Sunshine in the cimetiere

I don't know where the time goes, but we seem to always get home just in time for happy hour!

Today is clear blue sky, and what a difference it makes to the feel of the narrow streets. Started as usual with cafe creme and croissant at a local cafe, a study of the Lonely Planet maps to plan our walking route and ... on y va!

We walked to Bastille via a myriad of back streets, coming out onto the main rue St-Antoine just in time to approach the Colonne de Juillet in all its monumental glory at the centre of the Place de la Bastille. Bastille area is fast and a little dirty, in an interesting kind of way. It alternates between streets of alternative shops (think Faster Pussycat and manga comics), fast food (yes, McD is here and the advertised special is the "Aussie Spirit" burger), streets of clothing wholesalers, and the typical beautiful Paris architecture. On the steps of the Opera Bastille were a group of ageing punk rockers, and not a pretty sight. We've seen this group around town a bit - they like to draw mohawks on the figures in the "men at work" signs.

Navigated Bastille to the Cimetiere Pere Lachaise. Visited the graves of Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, Sarah Bernhardt, Colette, Georges Haussman, Gioacchino Rossini, Heloise and Abelard, Camille Pissaro, and the very moving memorials to the French and other European communities who suffered loss in past conflicts. Pere Lachaise is serene and cared for, with meandering walkways and weeping trees. I think they're happy souls there.

Walked home, stopping at Cafe des Artistes for cafe pour moi and biere pour Brent. At the boulangerie, picked up a dessert treat - a baobab - think fussy version of Cavallini's rum baba. This one has custard in the base and a tube of rum inserted in the top - you just squeeze the tube and the rum soaks into the sponge. Mmmmmmmmm.