We didn’t do any real sightseeing today except what we came across as we shopped. Most of what we did was Lèche-vitrines (window shop, lit. leche= lick ; vitrines = windows).

It was beautiful weather today, warmer than yesterday, but almost cloudless.

I mentioned yesterday the adventure that is parking on the street in Paris. If the space isn’t big enough for your car, no worries. use the “bump” method.

We walked down rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré expecting to improve the French economy a bit, adding to the trade deficit (sorry Donald) , at the Mothership (Hermès , rue 24 Faubourg Saint-Honoré).

It was a relatively quiet day at 24, no throngs of anxious buyers crowding three deep at the scarf counter and the appointments line for the purse lottery was nowhere in sight. No worries though, there was still a greater than 1:1 ratio between customers and shop assistants. The display windows outside were shrouded as they are apparently putting up new displays. We didn’t require a brown shopping bag to disguise the size of our purchase.

We’d saved room in our diet for a visit to Cédric Grolet’s small shop in le Meurice (not where we’re staying). In 2018, monsieur Grolet was named Best Pastry Chef, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. The shop makes a limited number of pastries, each by hand. Our selection was a raspberry (Framboise) tarte.

Once we get closer to our hotel, we notice a throng of perhaps 50 people crowded around the entryway to our hotel. They’re a young crowd, obviously not waiting for us. There’s a celebrity staying here, but no idea of whom it may be.