Late Nights in Paris

market

After my exciting encounter with Andre, I walk back up the spiral staircase to my room. I can't help but think of his generous offer and his all-around kindness! Feeling happy and hopeful for this upcoming day and the whole summer I knock on the door to my room. 

"You were gone a while! What were you up to?" Dad said opening the door. He obviously suspected something. I walk inside and answer honestly. 

"I was talking to Andre," I say in an overly cheery voice. Now he knows that something's really up.

"Alright, Ally. We're going to a marketplace I found today. Something simple for our first day here." My dad says excitedly. I make my way across the room and look out the window, taking in the city again still thinking about him. "That sounds great, I can't wait!"

"Then let's go!" My dad says, almost ready getting his backpack ready. Before we leave, I put on my beret to top off the outfit. I also grab a handbag and then we walk out the door.

We exit the inn and walk the beautiful streets of Paris. Bright sunlight fills my eyes. Flowers and colorful buildings crowd the streets. Cute couples taking walks on the streets and even families with their children. Everyone just seems so happy; this is where I wanna be. 

We walk a little more until dad stops and a tour guide shows up. A few other tourists come to join us. I look around and smell the delicious food that awaits me. I nudge dad and whisper to him "psst, I didn't know it was going to be a tour." He turns to me and laughs as if to say, "I'm sorry". But instead, he just says "they're mostly going to be tours."

"Bonjour, everyone! Bienvenue to The French Way - Paris Gourmet Market Tour! My name is Gabriel and I'll be your tour guide this afternoon." Our tour guide said, guiding us in a new direction.

I could already smell the streets of Paris and taste it. Food like produce items and cheese surrounded me. There is also flowers and little shops along the street that aren't apart of the market but are still beautiful to look at it. I'm enjoying the ambiance and I can't wait to try it all. I am loving the quaintness of Paris already! 

Our tour guide Gabriel stops us near a small market with a variety of fruits. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are at our first stop." We all pause to look around and some people even already start exploring. "You can walk around if you'd like. All of these fruits are grown in France." He continued. 

Dad and I walk around and see the fruit. Most of them are fruit I've never even heard of because they are native to France. The fruits mainly consisted of different variations of common fruits. They all looked beautiful and unique with bright colors. The one that was the most interesting to me was a plum that was yellow called "Mirabelles de Lorraine ".  

As Gabriel was approaching, I ask him a lingering question. "Pardon, excusez-moi! Is this an apple or a pear?" He comes closer to me and ponders for a quick second. 

"Ahh, I get that question frequently. These are actually called 'Calville Blanc Apples.'"  Gabriel responded while holding one of the apples up. I think that is the coolest thing ever. I thank my tour guide by saying "merci".  He leaves to go help someone else. While he goes away, I look at more of the fruit. Eccentric strawberries, kiwis, lemons, and some oranges. Many native Parisians are buying full baskets of their favorite fruits. I quickly try to find my dad in the hustle and bustle of the crowd.

"Dad, can we buy some fruit please?" I ask him politely- I guess Andre has already rubbed off on me. My dad was already looking at some clementines himself. I wasn't sure if he was interested in buying them or he was just looking at them. "Maybe but, remember there are more produce stands up ahead." I keep that in mind and end up not getting any fruit. 

"Okay, everyone! Let's regroup over here!" Right after Gabriel says this the tour group gets back together and me and dad stand next to each other, and exchange looks. Gabriel continues to talk to the group by saying where we are going next. "We are going to a cheese booth next."

Gabriel leads us again and this time he tells us a little bit about the history of Paris. "Paris was established by a tribe of Celtic fisherman." He continues talking about the intricate and very specific history of Paris. I also take lot of pictures of the streets and shops on my phone. I send some of them to my friends (mostly sara) and post them on Instagram.

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"And here's our last stop for today, the pâtisseries! I hope you've enjoyed our tour! Merci for choosing The French Way - Paris Gourmet Market Tour, I hope you have a great rest of your day in Paris." Gabriel concluded. Gabriel and our tour group walked into the tiny French bakery. Before Gabriel walked away, some tourists went up to him to tip him or to just thank him. But the majority of the group went to check out the various pâtisseries or pastries. 

My dad and I, our hands full with caring paper bags, perused the last market. The pastries went from tiny macarons and tarts to huge, beautifully decorated cakes. I can see bakers putting finishing touches on freshly baked items behind the counter. This is a dream come true. Never in my dreams would I think I'd be standing in an authentic French bakery. 

I observe all of the pastries and decide which one I want they all look so good. Most of them were made with puff pastry and had delicate cream. I glance over at my dad who's examining the macarons with fascination. I think he's leaning towards those, which is good because I've always been interested in them. I walk towards him and the display. 

"Wanna try macarons?" I ask him. He didn't turn towards me; he was still mesmerized by the macarons. "Definitely," he says while finally turning towards me. I look at the many flavors with him and decide on lemon creme.

"I would like lemon creme, dad. What about you?" I ask him. He points to the raspberry macarons on display and speaks. "The raspberry ones."

"excusez-moi, can we get six lemon creme and raspberry macarons?" My dad asks the baker behind the counter and thanks him shortly after. We watch him carefully box the six macarons and then put it in a tiny bag. The baker hands the bag to my dad with a smile. My dad pays for the macarons, and we leave the magical bakery. 

My dad and I take a long walk to the inn holding our bags from a long day. We embrace each other's hands with happiness. I know we both had a great day! In plus, it was a perfect way to start my summer. Now as we walk back to the inn, I appreciate the art that is Paris streets. 

"I had a great day today, dad! Thank you for everything," I tell him. He looks toward me and gives a little nod and smirks. "There's way more fun up ahead!" My dad says in a hopeful tone. We walk down a paved road and take a few more lefts, one right, and then straight. By then, we made it to La Fontenot Inn. 

A/N: For those of you who are interested in this book I'm so sorry that I haven't posted sooner, I've just been busy with school and life and haven't had time for this book. In plus, this chapter took a long time to write. I tried to research a lot and mostly everything is factual and real in this chapter (besides the inn, that's made up) So I hope you liked it!!