The morning queue was already out the door at our favourite baker Maison Yhuel.
Stopped for breakfast at a little cafe on Boulevard Beaumarchais. Sat outside in the sun. A woman sat at the next table and pulled out a chair for her fluffy pooch to sit on. The waiter appeared with coffee, and a bowl of water which he placed on the ground. The woman pfffd indignantly and placed the bowl of water on the table in front of pooch! I enjoyed this scene so much, not just for the seated pooch and his water but also for the very French "pfff" which you hear so often in conversation here.
Had a browse at Merci. This shop is described as a concept store - not quite sure what that means - and a percentage of profits are donated to charity. The cafe within Merci is set amongst floor to ceiling walls lined with second hand books, all colour-coded for price, sorted by subject matter and divided into English and French language sections. The cafe menu is great and we eventually stayed for lunch: les bruschettes avec serrano, tomates, basilic parmesan; fromage de chevre et toast. Mmmm.
The rest of the store is over three floors of an open warehouse space with sections for house, children, clothing, their own line of perfume and jewellery, and an atrium area that showcases the latest store exhibition. It was pretty cool. Some of it was outrageously expensive (hope that's reflected in the charity donations) but there were affordable items too.
Dawdled back through the Marais, coming across a gorgeous rose garden hidden away between rue de Hesse and rue Villehardouin. It was absolutely peaceful. If you check one of the photos below you'll notice a sunbather's legs in the garden, which we didn't notice immediately, but there were sunbathing bods littered throughout the garden. Don't these people work?
Brent and I had bets on what the graffiti meant, but we didn't guess right - "fesse" means "buttock" in French!
Passed un beau chien along the way.
The sunbathers were also out in Place des Vosges.
Tonight we left the appartement just before 8pm (it's light until about 8.30), crossed the Seine over to the rive gauche. We were heading towards the Eiffel Tower to watch the light display on the tower which lasts for five minutes every hour. Followed the path along the Seine and enjoyed the view of people out picknicking and socialising along the river.
Passed un beau chien along the way.
The sunbathers were also out in Place des Vosges.
Tonight we left the appartement just before 8pm (it's light until about 8.30), crossed the Seine over to the rive gauche. We were heading towards the Eiffel Tower to watch the light display on the tower which lasts for five minutes every hour. Followed the path along the Seine and enjoyed the view of people out picknicking and socialising along the river.
At the Pont des Arts, a pedestrian bridge over the river, people had obviously arrived early to claim their spot for the evening.
We walked as far as Pont Royal, crossed back to the Right Bank opposite Musee D'Orsay, and watched the Tower light up as if it was lit with trillions of fairy lights. It made me gasp! I wish you could all see it. Brent did the video thing, so perhaps you can...
2 comments:
Saw the lights on the tower, absolutely stunning - especially seeing it from where you did! The 'photos are great, and loved the item about the lady and her dog, particularly the very french "pfff".
Also loved the snippet about the lady with dog and the very French pfff when waiter put water bowl on the chair. I'll ask you to demonstrate said "pfff" on your return. So enjoying your commentary. You guys sound as though you are making the most of every minute. It sounds divine.
Cheers, Michelle
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