Marché des Enfants Rouges - Saturday, 27 Sept.

Just a few blocks from my apartment is Marché des Enfants Rouges at 39, rue de Bretagne. It’s the oldest food market in Paris, built in 1615 under the rule of King Louis XIII. The name literally means “Market of the Red Children,” which referred to a nearby 17th century orphanage where the children wore red uniforms. It’s an outdoor covered market tucked behind some other shops – you enter through one of two small iron gates that are easy to miss! You find the usual (for Paris!) assortment of fish mongers, cheese shops, Italian delis, meat shops, fruit/vegetable stands, florists, olive vendors, ham/sausage shops, wine shops and bakeries in this area, but you’ll also find several stands with prepared (on site) middle eastern, Greek, Italian and Japanese food and French bistro fare. Wooden and plastic tables and chairs line the perimeter – not too glamorous, but lots of people appeared to be ordering prepared foods for “take out” to the tables! It’s a bit skuzzy, but I would be too if I were 400 years old! (Actually, the market was renovated in the ‘80’s, but it makes a good story to say that it’s 400 years old, n’est-ce pas?)