Flowers, Flowers, Flowers!

Everywhere you go in Paris there are flower shops! They always have outdoor displays as well as luscious arrangements inside. Just walking into a tiny flower boutique overwhelms your senses. Beautiful colors, interesting textures, and that fresh fragrance of green, growing things. It's instant refreshment for the body and soul. On my first trip to France, Mickey passed on a lovely tradition. She always buys a small, colorful potted plant to put in her hotel room to make it feel more homey. Then she leaves it for the maid along with a nice tip when she checks out. I eagerly adopted this habit! On trip #1, I bought a little pepper plant with tiny yellow and orange peppers on it. Trip #2...a small hot pink begonia. Trip #3...something small, green with purple flowers. The picture here was taken in Olivier Pitou's flower shop on rue des Saints-Peres, and it's where I've bought my flowers each visit. I never thought to take a picture of the shop, but Paris Breakfasts did! If you click here, you can see other photos of the boutique and also some lovely watercolor art. Paris Breakfasts is a blog I read daily; the artist does great little paintings.

I just love Parisian flower shops...enough so that they are # 19 on my list of favorite things. Everytime I pass the dreary (and expensive!) flowers in my grocery store, I sigh and long for Paris. Beautiful flowers, reasonable prices, an awesome selection, and shops on every street...no wonder the French are so content with their lives!