Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
farmer's market in the open square around
it and was second only to Les Halles as
Paris's most important market. By the
early 1970s, however, the atmospheric
Les Halles had closed its stalls, moving its
wholesale operations out to much less
colorful digs in the suburb of Rungis—
which left Marche d'Aligre as a lone survi-
vor of Paris's great market tradition. (There
are still a number of less permanent open-
air street markets, of course, including the
stalls along Marché Buci, on rue Mouffe-
tard in the 5th arrondissement; and on rue
Montorgueil, behind the St-Eustache
church in the 1st arrondissement.)
The shopping inside the covered mar-
ket itself is decidedly high end, with fresh
poultry, charcuterie, butchers, excellent
fish, luxury fruits, and imported foodstuffs
for sale by long-established merchants in
smartly outfitted stalls. If you ever doubted
that France produces more than 1,000
varieties of cheese, you'll be convinced by
the amazing selections in the
fromageries
here.
The scene surrounding the covered mar-
ket has an entirely different character—
more multicultural, more for bargain-
hunters, and more vibrant. Prices are often
low, and a spirit of hawking and haggling
keeps things lively. Many Algerian, Moroc-
can, and Tunisian vendors operate here,
selling fruits and vegetables they bought
earlier in the morning out in Rungis at the
wholesale market. Generally, they've sold
out their stock and packed up by lunchtime,
while the indoor stalls maintain regular
store hours.
Thanks to those grazing hipsters, sev-
eral excellent small shops and cafes ring-
ing the square have their own following.
Don't miss the flaky French pastries at
Ble du Sucre
(7 rue Antoine Vollon), the
organic breads at
Moisan
(5 rue d'Aligre),
or the fresh-roasted coffee at
Cafe Aouba
(rue d'Aligre).
Between le faubourg St-Antoine and la
rue de Charenton, 12th arrondissement
(http://marchedaligre.free.fr).
(
De Gaulle (23km/14 miles). Orly (14km/
8
2
/
3
miles).
L
$$
La Tour Notre Dame,
20 rue du
Sommerard, 5e (
&
33/1/43-54-47-60;
www.
la-tour-notre-dame.com). $
Hotel de la
Place des Vosges,
12 rue de Birague, 4e
(
&
33/1/42-72-60-46;
www.hotelplacedes
vosges.com).
Open-Air Markets
5
KaDeWe Food Halls
Into the West
Berlin, Germany
To the epicures of Berlin, the fall of the
Berlin Wall meant one thing—the food
halls at KaDeWe could recapture their sta-
tus as a luxury mecca for international
delicacies. New owners even built an
entire new floor atop this century-old giant
of a department store, where dazzling
imported foods are curated and displayed
like works of art.
Though KaDeWe's official name is Kauf-
haus Des Westerns (Department Store of
the West), since its 1907 opening it has
been known as KaDeWe (pronounced
kah
-
day-vay). The “West” referred to its loca-
tion in a residential neighborhood of West
Berlin, though it doesn't look very residen-
tial anymore. KaDeWe was nearly gutted
after a U.S. plane flew into it during World
War II. When it reopened in the 1950s, its
new food halls were its greatest attraction
in a divided, war-torn city. After the Wall
went up in 1961, the “west” in the name
