En Cherchant du Pain, Finding a Parisian Bakery in August

La Boulangerie Littré

When I arrived to live in Paris in November 2004, it was a few weeks before I found a good bakery, or boulangerie. At the Boulangerie Littré, the two older women were always together and greeted customers very politely, cheerfully and they were accepting of my developing but heavily American-accented French. They were open all week including Sunday mornings. The baguettes were excellent, crusty and fresh; the croissants were flakey and tasted of butter.

- Bonjour Monsieur, que desirez-vous ?
- Bonjour Madame. une baguette s'il vous plait.
- Oui, Monsieur. Voilà, Monsieur. Avec ceci ?
- C'est tout, merci madame.
- Quatre vingt centimes, s'il vous plait.
- Voilà, Madame.
- Merci Monsieur. Bonne journée.
- Merci Madame. Bonne après-midi.

I had little need to go elsewhere for my bread and it was great practice for French being so simple and polite.

Open in August ?

The first summer I was in Paris, La Boulangerie Littré announced on a black-board placard in front of their door, written in chalk, that it was proudly open for the entire month of August. Never mind that they were closed for three weeks in July.

Change of Ownership

La Boulangerie Littré re-opened in August 2005 with new management and I no longer saw the two women. The first several days presented very poor baguettes and the new young woman at the counter was curt and obviously not interested in her customers. I soon stopped visiting the bakery.

I then noticed they were closed (again for 3 weeks !) for installation of new ovens during December 2005. I tried the new baguettes shortly after the reopening and found them almost as delicious as the originals made by the two women. I returned to buying my baguettes and croisants there. That is to say, when the bakery was open.

I have the impression that the baker at La Boulangerie Littré has this little shop as a hobby. The hours are a fraction of what they were; they are no longer open on Sundays nor in August and they are frequently closed for long weekends.

Les Boulangeries en Août

Last weekend being mid/end of August, finding a good bakery was difficult.

Closed were:

• La Boulangerie Littré, 13 rue Littré 75006,
• La Boulangeris Robin Pascal, 19 Rue Odessa, 75014, in my opinion, the very best boulangerie in Montparnasse,
• The boulangerie on rue de Montparnasse that I do not know the name but serves OK baguettes, 75014.
• The boulangerie at the Metro Duroc, 75007.
• The boulangerie at rue de Sévres and rue Mayel, 75007
  

Hmm. All closed.

A baguette at the national chain Pomme de Pain is baked elsewhere in some huge factory, it tastes "industrial" and is a poor substitue for a real baguette. In the end, it had to suffice that Sunday morning.

Boulangerie Closure Protocol

There is a protocol for boulangerie closures in August. The boulangeries post signs on the closed doors noting the dates of closing and return, plus alternative open boulangeries in the same neighborhood. The notices are much like pharmacies that note the contact information of a pharmacist and addresses of alternate pharmacies when the neighborhood pharmacy is closed.
Les Boulongeries are that important !

When One Opens a Window in Paris

Windows without Screens

Windows are wonderful in Paris. I open the windows to the apartment quite often, especially in the summer during the evenings and night to let the cool breeze pass through. To the amazement of my curious American family and friends, no one has window screens in Paris or in France. At first I thought this was strange myself and then after thinking about it, I wondered why we really need screens after all.

Winged Creatures

There are very few house flies or mosquitoes in Paris. Paris is a city and one would expect fewer flies. But the streets are not exactly clean, ahem, and there are many opportunities to breed baby flies. Quite possibly the answer is the multitude of martinets or common swifts who patrol the skies of Paris. Arriving in May from Africa, announced by their little 'scree-scree' sounds and they must consume a huge number of flying insects.

I wonder about the larger flying creatures entering through an open window. There are the ground-loving grey pigeons or pigeon biset and the larger pigeons colombin much like what I think of as mourning doves, but they do not seem to mount to any sort of elevation unless they are going somewhere and then again they do not seem to be interested in entering an open window.

There are certainly other birds in Paris such as crows and seagulls but none seem to be tempted by an open window either.

With that to say, open, screenless windows are normal, even the floor to ceiling, walk-out type like I have. I do have a narrow balcony but being on the 7ème étage or the 8th floor as Americans count them, I am not worried by critters entering my apartment.

A Visitor

One warm evening while being a mouse potato at my computer, I saw a brief movement, a shadow over my left shoulder. I turned and looked. There in my the middle of my bedroom on the 8th floor of the building, looking straight at me, was a very large black cat with large yellow eyes.

I rose and called but the cat leapt out the floor-to-ceiling window... (don't worry)... onto the balcony and ran past the rather decorative but ineffective separation between my apartment's balcony and that of my neighbors. Obviously the neighbors had their walk-out window open and being curious creatures, the cat explored.

Two more times I saw the cat in the apartment. One morning I woke early to a small noise and went to investigate. Yes, it was the cat in my office playing with something. We looked at each other and the cat ran out the bedroom window.

The last time I saw the black cat was over one month ago. I had left my bedroom window closed because of a rather strong breeze during the night and when I rose for the day and entered the living room where the window was open, there was the black cat in the middle of the living room. We looked at each other for a second and the cat ran for the bedroom window. He stopped and looked at the closed window. Ooops. After two seconds of panic the black cat dashed back into the living room and desperatelyy sprang out of the open living room window on the 8th floor.... Hopefully he did not slip into the void.... But I have not seen him since.

.... and my windows are open right now.