Florist Abroad - France & England

We all love Montreal, but every once in a while it is great to get out of our comfort zone and see something new. This past fall I was extremely fortunate to spend two months travelling around some of the best beloved cities of Europe. Working at Westmount Florist, I find myself noticing flowers wherever I go, and this trip was no exception.

Wherever I went, amongst the monuments and museums of London, Paris, Amsterdam, I found myself encountering many different flower shops of all sizes and styles.  In Paris’ 7ème arrondissement, right around the corner from the Eifel tower, I stumbled across a tiny postage stamp of a store, tucked away in an alley.  What it lacked in space it made up classic Parisian elegance, something that never goes out of style.  A stones throw from Amsterdam’s tranquil Vondelpark, I happened upon a contemporary floral design space that managed to mix modern aesthetics and a more wild “gardeny” style to perfection.  In London I found a still wider variety of flower shops.  From the old world elegance of Liberty of London’s Regent Street department store in the West End, to a flower shop occupying the unlikely space of a brick archway beneath an elevated train line near London Bridge, I found myself constantly amazed by the differing, and often quirky ways that the florists of Europe have devised to sell their wares.  Here are a few snapshots from my travels to give you a taste of the beautiful things I was fortunate to see and experience.  Hopefully they will have you day dreaming of far off places and keep your life bright during this cold season