Our Last Very Full Day In Paris
We woke up on Saturday morning, our last full day in Paris, and
to our surprise, the SUN WAS SHINING. Glory Hallelujah!
We dressed quickly and warmly as it was still quite brisk
outside and grabbed the #42 bus to Alma to have our final
Paris breakfast at my favorite café. We sat outside with
the heaters overhead warming us and watched Paris wake
up to start their Saturday.
Our favorite marche or market is a block away on
President Wilson and it was in it's glorious full force
by 10 a.m. It is the most beautiful market in Paris
in my opinion. It has the most incredible fresh food
beautifully and artistically arranged. The textures and
color of this market take your breathe away.
In the same area as the marché, is the Musée D'Art de la
Ville de Paris which is a free museum and was teeming with
families lining up to see the new exhibitions. I love
the Raoul Dufy mural of the History of Electricity that
fills the walls of a very large room. It's not that I am caught
up with the history of electricity but his colors
are glorious. (will show in upcoming post)
Then we meandered through the little streets of the 8th
arrondissement heading towards the Champs Elysees.
Not only do we love the beautiful buildings that were commissioned
by Haussman and are so Paris but we also love some of the
more modern architectural designs along side of the traditional.
Paris is architecture.....
I was madly in search of the Stamp Marche but
I couldn't find it. It is usually held on Saturdays and the dealers
sell wonderful old stamps, post cards and letters. It might
have been the bad weather that kept them away.
But, I could say hello to the Grande Palais
again this trip.
We continued our walk down to La Place De La Concorde,
crossed that to the famous Jardin Des Tuileries and sat by the
large fountain in Paris' famous garden chairs to rest along
with so many other Parisians. It was a first
sunny day in a long time and everyone was outside.
As we left the Gardens to cross the Pont Royal Bridge
by the Louvre, the darker clouds started to appear.
We weren't going to let that stop us. We had more
favorite places to visit before this day was up.
We love walking along the Seine and looking at the merchandise
of the bouquinistes. These are businesses that stay in the
family for years and the waiting time to own this little piece of
Paris is over 20 years long. This little stroll along the Seine
is a must for every one of our trips.
We also love all the little art galleries in the 6th on the
streets between St Germain and the Seine. It's
window shopping at it's finest.
I apologize for the picture but I love this little crepe
restaurant in the 5th.... the buckwheat crepes with
sweet or savory fillings are sooooo delicious.
I was in heaven.
After lunch, there were more tiny windy streets with
wonderful little shops and galleries that must be
visited. And then, the rain came. All Paris ran for
cover under awnings and trees and even some umbrellas.
This is Paris in the rain by the Deux Magots. The famous
café was packed with shoppers so we had to move on.
We wandered over to the Saint Sulpice area to find
Gerald Mulot and have one of his famous
pastries but the rain was a little consistent.
So, we grabbed two seats across from Saint Sulpice
and enjoyed a warm cup of tea
and great people watching.
In the plaza in front of the church was a
large bibliophile marché with the most incredible rare
books, old posters and art. You just never know in
Paris when something wonderful is going to
appear out of nowhere.
At 4 p.m. we decided to start our long walk back to
our apartment. On the way we passed Pierre Hermé
chocolate shop and even in the rain, Parisians are
lined up for their weekly fix of these most delicious
sweets. I have never seen this shop without a line.
We dragged ourselves home through the Champ De
Mars with the sun shining once again. Is there nothing
as lovely as Paris in the Spring?
Sun does help a bit and we were so grateful to
have this last full day with most of the day without
any rain. Small mercies...
What a great way to end a wonderful two weeks.
Thanks for joining me.
