Weekend in Paris #9

Je t'aime comme un chien! 🐶 💕

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. Bienvenue!

Shopping isn’t high on my list of hobbies, but after two months of living near the iconic department store Le Bon Marché, I figured it was time to step inside.

For the past few weeks, the store’s exterior had been plastered with the words “JE T’AIME COMME UN CHIEN”—I love you like a dog, which is to say unconditionally and without reservation—as well as a gigantic photo of an Australian shepherd. It was time to figure out why!

Inside, I found that the escalators had been transformed into enormous dog bones; across the atrium, dog-shaped cardboard cutouts watched the bones with rapt attention (and swayed in unison like adorable metronomes). A special section of the store sold all kinds of design-forward products that featured or were meant for dogs.

Apparently, the splashy display was for an excellent cause: an organization called Gamelles Pleines, which helps homeless and isolated citizens care for their pets.

I’ve lived here for eight weeks now, but I’ve still barely scratched the surface of lovely surprises like this one. And in today’s letter, you’ll find two other hidden gems I discovered this weekend:

• 🌸 An urban oasis for peaceful reflection, and

• 📚 The city’s most awe-inspiring reading room.