The Kilmers Invade Paris June 2019 Part One

December 12, 2019

The Kilmers Invade Paris June 2019 Part One

We drove from the Netherlands to Paris, arriving early Sunday evening. It was too late to return our rental car as the offices close early on Sundays. David had given up going to a large book mart on Sunday so that I could visit the Kröller-Müller Museum Otterlo, Netherlands. When he asked that we try to drive into the city (instead of going straight to our airbnb like we had planned), how could I say no?

I had one request, that I not have to drive around or near the Arc de Triomphe. We followed GPS. I was driving. David was the navigator. We got off the exit and started driving up a slight incline. Then, I saw it. Merde! The Arc de Triomphe! There was no side street to exit onto. I had no choice but to drive straight. Double Merde! I started swearing like a sailor. What does David do? He takes out his cellphone and starts filming. What do I do? I swear even more and threaten to throw his {expletives deleted} cellphone out the {expletives deleted} window.

We made it but I swore I wouldn't drive it again...

An hour later, guess what?!

Well, in order to get to our airbnb, guess what I had to drive twice in one day? I may also have missed several of the little red lights on sticks (and if I did, it wasn't just me!) I've never been happier to return a rental car the next morning!!!! (Our original plans were to get to the rental agency before 2 on Sunday but Vincent got in the way!)

Here's someone else's video from what it looks like above. All I remember cars sideways and speeding. David has a video somewhere but for sanity's sake (my own), I'm not sharing it...

The view from our third floor airbnb in Clichy. We loved this apartment. Tiny but perfect.

Our little water closet. I can't find the photos I took of the tiny kitchen or the tiny bathroom.

Making use of space in the living room. My side: my Dear Vincent Project and art supplies. David's side: maps and bookstore lists.

We were up and out early Monday morning. First stop, returning the rental car (I'd highly recommend Europcar! They would be my first choice for renting a car overseas. Hertz would be my last!) Our second stop, la boulangerie for breakfast (a fresh baguette for David and a pain au chocolat and tea for me.) We ate and walked as we had bookstores to find!

What are all of those people taking photos of?

David, you, too?

Ah, La Sorbonne!

Gibert Joseph is where we decided that we were going to need to buy another suitcase... If you are in Paris in the middle of a heatwave, Gibert Joseph is where you want to be. We also found an art store with two floors that also had A/C. Alas, I can't remember the name! It was a Parisian version of Blick.

He's making a pile, he's checking it twice...

This. This was the best damn thing I drank my entire trip. When it's almost a hundred degrees in a major city and you're pounding concrete for more than 12 hours a day, you're going to want something cold. Orange Sanguine from Starbucks. I wish we had it in this country. Starbucks also had ice water that they'd give you if you ordered something. So, an Orange Sanguine for me and ice water for David. Plus, a free toilet and a place to sit for a little bit. Yay!

France experienced a major heatwave while we were there. We stayed hydrated. I wore my hat. But, we were in Paris, and I would do it all over again.

à votre santé Orson Welles!

Why all of the bookstores?

We wanted to go where the Parisians lived and worked. We didn't want to stick to only seeing the touristy places. We were there to see as much of Paris as possible. By seeking out things that we like, we were able to find French books we had been looking for as well as visit where the average person lived, worked, shopped and ate. It was wonderful. Plus, we're bibliophiles.

Also, because we're bibliophiles, we ran into one of our favorite film directors but that is a story (with photos) for another day...

Bonjour, Jean-Paul Belmondo! Fancy meeting you here!

"Books are our shards of light."

The Starbucks there were so different than the U.S. ones. (We didn't spend a lot of time there. We mostly used it for ice cold drinks and a bathroom. I couldn't resist snapping this photo.) I didn't go all the way to Europe to go to Starbucks! (In Clichy, our local boulangerie got to know us. It was really cute when he knew what to hand me the second day.)

Hey! A film crew! We could be in Los Angeles!

Librairie l'Amour du noir, a cinephile and bibliophile's paradise...We went here twice after having discovered that the owner does not take credit cards. We would go back to Paris just for this store...with lots of cash and empty suitcases (after we win the lotto!)

Two happy but very hot and tired peeps on their way back to their temporary "home", a third floor apartment in Clichy.

We started taking photos of film posters in the metro in both London and Paris.

X marks the spot for all things book related (film and art!)

Many Parisian bookstores have disappeared (just like in the States.) Unlike the States, (fortunately) many still exist and were waiting for us. We were in Paris for almost a week and we still weren't able to visit ALL of the ones on our list. When we got home, we discovered even more bookstores that we didn't know about beforehand. Now we have another reason to return (not that we just need one reason...)

Previous Adventures Found Here:

My Dear Vincent Project-a book, card deck and 82 page memoir/travelogue called Meditations on the Journey

Postcards from France-printed as well as PDF offerings