When you see a site like that you think, ah, that place looks adorable but it probably doesn't really look like that at all.
Well, it does. La Boite de Soldats (the box of soldiers) is located on the rue Violet, in our neighborhood in Paris. I noticed it right from the beginning of our summer stays here, because of its charming façade.
The web site claims that the business has existed for 20 years. I think it is a little longer, and that part of the web site hasn't been updated lately.
My friend John Wolf collects toy soldiers; many years ago, he asked me if I knew of such a shop. I sent him the information about La Boite de Soldat's phone number, address, etc., but I don't think the shop had a web site then.
The shop's hours are limited: a few hours on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday late afternoon/early evening. Otherwise, business is conducted by appointment.
So we've never entered the shop.
I'm impressed by the online catalog. The French lead figurines, for example, depict historical figures such as Julius Caesar and Clovis (a warlord who became the first king of the Franks). It is fun to see how these historical and legendary people look in the French imagination.
One of my favorites is Madame du Barry. What an outfit!
I doubt that anyone is making a living from La Boite de Soldats. This chocolate shop is another matter.
Puyricard is the name of a settlement in Provence, about 10 kilometers to the northwest of Aix-en-Provence. The chocolate that carries the Puyricard name is actually made in Aix-en-Provence and is famous throughout France. Like many makers of regional products, the Puyricard chocolaterie has retail shops in Paris -- it is La Capitale, after all. This place on the Avenue Rapp is one of three Puyricard shops in the city.
Can you imagine, being near the end of a 12-hour fast and having just walked 7 miles, sitting on a bench, resting, and staring at this glorious place? Instead of binging on chocolate, I went home and drank a cup of café au lait.
Near the Puyricard shop, over on the Avenue de la Bourdonnais, is another storefront that caught my eye: History Group Paris. Located right next to the Grayline tour outlet (Paris City Vision), it appears to be in the tour business. I looked them up on the web.
In some version of English, the web site says:
History Group is a specialist in the creation of unique tourist experiences. One of our cutting-edge experiences is PARIS BY VR, that takes you from the second level of the Eiffel Tower on a fascinating and immersive virtual reality voyage to the Tower’s surrounding monuments. We are a dynamic company always on the lookout for exciting and innovative ways of bringing increased added value to our tours.
Hmmm. I went to the French web site and translate that same paragraph myself:
History Group specializes in creating unique tours, such as PARIS BY VR (virtual reality), in which tourists can teleport themselves from the second level of the Eiffel Tour to the surrounding principal sights and monuments. They can thereby discover Paris in a totally immersive fashion. We are an innovative business that always offers good value in our tours.
History Group does offer regular tours by foot and by bicycle, too, if the virtual reality experience is not your thing.
For me, there is nothing like walking in Paris. Bicycling would be scary. Walking is liberating -- I decide where I am going and when. I can change the itinerary on a whim. I can stop to smell the roses, to see the color purple, to hear the birds sing, to listen to the urban music, to watch people. I take "notes" with the camera. And then I share it all with you.
1 comment:
And thanks for doing that!
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