The scent of a Saturday morning

What does a market smell like? We tried to capture it in five scents, and discovered that the sixth is the most beautiful.

The first is coffee. Not the espresso from the chain on the corner, but slow filter coffee that pours from a large copper kettle next to the baker's stand. It smells like waking up without pressure.

The second is bread. Croissants, pain au chocolat, baguettes with a crust that still crackles. It smells like France long before you hear a farmer speak.

The third is flower and leaf. Peonies, eucalyptus, lavender, basil, thyme, the plant stall is often tucked in a corner, but what it spreads drifts across the entire square.

The fourth is aged wood. Brocante tables that are three generations old, with layers of wax that have travelled through the years.

The fifth is butter sauce. Somewhere someone is cooking coquilles on a gas burner; the aroma drifts over the stones and makes people pause for a moment.

The sixth scent is memory. A market never smells only of what stands upon it, it also smells of the Saturdays you can never get back.

Whoever comes next week, you can try it yourself. Close your eyes for a moment, stand still for half a minute, and count along.