Simplicity and Goat Cheese

If you’re looking for overpriced goods, Merci is your place. Even though I say that, I actually absolutely love this place. I went many times but never bought anything except for two friendship bracelets (the cheapest things I could find), and every visit I would wander around wanting everything.

The entrance has gift-like objects, wooden laptop covers or weird shaped vases. The back acts as a dream closet, displaying vintage coats, leather boots and delicate necklaces. Up the stairs you’ll find the stationary section showcasing elegantly bounded notebooks. And on the bottom floor, culinary trinkets and plates sit on tables next to a restaurant that looks like a spacious cottage kitchen.

I took my father to that kitchen restaurant once, and we were served by a handsome young French man with curly hair, a lovely smile and well-designed black tattoos on his right arm. It was a pleasant eating experience.

However my favorite part is the café on the side, which can be found through a separate entrance from the street. Inside the walls are lined with books. The small room has a few cozy tables stretching back down a hallway that connects to the store. I remember one time getting a café crème and chèvre (goat cheese). It was so good; I know it sounds like your standard bread and cheese, but it wasn't. I normally eat at super speed but I tried to eat really slow, savoring each bite like I was a mature French woman, not a confused study abroad student. This little hideaway is a place that represents everything I love about Paris and everything I wanted to be when I was there. I could pretend I was someone who did these things, ate those foods, lived that kind of life.