The Pillow Crusade

So, once of the first things I decided I needed when I arrived in Paris was a pillow. Some people are just pillow people, and I happen to be one of them. The pillow provided by both my first and second rooms were: 1) Square and 2) Highly uncomfortable. Thus began the pillow crusade.

I asked around and discovered that there is a chain known as "Monoprix" in France, which is supposed to be similar to Target, that sells home goods and food. So, the day after I arrived, I used google maps to find directions to the nearest Monoprix and set out. It was only upon arriving that I realized it was a Sunday, and that supermarkets, along with just about everything else, are closed on Sunday's in France.

The next day, I checked out a different store, known as "Franprix", which was closer to my room at the Cite Universitaire to no avail.

At this point in time, the Science Po Welcome Program began and I discovered that low-and-behold, there was a Monoprix right near my school. Thus, after my 8 hour Welcome Seminar, I stopped at the Monoprix, only to find that they didn't have pillows, or so I thought. . . . (later, I would come to realize that indeed, they did have pillows, they were just higher than my field of vision).

Dejected, but not assuaged, I asked around and learned that there was another Target-like chain in France known as "Carrefour" which surely sold pillows. Thus, I used google maps and found the location of the nearest "Carrefour." So, Tuesday night I took the Tramway to Carrefour. When I arrived, however, I found no Carrefour at the address provided by google maps. So, I asked a clerk at a nearby hotel and he said that there was no Carrefour, just a Franprix, and that Carrefour and Franprix were owned by the same parent company, which was probably the cause of the mix-up.

Furthermore, the Franprix was already closed. Bummer.

Returing to my new home, the Fondation Biermans-Lapotre, I asked at the information desk where I could find a "Grand Carrefour" and the gentleman gave me directions and metro routes.

Thus, on Wednesday, I woke up early and took the Tramway to my desired metro stop. Then, I took three metro lines until I arrived at a stop known as "Bercy." Here, the clerk told me, there was a Carrefour. Glancing around, I didn't see one, so I meandered down several different sidestreets. In the end, I stopped at a hotel, and inquired after the location of the Carrefour. The kindley hostess told me that I needed to take a bus to get to the Carrefour and that the stop was just outside.

So, I got to the bus. . . . . .

30 minutes later, I still hadn't reached a Carrefour, but the bus stopped at a large Monoprix. So, I got off. And, finally, I found a pillow. However, once again, they only had square pillows. Also, they only came it sets of two. So, I bought a set of two pillows along with other various household goods.

Then, I took the bus, 3 metro lines, and the Tramway back to my room, pillows and bags in hand. I don't think I've ever received so many strange looks in my life.

There's probably a news story about me somewhere in the Bercy cotedienne press. . . .

Here are the offending pillows:

















PS-- They have rectangular pillows at the Monoprix near Science Po. . . . I'm highly tempted to get one. I miss my rectangle pillows!!!!