Le Salon d'Agriculture à Paris - February 25, 2024
My family is still in town but I left them to do a day of more exploring and shopping (Ithink they went up to the Marché des Puces in St. Ouen) while I had my own jam-packed agenda planned. I only had a few hours of sleep after our exciting night at the Moulin Rouge before launching myself back out of bed, trumpet in hand and red foulard around my neck to meet my band mates at the designated meeting spot.
I've already written about the Salon in my Social Update post, but this has more details and a Day 2.
If you don't have a glass of wine with breakfast, are you really in France?
So we ate some eggs and bacon, thanked our hosts behind the bar, and descended into the metro to join the hoards of French people already making their way to the Porte de Versailles exposition park. Think of the biggest convention center you've ever seen and at the very least triple it, and you might have an idea of what we're working with here.
My friends describe the event as "Paris's only opportunity every year to experience agriculture" making it seem like the city has mostly forgotten how to go outside and touch some grass every once in a while. Cows, up close! A dog demonstrating how it herds a flock of sheep! Chickens! Cheese! Somebody even brought a camel! And don't even get me started on the food. Farmers and artisans from every corner of the French speaking world come from near and far to set up stalls and give people a chance to try some of the best produce you've ever laid eyes on. It's impressive to say the least.
Anyway, the reason we're here is to provide *ambiance*. We were directed to a pavilion full of stalls and vendors from the Southwest, where we quickly set up shop.
Our sponsor gave us snacks: pâté and baguette and lunch came out soon after: cassoulet (kind of like a bean and sausage stew. Very simple but very good).
Somebody dragged me off to a nearby stand with locally made beers from the southwest. Not too familiar with the variety, I took whatever my friend was having (the blonde). They served them in these sturdy plastic cups with a logo on the side, definitely meant to be reused and something I've seen a lot of in France. (I will shamefully admit I didn't know what to do with mine, so I took it home with me, but I have since learned I was probably supposed to return it. If they want it back, it currently lives quite happily in my kitchen cupboard in Los Angeles!)
And after lunch we started playing!
And playing.
And playing. It drew quite the crowd. And when we stopped playing due to time restraints on our own band, we wandered off and joined other bands who had just started. They were more than happy to add extra sound to their songs!
Before we left, some of us made a pit stop at this chocolate vendor and each stocked up on a bag with a variety of artisanal chocolate. How could any of us resist??
I couldn't stay all evening (although some of my band mates probably did) but someone else eventually had to leave too so I trailed him back through the suffocating crowds to the metro and we parted ways. I found my family up in Montmartre enjoying gelato (and hot chocolates if you're me) to escape the rain that had started back up again. For their last night in Paris we found a quiet dinner place and went to bed early. I stayed over with them at the Airbnb and when they got up at the crack of dawn to leave the next morning, I remained behind to meet And check out with the host.
But I feel like you don't properly understand the scope of the Salon d'Agriculture, so let's rewind. Or rather, let's jump ahead a few days to where I go back to the salon with my friends so we can explore the rest of the expo.
I don't even think this terribly blurry photo from the escalator of one of the centers can convey the scale of the event.
Like, why is there a camel?
This man tried to teach us the basics of pétanque, a national pastime and frequently played in local parks.
Generally we spent the day wandering around through the different convention centers trying foods and looking at different stalls. Finally late in the afternoon, we ended up in the Outre-Mer section, which is all the French foods and cultures from the French territories outside of mainland France. One of my friends is a rather well-known chef in her own country and was even recognized by some of the people in this area. They came up and took photos with her. Up until now she hadn't told us, so we were a bit confused at first and then thought it was exceedingly funny. Now it makes sense why she's outstripping all of us in class.
Eventually we decided we'd had enough and bundled our way back through the rain to Paris.
We all had some homework to do before tomorrow.
But, not one to be cooped up for too long, I soon found myself back out in the world and headed over to visit my friends at their wine shop. The perfect way to finish a day of animals and agriculture is by petting a dog who has no idea there are cows in Paris this week.
And I also managed to get a date to accompany me rather spontaneously to the renowned jazz club the "Caveau de la Huchette" that evening. It's a tiny basement club a few blocks from the river and always has an outrageous line to get in. Honestly it's a miracle we got inside after 30 minutes of standing in the rain.
And when I tell you the interior downstairs is packed wall-to-wall, I'm not exaggerating. There are people crammed into the two stairwells and right up to the raised platform that serves as a stage. If you want to dance, this is not the place. At most you can sway back and forth. Most of the crowd was young, probably university students, but there were a few appreciative older folks in the crowd as well who had managed to get the better vantage points either sitting down in a coveted seat or right up front near the band.
Regardless the energy was great and the music even better. The only downside was that the club closed at 2pm, right around the same time as the metro so everyone had a hard curfew, lest their transportation turned into a pumpkin and they found themselves walking home in the rain (not worth it). If there's one thing Paris is good at, it's making you feel like you're in a fairytale- glass slippers and all!
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