Weekend in Paris #2

Pain perdu, cult skincare, and a swoon-worthy concert.

Weekend in Paris is a bonus series for paid subscribers—it’s one part recap of my off-duty fun as a baking school student, one part dishing about (temporary) expat life. This post is now unlocked for all readers to enjoy. Bienvenue!

Just doing a little window shopping

If last week was about settling in (and battling new-expat anxiety), this week was about starting to have fun—and lots of it.

In today’s letter, you’ll find:

• 🎹 A recap of my first spur-of-the-moment cultural experience,

• ☕ The pastries I bought at Mamiche and La Maison d’Isabelle (all in the name of research!),

• 🚿 Tips on navigating French pharmacies for cult skincare products, and

• 🍽️ The ups and downs of solo dining.

When I told my friend and colleague Noah—one of the co-owners of Midsommar Bakery—about my Paris plans, he was even more delighted than most. That’s because he and his wife fell into friendship, then love while studying abroad here.

He told me all about his favorite corners of Paris, plus one trick he leaned on as a broke college student in this expensive European city.

“I used to find free classical concerts that were being held in churches,” he said. “It was the perfect budget weeknight adventure.”

I was sold. I mean, who could beat that price and ambiance?

So once I was ready to begin experiencing Paris, Noah’s recommendation formed the basis for my first search. I started looking for cultural events on Thursday night—and the nearby Église Saint-Ephrem des Syriaques just happened to be hosting a Chopin-by-candlelight concert the next evening.

Église Saint-Éphrem-le-Syriaque, before the lights went down

The concert wasn’t free, but twenty Euros for a ticket felt like an absolute bargain. It was a reverent end to my first week of school: a showcase of pieces that ranged from lilting and carefree to driving and assertive, then bittersweet and nostalgic. We all applauded the pianist back onstage for encore after encore.

At the end, my seatmate turned to me and asked “C’est bon?” I smiled and nodded effusively before walking home in the light drizzle, past bustling cafés full of Parisians kicking off their own weekends.

I ran an errand on Sunday, then decided to stray from my usual course home. That circuitous route led me to the Église Saint-Sulpice—and because my other church visit had been so lovely, I decided to duck in.

A jaw-dropping detour

Here’s to straying from the most optimal path your GPS sends you down. Often, the unfamiliar and inefficient route leads to fabulous surprises.

Speaking of fabulous walks: as I headed to my first bakery of the weekend, I strolled right past the Louvre. Talk about a double-take!

I was on my way to Mamiche, a woman-owned neighborhood boulangerie that also draws visitors from afar (like me) who’ve made pilgrimages to their pastry case.

I’m only one person, which means I can’t shouldn’t eat six pastries on my own…but as a boulangerie student who needs to dream up a final project for class, I do have to sample my way through as many bakeries as possible. (I know, I know, it’s a hard life.)

That’s how I found myself toting home a brioche doughnut full of chocolate-hazelnut cream, a marvelous choux vanille, a brioche roll flavored with orange flower water, a roulé jambon fromage sprinkled with fresh thyme, a miniature pain tradition au chocolat, and an individual-sized loaf of caramelized brioche “pain perdu”—my runaway favorite in a bag stuffed full of home runs.

Continuing the theme of “trying as many French bakeries as possible,” I headed to La Maison d’Isabelle on Sunday morning for a pain au chocolat. This bakery was awarded best croissant honors in 2018’s MOF (Meilleurs Ouvriers de France) trade competition, and after my first butter-and-chocolate-laden bite, I understood why.

If you’ve ever dipped a toe into American beauty culture, you’re probably familiar with my home country’s fawning obsession over French pharmacy skincare.

If you haven’t been steeped in this lore, imagine if American drugstore brands like Neutrogena had cult followings, and if CVS was a magnet for hordes of beauty addicts.

In France, the place that fits this description is called Citypharma.

Not pictured: one billion other women lining the aisles

Citypharma is the OG skincare-focused pharmacy in Paris. It also happens to be a nine-minute walk from my apartment.

Translation: it’s the perfect place to restock on all the essentials (face wash, shampoo and conditioner, shower gel…) that I didn’t have room to pack!

Baby’s first Citypharma haul

Recommendations for French skincare products are a dime a dozen online, and everyone’s skin is different—so I won’t be steering you toward one product or another. (That said, I do plan to buy an extra suitcase for backstock of my new Klorane shampoo and La Roche-Posay’s shockingly effective hand cream.)

Instead of product recs, here are my tips for your first visit:

• Be prepared for a wild ride. Citypharma is packed wall-to-wall with women seeking the best Avène cleansers and Caudalie serums (and their resigned boyfriends). If you’re easily overwhelmed, try visiting at off hours, going to a different skincare-focused pharmacy, or visiting at the end of your trip—once you’ve acclimated to your new surroundings. Alternatively…

• Go at the beginning and the end of your trip. I’ve never seen so many travel-sized products in my life, which means you can sample a few options before returning for the full-sized versions later.

• Be open to surprises, but go with a list. The product labels, of course, are all in French, which makes browsing harder for outsiders—but it’s the lack of in-store elbow room that’s actually the biggest deterrent to impulse shopping. If you’re armed with a list of must-buys, you’re more likely to leave satisfied with your haul.

• Remember that the staff is there to help you. They’re identifiable by their white lab coats, and I heard many of them speaking English. They can guide you to the right products for your skin type, explain the differences between options you’re considering, and help you discover hidden treasures.

I already have a running to-buy list for my next visit!

With all of this weekend’s explorations, I still hadn’t conquered my last remaining source of new-expat anxiety: trying my hand at solo dining in a foreign language.

I decided to rip off the Band-Aid on Saturday. I found a restaurant serving Indian and Nepalese food whose excellent reviews (plus the prospect of butter chicken) powered me through the thirty-minute walk to their front door.

The restaurant was almost empty, but when I said “Je voudrais une table pour une, s’il vous plaît,” the host shook his head no. Apparently, the tables were all reserved.

I walked out slowly, my burgeoning confidence shot, thinking maybe I’d lick my wounds and call that dinner.

In my daze, I wandered past Brasserie Célina. As I turned to look at their sandwich-board menu, their host walked out to greet me. Instead of turning me away, this guy was trying to draw me in.

Usually, that’s the kind of hard sell I shy away from. Tonight, though, it felt like an act of kindness.

I walked inside, took off my coat, and savored a glass of wine and perfectly-braised chicken with couscous while I watched the world go by. Twenty-one Euros later, my my confidence was restored.

Next weekend and beyond, I’ll be venturing into the fine-dining scene here—but this little couscous joint will forever have my heart.

As I begin my solo dining tour across Paris, I’d love to hear your best solo-dining tips (and stories)! ⬇️

And with that, it’s back to the (fabulous) grind. I’ll be back with another baking school recap on Friday!

Warmly,
Maddie

Breakfast Club is a newsletter about pastries with a side of personal growth, from an ex-financial planner turned baker. If you savored this edition, click the ❤️ (or share with a friend!) to help new readers discover it—and subscribe to get each letter fresh from the oven.