SoulStrolling Rue Mouffetard

by Sharon Richards

There’s so much to see, taste, and experience along Rue Mouffetard in the 5th arrondissement in Paris. I was fortunate enough to spend a week in March, 2017, at an Airbnb just around the corner from Place de la Contrescarpe at the north end of the street.

Ernest Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley,  lived at 74 Rue Cardinal Lemoine. In, A Moveable Feast, Hemingway wrote about Rue Mouffetard as a ‘wonderful, narrow, crowded market street.

To this day it is filled with cafés, small restaurants, boulangeries (bakeries) fromageries (cheese shops) fish stalls, butchers, fresh produce markets, small grocers, Franprix (supermarket), wine shops, clothing shops and more. Every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday,Marché Monge  takes place in Place Monge. Here you can purchase items from produce to meat, cheese to fish, scarves to purses, and delicious lebanese and ethiopian food to go.

Soulstrolling is the practice of paying attention to your life, wherever you find yourself. It’s about cultivating awareness of the now, and listening to your heart’s desires and longings. It’s not about being a frantic tourist. As I strolled along Rue Mouffetard savoring the people, sights and sounds, I sank into this practice: inhabiting my life, paying attention to my souls rhythm, and expanding my heart to practice the freedom of being me.

During the week, here’s some of what unfolded:

Dose Dealer de Café has excellent espresso, free wifi, yummy croissants, pain au chocolat, pancakes, yogurt with fruit and granola, and a delicious Sunday brunch option. They have indoor as well as outdoor seating and I spent a few mornings savoring my noisette and journaling.

Nina Kendosa at 87 Rue Mouffetard is a lovely boutique shop for browsing, and possibly a purchase. This time 2 blouses worked their way into my suitcase as well as a scarf for a friend. Thanks to my soulstrolling pal  Kayce Hughlett for first discovering this shop.

Five out of 7 mornings the Boulanger/Patissier  next door to the Amorino Gelato Italiano shop at 18 Rue Mouffetard was my bakery of choice. An almond croissant, 2 lemon tarts, mini pastries, and a few baguettes were some of the tasty treats my stomach called for and my soul required.

I savored three lunches on this amazing street:  Oeuf cocottes avec champignons (poached egg with mushrooms)  followed by dos de cabillaud (cod) with vegetables at La Relève, a delicious endive dish wrapped with ham, layered with cheese, alongside roast potatoes at Le Verre à Pied and pea soup followed by dos de cabillaud (yes I love fish in Paris) at Le Jardin D’Ivy.

One other spot required my attention. A friend arrived in Paris from Seattle on Friday morning. She was hungry, jet lagged, and in need of an omelette and coffee, La Contrescarpe called. Sitting on the northern end of Rue Mouffetard around the Place de la Contrescarpe this quaint bistro served up just the right choice.

The Grand Mosquée de Paris is a short stroll from Rue Mouffetard. I’ve been to Paris before but never visited this sacred site. It was a beautiful, quiet, contemplative, artistic experience. A visit costs 3 euros and the female staff at the counter engaged me in an animated conversation going back and forth between my limited French and her English. We laughed, smiled, gestured and laughed some more.

The Jardin des Plantes is a short stroll across the street from the Mosquée. Its tree-lined paths and buds about to bloom, beckoned. On Sunday afternoon my husband and I took time to sit on a bench, meander through the Museum National D’Histoire Naturelle, and wander pathways.

When you’re in Paris, consider spending time soulstrolling along Rue Mouffetard.

If you’d like to be notified of upcoming Soulstrolling adventures email us at: info@soulstrolling.com

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