Who would have thought that a pair of patterned mittens would get more attention than Kamala Harris’s purple coat or Lady Gaga’s voluminous red skirt? As far as the internet goes, Bernie Sanders stole the show at the Inauguration last week and, by now, you have seen countless memes of Bernie in his beige parka, legs and arms crossed, a surgical mask on his face, huge earth-tone mittens covering his hands. I wanted to see how this “grumpy chic” American would blend in on the streets of Paris and I allowed him to photobomb some of my shots of the capital. Here are my 25 photos of Bernie in Paris: follow in his footsteps, try to recognize all the sights, and check your score at the end of the post. Bonne chance!
Second-hand bookstores: where you find things you had no idea you wanted.
No, I shall not do the happy dance!
I want to put money in people’s pockets
I kept the mittens but the wool socks had to go
I thought I made it clear the rocket ship was my first choice
Now is the winter of our discontent
The mind is like an umbrella. It’s most useful when open.
Oui, je parle français
Striking a pose for the next cover of GQ
Feels just like Vermont
It’s important to gain a higher perspective
Lucky find: furniture that complements my color scheme perfectly.
Everybody loves a good victory
Waiting for Emmanuel. He’s late.
What I enjoy the most about pétanque is the apéro hour
Looking for another comfy chair in the furniture district
I can see Montmartre from here (but not Russia)
I’m pretty sure they said I would be the Guardian of the Galaxy
New sartorial options? Fine but the mittens have to stay.
Conversation? What is it? A mystery! It’s the art of never seeming bored.
This might be a tad more exciting than the campaign bus
A gentleman is someone who can play the accordion, but doesn’t.
So many choux à la crème, so little time
The most instagrammed street in Paris is about to go viral again…
Thanks for indulging me! Now, check your answers.
1 Icones Américaines, Mº Bourse
2 Bouquinistes on quai St-Michel
3 L’Homme en blanc by Jérome Mesnager, passage de la Duée
4 Cour des Arrivées, gare d’Austerlitz
5 La Bouche de la Vérité, fountain on place Jussieu
6 Merry-go-round, parc de la Villette
7 Shakespeare and Company, rue de la Bûcherie
8 Umbrella installation, Cité Berryer; quote by Walter Gropius.
9 Place Fréhel
10 Colonnes de Buren, Palais Royal
11 Pont Saint-Louis
12 Rue Yves Toudic
13 Urban furniture, rue des Grands Degrés
14 Winged Victory, musée du Louvre
15 Grille du Coq entrance gate, palais de l’Elysée, avenue Gabriel
16 Terrace des Feuillants, jardin des Tuileries
17 Former wood workshop, passage Lhomme
18 Crêperie place Saint-Pierre in Montmartre
19 Galerie Vero Dodat
20 Adopte Un Mec, Mº Etienne Marcel
21 Monument à Guy de Maupassant, parc Monceau; quote by Maupassant.
22 Esmeralda, rue du Cloître Notre-Dame
23 Accordion player, between Mº Temple and République; quote by Tom Waits.
24 Odette pastry shop, rue Galande
25 Rue Cremieux
It was a very tough quiz. How did you do?
More than 20 correct answers
Paris has no secret for you. You even pay attention to ephemeral advertising in the métro stations…
Between 15 and 20
Excellent. When travel resumes, you’ll spend all your time comparing pre- and post-Covid Paris.
Between 10 and 15
Not bad at all. While stuck at home, check out some virtual tours of Paris so you can prepare your next trip (my friend Véronique posts fantastic free video tours on YouTube.)
Less than 10
You are so lucky! Paris is still a mystery to you and you have a whole city to discover.