, because they're almost never real New Yorkers.)

Loree said...

It's always a good idea to be friends with a boulangere :)

Vær våken said...

Yes, I have been in Paris twice and only met nice people!!! Oh, love those dresses in your last post also :)

Hugs, Kristin (I spent half of my day looking for a hotel in Paris. I found a really charming one in the best area of Montmartre. Can't wait!!!)

Starman said...

Not only a disarming smile. but she's also beautiful.

Amanda Summer said...

warm sandwiches presented with an equally warm smile.....what could be better? ;-)

Anonymous said...

Friendly, and apparently cold, too. All bundled up. Look at her beautiful smile!

cocoa and coconut said...

I love this image! It's so happy :)
I am actually surprised to see her big grin. Though, it is a nice one. The bread surroudning her makes it all the more cheerful and golden. Thanks for sharing Genie.

M said...

Fresh, warm, french bread ... miam, miam -- and served with a smile!

Halcyon said...

She must have been the exception!

Genie -- Paris and Beyond said...

Alexa -- Hah! You are absolutely correct about the friendly "real" New Yorkers... Cab drivers are not "real" usually.

Loree -- Je suis d'accord... miam-miam!

Kristin -- Please email me and tell me about it. I know that you will have a fabulous trip... How could you not? It IS Paris after all!

Starman -- She really is and I caught her just as she laughed. I gave her my blog card so I hope that she eventually sees this post.

Liz -- She was delightful and friendly

Brittany -- She has much to do with the steady stream of customers who knew of her cheerful greeting

Marie -- I have been "on the road" but need to look up the name of this boulangerie for another trip

Genie -- Paris and Beyond said...

Amanda -- So cute... we will definitely go there again to say "hi"

Halcyon -- I do not think so, but there was the crepe maker who reminded me of the soup-guy on Seinfeld! I featured him in July or August last year.

Sara Louise said...

She looks like quite the happy baker!

o2 said...

What a sunny smile ! Good bread, good friend, the two things that can make your day !

Cezar and Léia said...

She is very lovely!
Wonderful shot!
Léia

Genie -- Paris and Beyond said...

Sara Louise -- and she was this cheerful to each of the customers

o2 -- I know that if I lived in Paris I would make her a good friend... FWB (friend with baguettes!)

Léia -- Merci, mon amie!

Nathalie said...

Très joli portrait.

La baguette coûte 1 euro à Paris? A Avignon, la baguette est à 0,75 euros !

Genie -- Paris and Beyond said...

Nathalie -- Oui et une Baguette Monge de Eric Kayser est 1,20 Euros (je crois) mais c'est magnifique! bises

Randy said...

She has a wonderful smile and some good looking bread too!

Paris Pâtisseries said...

I always think the French are pretty friendly - or at least extremely polite. And once you become a regular at a boulangerie, they get even nicer. But, yes, she looks pretty jolly right off the bat!

Genie -- Paris and Beyond said...

Adam -- Nice to see you visit here! I totally agree with your "nice" assessment... and I am enthusiastically in agreement with you about Aoki's Tarte au Caramel Beurre Salé (see my post of Jan 13, 2011) -- Hope to see you here again! Bises, G