The museums of Paris have what I would consider some of the best shopping around. Their gift shops are filled with amazing goodies–reproduction jewelry from their collections, scarves, books dedicated to specific exhibits and even the tried and true Mona Lisa mouse pad. Even their cheesy attempts at consumerism come out looking not so bad! For a price, (the exchange sucks!) you too can get a hold of some of these fun things right from the comfort of your living room. Boutiques de Musees is a site that has gathered the best from all the individual gift shops and put them in one place for those individuals who can’t actually shop there. One of my favorites is this very fashionable bay leaf cuff bracelet circa Napoleon’s time. It is inspired by the gold leaf laurel crown he wore at his coronation in 1804–a mere 200 years later and it still looks fresh! Or how about a beautiful wedding cup that has been engraved with a fabulous, intricate heart pattern. I think this would make a really unique and memorable gift for someone getting married. This one, displayed at the Louvre is based on a cup found in Lille. The tradition of giving “fidelity cups” dates back to the 3rd century, fell into decline during the Middle Ages and brought back to life in the 12th century. My personal weakness are the books that recreate exhibits from the various museums. They are the most beautiful and lasting memories from a trip and make wonderful gifts for the consummate art lover. I have purchased several over the years and keep going back to them like I would to personal photos that I took on a journey. The great thing about these books, if you are unable to get to Paris for an exhibit, you can still “see” it. Have fun shopping!
Photos: Copyright © 2000-2008 Réunion des musées nationaux. Tous droits réservés
巴黎博物馆一带有我所认为的购物最好去处。周围的礼品店里摆满了令人惊叹的商品——小店收藏的珠宝复制品、丝巾、介绍个别展品的书籍，以及好用的蒙娜·丽莎鼠标垫。即使是店主那些为图利润的不当行为，看起来也并不怎么可恶。同样的价钱，（汇率真是太棒了！）你就可以买回一些确实好玩的小玩意儿来布置一下客厅。博物馆附近的小店为那些不可能兜遍个体礼品店的游客，网罗了所有最好的商品。这个拿破仑时期的时尚月桂叶手镯，是我最喜爱的商品之一，它的设计灵感来自于拿破仑在1804年加冕典礼上戴的金月桂叶皇冠——200年前的物品，现在看起来仍光亮如新！那么，一只雕刻有精致而复杂心型图案的漂亮婚礼用酒杯又如何呢？我觉得要是送给一个快结婚的人，这份礼物既别致又有纪念价值。这件陈列在卢浮宫的展品以一只在里尔发现的酒杯为原形。送“忠诚酒杯”的传统可以追溯到三世纪，曾经在中世纪的时候中断，十二世纪再次兴起。我个人最喜爱的纪念品，是收集有各个博物馆展品的书册，它们是旅途中最美也是最长久的记忆，对真正的艺术爱好者来说，最理想的礼物莫过于此了。我在过去几年中买过几本这样的书册，现在还常常去翻看它们，就和看那些旅行中的照片一样。这些书的优点在于，即使你不能去巴黎看展览，仍然可以“一睹”展品。祝你们购物愉快！