Pottering on Thursday

Today is the beginning of my last week so I spent some time this morning going through my lists and working out what I did not want to miss.

I went  for lunch to another place on my list of traditional, interestingly decorated cafes with reliably good food.  Seated next to me were 2 gentlemen from NY. One could speak French and grew up in England. We talked about all sorts of things. As part of my entrance ticket to the Louvre I could get into a small museum where Delacroix spent his last days. It was in a house in Place Furstemburg in the 6th , a little quiet corner of Paris.  The best part of the museum was the quiet garden in the back where I sat for a bit. Then I wandered the streets in the direction of the church in St Germain-des-Pres where I had been before.

I came across the 2 iconic cafes of literary Paris - Les Deux Margots and Cafe de Flore.  Ages ago I had decided that I would not bother - they would be overpriced and full of tourists.  I walked slowly past one, yes, full of tourists then slowly past the second and  thought , a hot chocolate would be nice, saw that there were a few spare tables and that there were some French people so went in.   Different authors preferred different cafes, apparently. I had not looked up which cafe Simone de Beauvoir spent her time talking to Jean-Paul Satre in, but it didnot matter. I ploughed through a few more pages of her book that I am reading while I drank my very delicious hot chocolate. Yes, it was expensive, but there were French people on one side of me.

Then I sat in the church for a while and then  wandered my way back through a few more of the quaint passgeways and narrow streets filled with  interesting things.

Louvre

I spent a while yesterday trying to find out how to join the shortest queue into the Louvre.  Wasted time.  I tried to buy my tickets on line. No success.  This morning I thought I was on track to avoiding the main queue, but no, I must have been following the wrong signs. Never mind, I only waited about 20 minutes, and I was reading my book and it is significantly warmer than when I arrived in Paris.

The Louvre used to be the King's palace and became a museum during the French revolution. There are 5 floors in 3 interconnecting wings - though they donot, as I found out, connect on every level. The plan is very hard to follow because it does not have all the rooms marked, and only about half the rooms have any identifying number displayed. I walked up and down many many steps. Given that I was a bit ambivalent about going in the first place it was a bit hard to maintain my enthusiasm. I went first to the Italian masters and spent some there looking at artists I was familiar with. There were 3 interesting Caravaggios.  After wandering aimlessly in the same wing for a while I thought a coffee and/or food was needed.  I found a French looking cafeteria place , next to a crowded Starbucks. I went into the French place, and was politely told  they didnot open for 15 minutes.   I said "  But I donot want to go to an American chain in Paris." , forgetting to make any attempt to speak in French. A very British voice , 1 of the staff, replied " I agree, Madam". However, needs must, but my remaining interest was rapidly decreasing. I tried another wing but gave up after a while and went to the Islamic art. I pottered peacefully for a while looking at interesting patterns on tiles, decorated bowls, etc etc  There was some interesting writing on signs but it was too dark to conveniently read. Not that I was grumpy or anything.  I gave up because it was lunchtime.

Marmottan Museum and 16th

This morning I went to a place on my list in the 16th arrondissement for a good coffee. I have now had coffee in all of the 20 arrondissements. I also have documentary evidence that I have been to all 20 in the form of the typical Parisien street sign which includes the arrondissement number.

After coffee I walked to the Marmottan Museum. The building , originally a hunting lodge, was passed down to different people and organisations,  aquiring assorted collections along the way.  Now mainly Empire and Restoration furniture and impressionist paintings. In 1966 the museum inherited the largest collection of Monet's paintings in the world from Monet's son Michel.

I have never been a big fan of Monet. Today, though , I went round this large room - on my own - and found the one I liked the best. I sat in front of it for a while and quite enjoyed it, imagining myself on a nearby park bench looking at the pond and the relections. Afer I looked at the rest of the paintings - I quite liked one by Renoir of Manet, quite relaxed, smoking a pipe, reading a newspaper - I went to the shop, but my favourite Manet was clearly not one of the popular ones. I bought a postcard of it, but that was all there was. I bought myself a small jigsaw of my second favourite .

This afternoon I went to a nearby hotel that had been recommended and sat in their very quiet and interestingly decorated lounge for a peaceful cup of coffee for an hour reading the New York Times.  I felt justified in reading that newspaper because yesterday morning I had puzzled over a French newspaper about what Macron and Le Pen were up to.

This sign, a bit hard to read, is in the first and I have just finished reading a book by Colette.

This is in the 17th on the wall of a library.

Sunday and 17th on today

Yesterday was good. I thought I would be adventurous and go somewhere different within 200m different for coffee. ( Sunday many places are open late). I asked Ms Google who said there was a place that was open. Clearly she had not told them. So I went back to my ususal. It is run by a man and his wife.  Yesterday morning she was there. I was sitting next to another regular and another was at the bar. The man came in, shook both their hands in a morning greeting, got to me and shook my hand too.  I am not going to bother going anywhere else.

For lunch I went to a different  nearby place and had a delicious meal. I had chestnut soup, which I had never had before an a chicken dish. Turned out it was mainly Corsican food.

In the afternoon I went to a concert at the American Cathedral. There was a violin, oboe, soprano and 2 pianists. A Handel sonata, Gounod's Ave Maria, an extract from La Traviata, John Williams'  music for Schindler's List and , my favourite Saint-Saens " Dance Macabre" with violin, oboe and piano with 4 hands.  Not everybody played in everything, obviously.

Yesterday I had made a plan for the rest of the week after looking up what was open when. Today I decided to change my mind.  After my coffee - I did a few admin type things e.g. more money required, then caught the train to the 17th arrondissement.  The coffee shop was a pleasant walk away - nice area, nice houses, nice shops without being over-the-top, but was not open on Mondays .  Should have stuck with the plan. Never mind, there was a pleasant nearby bistro and then a pleasant park for a stroll, but all the seats were taken up with young mothers or old people.

I had read of a bistro at St Lazare railway station, but it was full, so I walked on and had a pleasant cheaper lunch. Then walked to the Palace Garnier. I had seen a model of the inside at the Musee d'Orsay and that was as fas  as i will get. I did not feel like queuing up to get into the foyer, which I hd read you can do. The outside was very ornate.

Saturday and 20th arrondissement

There is a football match on today between Scotland and France. If I had not known that I would have wondered at the 3 different groups of stout no-longer-young men going around dressed in kilts that I have seen.

I caught the bus to its terminus in the 20th arrondissment - only about 4 km from where I am in the centre. The central part of Paris is really quite small. The main reason visitors go to the 20th is the famous cemetery, Pere Lachaise.  Me, I was looking for good coffee.  Plan A was closed ( despite the hours on the website), so was plan B, again,despite what it said on the website. So I took pot luck and did well. It has been on my list to sit outside at a cafe and take an hour over my coffee. The weather, or the circumstances or the outside smokers, have meant that until today I have not done this. This morning I found a  cafe, slightly receased from the road that had a free table.  I was not worried about outstaying my welcome because the lady next to me was there when I arrived and when I left.  The cafe was OK for ordinary French coffee. The only problem was that I was reading a book on my phone and the relections were a bit tricky. Holding it under the table seemed a bit wrong , as though I was reading something furtive - a book on neuroplasticity?

I walked back to my apartment via another body of water , the Arsenal Basin , with a bridge and houseboats.  It joins up with the Canal St Martin, but underground. My plan was to have lunch where I have eaten before, but it was closed, again, despite what it said on its website. In this case plan B worked. I went to a place on Ile saint Louis where I had been before. About half visitors and half locals.  Next to me sat a lady and man who were Italian but had lived in London for 15 years and also spoke French and German as well as English.  Mind you, she used some Italian words in the French she was speaking to the wait staff. She had said French was her worst language.

Tomorrow I will not be doing anything travel related - so no blog. I will go to a concert in a church in the afternoon.

Arsenal Basin with the Bastille statue in the distance. A funny bridge - people walk in an enclosed tunnel.

Picasso and Alexander Calder

This was an exhibition that I enjoyed. I tried to understand the blurb about how they both use space and the lack of space. There were lots of rooms with different sorts of their work. I think my favourite was entitled '4 leaves and 3 petals'.

It was as tall as me. 

Then I had yet another nice lunch and talked to a guy from Tasmania.

Brief today, emails to write.

Canal St Martin, 19th and museum of musical instruments

This morning I didnot go to my normal bar for a coffee and croissant but walked  through the 3rd arrondissemnt to the 10th to another place on my list - and many other peoples  judging by how full it was 5 mintes after opening time ( at least, what their website says). I had poached eggs and mushrooms, not that I'm homesick or anything, but it was delicious.  Then I walked alongthe canal St Martin - very pleasant .  Nice cafes and shops inerspersed with apartment buildings along the route. It felt a bit more relaxed than other parts of Paris. It widened out when it got into the 19th arrondissement. Still very pleasant, but fewer cafes.  There was a small 'marina' - more like a pontoon with 20 houseboats  tied up.  See photo below. As I got nearer the end- or rather when the canal goes into a big park, there were loud noises which turned out to be a very noisy food market.  I had a quick look in. The signs were all in French but I donot think what the spruikers were calling out was French.  It was not Asian. I had not seen many people wandering around so I have no idea.

Just  before I left the canal, I stopped for another cup of coffee at another of the places on my list (only 3 arrondissement to go) . Then I walked to a place that looks on the map like it was a green park, but now is a huge musical complex with several auditoriums, musical instrument shops, practise rooms, meeting rooms, an exhibition space and a museum of musical instruments - why I was there.  Lots of very peculiar looking things - a good audio guide which often had muic played by the instrument, interesting bits and pieces. It was very hard to take photos  of individual instruments - other instruments in the way and many reflections.

Then I walked a few more kilometers south though the streets of the 19th. It was predominantly a Jewish area until I got to a large park , the Parc des Buttes Chaumont, which reminded me a bit of Central Park in NY. It was nice to walk through and see so many people wandering around.  I got to the place I was heading for, again on my list, whose website said it was open for lunch. Not so today. So I went to another place and the queue was out the door ( by this stage it was 1.30). So I went further on and stopped at the first non-Asian, non-northern African restaurant that had at least 1 or 2 women sitting with the predominantly male customers. I walked for a while! I had an OK lunch. Cheap and tasty enough, though I have no idea what the entree was . Of the 5 words in the description I only recognised one - the generic word for poultry.  It was a fried meatball of minced poultry - but which bit? I rather think it might be something I would not have chosen, however it was the only one on the menu of the day.  I caught a train back after lunch.

There is a boulangerie around the corner from me which has excellent salads. One does me for 2 days.  The lady recognises me,. She knows I am learning French, she always addresses me in French, though I know she speaks English . I normally get the money right, except I always stumble on 80 - in French quatre vingt - 4 20.  Specially at the end of the day.  I usually only buy the salad - 6.50 , but today bought a small macaroon, so it was 7.80, except I go out 7.40. She just looked at me , smiling, and waggled her finger, no no, in a friendly manner. Not the first time she has done that.  I said I would definitely get it right next time. I had better because she will remember.

I do ike the same bare trees that are everywhere. Trouble is, I am coming to the opinion that I need to see them with leaves on.

This was the smallest of the houseboats. Just right for 2 people. You may have to blow the photo up to see its name  -' La Decadence' and the other sign that says ' A vendre'. Buying a box of 106 tiny balls of cotton is one thing, but this is way off the scale. But I did smile and daydream.

Parc des Buttes Chumont. There is grass on the left and the other green stuff on the right is water.

 

An archiluth  ( early 17th century) with 28 strings on the left  and a basoon russe ( early 18th century)  on the right. I could not get a photo with the creatures eyes, but they looked quite fierce.

Saint Chapelle plus photos

This morning I went to Saint Chapelle, the chapel built by Louis IX to house the relics of Jesus that he bought from the emperor of a new Frankish empire for a huge amount of money - more than the cost of the building.  Buying the bits, most notably the crown of thorns, was a religious and a political act.  There is a lower chapel and built on top the main chapel , 33 m long, 11m wide and very tall ,completely surrounded by stained glass windows , starting with the Genesis story and ending in the apocalypse. It is quite awe inspiring and would have been more so on a sunny day. Most of the bits have disappeared . The crown of thorns is now in Notre Dame and on display once a month.

I had lunch at a place that is more a winebar with food. The food was delicious and the wine list was only about half comprehensible. Luckily, one of the cheaper wines was one I had never heard of -- petit manseng, so I tried it. Grown mainly in hot dry areas , SW France and , as I have since found out, in the Riverland area of Australia.

On the walk back to my appartment I saw a fleet - well, about 6- of motor bikes specially fitted with an enclosed shaped box on the back of  each bike to carry hanging, drycleaned clothes. Maybe they exist in Sydney.

Another thing- there are lots of beggars, like any city, but especially around here with lots of people coming and going. There is one man who I regularly see, just standing there, quietly holding his bowl out, asking politely. I smile at him as I pass and gently shake my head.  This morning I put a coin in his bowl which he very politely thanked me for. When I retuned after lunch, he started to ask, realised who I was, immediately pulled his bowl away and apologised profusely for asking me again. Several days ago I thought to myself - he has been in the same clothes for 3 weeks. But then I realised it would appear that I have been too. Same black pants , purple jacket and scarf. Mine get washed and dried overnight.

Inside Saint Chapelle

(Russian) Orthodox Cathedral of the All-Holy Trinity

 

Place de Vosges from Victor Hugo's 2nd floor apartment

Tues Place de Vosges, Russian cathedral

I have read  the  Place des Vosges described as the  nicest square  in Paris in several books. It is largish, has the obligatory few statues,  flower beds, lots of seats, rows of trees,  corner area with children's play equipment - all normal.  What makes it stand out is the uniformity of the buildings surounding it. - All the same height, style, design, colour.  It really is very attractive. I  visited Victor Hugo's appartment in one of the buildings overlooking the square. It was his actual appartment that he lived in in his latter years and it had been done up , partly in the manner it would have been.

After more wondering and sitting in some more squares, I had another nice lunch and wandered back.

I visited the new Russian Orthodox Cathedral in the afternoon. It was consecrated in December 2016. It was an interesting building. Another adjacent building had an exhibition space showing a Russian painter's work. Apparently there are classrooms, a cafeteria, living accomodation for the priests etc.  The 5 domes all have a matt silvery colour. In the main church there are a lot of icons around the walls and  different saints are painted on the wall the separates the nave from the sanctuary . There was a uniformity of colours - blue and light brown that looked good.

9th, 18th and 10th

This morning I caught a bus to the northern part of th 9th arrondissement and had my breakfast and coffee at another of the coffee shops listed as being good. I presume it was started by Australians because its name used to be Koala Bear - although not spelt that way. Now it is KB coffee shop

I walked up the hill ( I counted  165 steps)  to Sacre Coeur in the 18th arrondissement. Lots of domes, no information in English, only a few people, peaceful. Then I wandered round some Montmartre streets, but I was too early. People were only just starting to open up their shops and cafes. I gave up on that and walked east to yet another coffee shop ( I will go to one  in every arrondissement) . Another nice cup of coffee, except I spoke more French than the guy behind the counter. I'm sure he will learn faster than me.

I spent the next few hours zig-zagging my way down through the 10th arrondissement. Sometimes deliberately and sometimes not so. I stopped at a place on my list and sat down for lunch. The guy next to me heard me order and asked in (American) English where I was from. Turned out he was one of the owners. He asked why I was there, I said it was on my list, he asked who recommended it, so I got out my phone to look up the spreadsheet to tell him. He knew the author of the book that had recommended the place.  He had spent time in San Antonio , one of the places, courtesy of Wendy and her family's road trip, that I saw last October.

Then I continued the zig-zagging back here , via the Place de la Republic.

One of the things I enjoy about wandering is coming across things that make me smile. There was a typical park that I have seen many of - flower beds, some grass, a ping-pong table, some children's play equipment, seats . This time right in front of a church called Eglise Saint Bruno and with the lovely bare trees that are everywhere. Bruno sounds an unlikely name for a saint, but there was one. There was also the normal bar/cafe on one corner.

14th arrondissement

Today I went to the 14th arrondissement. Like many of these divisions, I have only seen a little of each.

I started at Gare Montparnasse, one of the main train stations in Paris for long distance  trains. ( on the edge of the 14th  but i think in the 15th) I had read of a garden built on the top of the station. It was a bit hard to find, and then it was mainly tennis courts. Some nice quiet places to sit. The last few days have been quite warm - max of 12 or 13, but that is at 2ish. I was there at 9ish.  I , like many others, have ditched my knee length coat.

Next was coffee time - another of the new places. Nice coffee. Then I went to an exhibition at the Foundation Cartier for Contemporary Art. It was about geometric designs from South America.

Then lunch time at an old  traditional Art Decor place. Nice interior. I got the distinct impression I was being ignored . Probably because I was the only one in my section eating from the special cheap menu.  It was a large place with high ceilings and most of the time I just sat and watched what was going on. I did have some nice food.

Then I walked back via the Luxembourg Gardens.  There were lots of people out and about. There was a pond with small sailing boats but they are not remote controlled. You just get given a large stick with which to retrieve them when they come near or push them out from the wall. Once they are out in the middle of the pond you have no control  and , like today with no wind, they just sit there.  Not like New York at all.  Pity. As I approached I was trying to remember what I paid in NY 6 years ago and what I was prepared to pay in Euros today. 0 for no control, as it turns out.

Just below the Luxembourg Gardens the police were closing offf roads, then there were more and more police, closed roads, congested other roads , lots nd lots of people and I realised that a lot of the people walking up a parallel street to the one I was walking down had yellow jackets on!  They were crossing the Seine on 1 bridge and myself and many others were watching at a distance from the next bridge.

Tomorrow I am not doing anything trip related. So no photos or blog. I am having a day off.

Pont de Grenelle - one of yesterday's bridges. If you have good eyesight , you can see a reminder of another structure built by Monsieur Eiffel.

6 bridges and 15th arrondissement

Yesterday I had a good experience in the metro, not so brilliant today. First off I got off the metro at  Concorde, looked at the map of exits and decided I wanted exit number 4 of 7. However, I could not find it anywhere. Who knows. But no big deal.

I walked along the Seine all morning taking photos of bridges, wandering back and forward across the river from the 15th into the 16th.  I would like to go back to the new Russian Cathedral.  There were lots of modern apartment blocks along the river, and, like every where else, little well-kept parks. I had a later than usual start, so my coffee stop became lunch as well. A gentleman from Woolongong ran the place. Nice coffee.

As I was walking back to a metro stop,  I stopped at a shop selling beautiful wooden jigsaws. It was inbetween a funeral parlour and an orthopedic mobility aid place.   There was one in the window , a map of Paris , 500 pieces but the result was quite small. I went inside to look. The pieces were tiny and the most convoluted shapes I have ever seen in a jigsaw.  Far too difficult and far too expensive. I found a 100 piece one that I thought might be better. The lady helping me had less English than I had French. She said in French, "But it is for a child" - she had no idea what I meant when I said in English ' So who is going to know?' I wil think about it.

The metro stop was a small one with only 1 line going through it. The gate to get in would not take my ticket. People with a pass could use another gate, but not me. So I went to the ticket window, talked to man, who rolled his eyes at me and spoke way to quickly. He wrote on the back of my ticket.  No big deal. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

Mosque and a corner of the 13th

I had a morning off this morning. I read more of my book on neuroplasticity and started Voltaire's Candide.

After lunch I walked  to the corner of the Botanical Gardens  where there was a labyrinth.  It was called a labyrinth, but was just a windy path with hedges on either side which went up a small hill with a funny little metal structure with a few chairs on the top. Not a proper labyrinth. I was reminded of the labyrinth otside Grace cathedral in San Fransico that was wedged in between the cathedral wall and a fence right next to a busy road.  At least today's labyrinth was quiet

Nearby was the Grand Mosque of Paris which I read was modelled on the Alhambra. Maybe a  very small corner of the Alhambra.  It was quiet and peaceful.  See a corner below.

Next I walked about 2.5 km though a corner of the 13th arrondissement to where there was a cafe on my list. It is an area that I will not be walking through again. Large ordinary blocks of high rise apartments, run down shops, very few people around. Eerie. The cafe was in a nice little pocket. It was big enough to have a 'toilette' - the common name here. Not all the small 'hole in wall'  coffee shops on my list have this facility.

For 2 weeks I have walked everywhere but today  I caught the metro back to my apartment.

Wednesday 2 weeks gone

After a slow start I walked over the Seine to the famous Shakespeare and Co bookshop and cafe. I have 2 lists of places to get good coffee and both included this cafe. I was not going to go on principal. All the signs are in English and I was further put off when I was greeted with 'Hi, what can I get you?' However the coffee was good.  I had stuck my head in the bookshop last Sunday and it was crowded so today  I gave it a miss and found, a few streets away, another bookshop. I walked out with 4 books, all by French authors, 3 in English and one,  Candide by Voltaire, in English on one side and French on the other. 

After my previous post, a friend suggested I look at the work of a particular French designer who uses lots of colours in her scarfs.  About 20min walk away was a shop that had some of her work,  It was a small shop, fairly typical, with beatiful thngs - scarfs, bags, jewelry, gloves, hats, nicknacks. I enjoyed looking.

I walked to the edge of the Luxembourg Gardens. They looked interesting, but it was time for lunch. Another traditional bistro. The waiters were polite, very hard working, it was packed, food was delicious.  I ambled off, saw a sign to a church , Eglise Saint Etienne du Mont, that I had read about so went up the hill, not so good on a full stomach. It  had an amazing rood screen - the divison between the nave , where the congregation sits and the sanctuary where the people officiating at the service traditionally sit.

It is a bit hard to see the detail in the photo, but it is supposedly the most elaborate in Paris.

I wondered back down the hill and came back via a statue of St Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris on one of the bridges.

Again, probably hard to see the detail.

Sorry about the formatting. I will fix it later ( or not)

4 bridges, 2 arrondissemnts and 2 new coffee places...

...and a geographical challenge.

The day started with another nice cup of coffee in another place on my list.  Then I walked through the Tuileries Gardens. It was foggy this morning and even less people that normal were out. I had read that there was a Giocometti statue but I did not see it. Initially there were only a whole lot of clasical looking statues on plinths - man versus beast mainly. Later I did see a large Alexander Calder statue. I like the quirky way they always seem balanced but they arenot balanced.

Then the first bridge of the day - an ordinary footbridge. I walked along the Seine to the next bridge, the road across it leads into the Place de la Concorde - a huge roundabout  with about 6 lanes and about 5 or 6 ways in or out.  We went around it in my tour in the tiny  little yellow citroen. Not pleasant.

Then I walked on to the Pont Alexander 3, the most flamboyant of all the bridges. I walked along to the next rather ordinary bridge. Along the section of the Seine that I walked this morning  were houseboats, mostly about 3 deep. Over the road from the Pont de les Invalides was a tiny little garden, partly below street level with a pond . It was suprisingly free of traffic noise.

From there I walked north into the 8th arrondissment past the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais, cross the Champs Elysees and onto one of the streets with very fancy shops, Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore.  The second of my coffee stops was the one that was in the ABC news yesterday.  It was just off this street. Another good cup. I walked from there through more of the 8th and on into the 9th.  It is not as fancy as the 8th and more interesting. I was getting higher and higher and realised I was quite close to Sacre Coeur. I had lunch at a place that was recommnded in the same book as the coffee shops. Very delicious.

My phone battery will only last till about lunch time if I am taking a lot of photos and using it for navigation. After I ordered , I pulled out my powerbank to charge the phone  and found that it , the powerbank, was dead. I am sure I checked it a few days ago. Maybe more than  a 'few'. I am very uncomfortable in a strange place with no map.  However it all went well,

A day or so after I got here to Paris I went to a wool shop and saw something - a box of 109 10g balls of cotton, all different shades of the same brand . I have been thinking about this and have some ideas about what I could use it for, but nothing concrete.  When I roughly planned my route for today I knew the shop could be on my way home. Without my phone I gave up on that idea. However, I did pass it by accident so thought that was a good omen and I was meant to have the box. How's  that for justifying pure greed?

 The Pont Alexander III with one of its 4 pillars and a blue helicopter - what every child who lives on a houseboat wants.

As near as I want to get to a selfie in front of the Eiffel Tower and the Pont des Invalides

The delightfully quiet Jardin de la Nouvelle France, at a corner of very busy streets, The water was not as unpleasant as it looks

Notre Dame and the 11th

A few unrelated things I donot want to forget:

the motorized scooters that people are riding around on are called trottinettes - what a lovely word - not booties for pigs

I have seen many people walking their dogs, but no evidence they do not clean up after their dogs. Not so the police who ride horses around, specially on the 2 islands near me!

I am sure there is a larger proportion of women over 60 with grey hair in Paris  than in Canberra,

This morning after my breakfast coffee ( I have discovered a corner bar where real milk, not UHT, is used) I went in to Notre Dame. I didnot immediately warm to it. It was too dark to read the brochure I bought. About an hour after it opened, there were already many groups - mainly Asians. I sat wondering about the millions and millions of people over the ages who have passed through the church. There were some interesting side chapels. There was a Chapel for Saint Germain (Bishop of Paris in the 6th Century and our lady of ( somewhere unpronouncable and un typable on this keyboard), queen of Poland. See photo below of an icon  of her .

I will go back for vespers one day ( which I read somewhere is sung by the choir)  but not today, I have to wash my clothes.

Next on today's plan was the Pompidou centre. Another aborted attempt. The queue was just as long on Saturday 5 min before it opened.  Another day.

I then walked from the Pompidou centre, in the NW corner of the 4th, through the 3rd to the 11th arrondissement. I found the coffee shop on my list and it was a good cup of coffee. Of all the 6 so-called new style coffee shops 5 of them have offered things like carrot cake, muffins, scones, no french style patisserie items, which I would prefer. I can make a carrot cake, but a little delicate citron tart.?

  Then I walked some more and found one of the places on my list of new style bistros.  Trouble is , all the signs outside were in English and I usually avoid these places. Next door was a simple French bar with about 10 tables, the only menu - 2 entres, 3 mains and 2 deserts was written on a blackboard. So I ate there. Simple French food with real , local, people.

Then I walked back along different roads. The 11th was interesting. I walked through some almost derelict areas with 2 out of 3 shops shuttered. Partly some places are closed on Mondy, but it was more than that. There were other areas that had clearly become done up, with modern interesting shops and places to eat. A real ethnic mix in the older areas. But also in the better areas, I looked at the 'menu' outside a discrete, interesting place that was a Hammam - Turkish bath house. The basic experience was E40 , or you could pay E240  for the day. I didnot understand most of the words, so what you got was a mystery.

Sunday

I did not venture far from my room today. It is wet, cold and very very windy.  As I type I am looking onto the square  opposite me where is always something happening. Now there s a motley collection of about 15 musicians with a vague uniform of bright sky blue pants, any top, but most have a yellow hat. Weird. The 2 sousaphone players are having great difficlty standing up.

I had lunch at the better of the corner bistros near me and then walked over to the Ile de la Cite and looked at the remaining few bridges there. Occassionally I got some sun to take a  photo or 2. I wandered down narrow alleys. The french term for what we describe as 'window shopping' translates as 'window licking'. I thought of going into Notre Dame, but the queue was too long. I will try early tomorrow morning I was going to go to a free concert in a church but I could not be bothered. I am almost up-to-date with photos and emails.

The Musee d'Orsay, built inside an old railway station.

The elevated walkway, Coulee Verte,  about the 3rd or 4th floor of neighbouring buildings.

Pont au Double in front of Notre Dame in a rare bit of sunshine

6th arrondissement or change-of-mind day

First off I went to the small markets a few blocks away. I was not going to buy any cheese , but the lady at the cheese  stall recognised me from the previous week and called out asking what I wanted to try today. Well, it would have been churlish not to oblige. I got a few brownie points at the deli/prepared food stall when I recognised the big bowl of choucroute ( spelling?) the Alsatian dish of mainly cabbage. The lady told me of the floods in N Qld. News to me,

I intended to get to the Pompidou centre when it opened to look at the Modern art exhibitions.  I hoped that on a Saturday there may be less school groups. Maybe less scshool groups but when I arrived, about 5 minutes after it opened , the queue to get in was around the block. Not today, I thought.

It has been a few degrees warmer today and there are more people out and about than there were last Saturday.  I walked past a few more bridges and wandered around the northern part of the 6th arrondissement, the Saint-Germain-des-Pres area. It was fascinating, A real mix of quirky up-market design shops and fairly ordinary shops, lots of eating places.

I found a restaurant that was on my list as possibly affordable for lunch. It was fascinating. Apparently one of the oldest in Paris. Traditional - dark red walls, paintings, chandeliers, white tablecloths, I spent about an hour and a half there and did not look at my book once. I found out at the end that it was made up of at least 5 rooms - all mostly full. The suited gentleman who showed me to my seat  seemed suitably pleased when I replied in French to his question of whether I wanted a menu in French or English  that I would prefer French because I was trying to learn. He gave me the menu but I had to ask for the menu of the day -a cheaper option.  I thnk this was deliberate because I saw him do the same to others.  There were several groups of Asian tourists  opposite me. One group all had onion soup and clearly did not like it much, I assume because they left a lot.  This head-garcon was not happy about that , going on his eye-rolling and muttering , not so under his breath.  One of his underlings brought my food and looked after me most of the time. He was Italian and quickly worked out that if he spoke slowly in French I could understand. I was able to ask him if there was a French expression for the Italian 'fare la scarpetta' literally make a little shoe - but really means to soak up the remains of the juice with a little bread. And what I really wanted to know - whether it was acceptable or not.  I initially said I did not want desert, but changed my mind  so I could watch the comings and goings. A group of 6 had come in , including one very small dog in a carry bag. It was passed around the table for everyone to cuddle and kiss! And taken out on several occassions.  A nice young couple ( maybe not so young,he was 41) who lived in Toulouse were seated next to me. His English was marginally better than my French, so we managed. Needless to say, I changed me mind from no coffee to yes, please. When I think about the price , I would have paid more in Autralia for 3 courses, a coffee and a good glass of wine. And there was the floor show thown in.

I had intended to go straight back to my apartment  after lunch, but changed my mind and went to the Eglise Saint Germain. It was, light and mutli-coloured. Quite delightful. Apparently one of the oldest in Paris.  The building of the bell tower started in 990. There is a chapel attached to the bell tower  ( locked when I was there) that was built in the 11th century.

By then I had given upon making plans and stood and listened to a group of musicians of the same decade as me ( double bass, trumpet, tromboone, banjo and funny thing that looked like a bit of corrugated iron). Then home.

Pont Notre Dame  with Sainte-Chapelle in backgound

St Genevieve, patron saint of Paris

A bit of Eglise Saint-Germain-des-Pres

12th Arrondissement

Today I set out for the 12th arrondissemet. I passed the Place de la Bastille, all being dug up and quite difficult to negotiate, but with an impressive green column in the centre with a shiny gold-coloured figure, a bit like Mercury but said to be the spirit of Freedom on the top.

The place that was recommended in my coffee list was in part of a large market area. It was tiny, with almost no standing room left. No thanks. It was also the only one in the 12th. I  decided I could change my rules. If the only cafe is unsuitable, I can go to the nearest place that looks OK. Which I did.

Next on the list was a disused elevated railway line that has been done up and replanted. The Coulee Verte ( apologies again, I cannot be bothered with accents. If I change my keyboard to French, the accents are there but the letters are in different places).. Also called in some places Promenade Plantes.  It is not nearly as developed as say, the High Line in NYC, but it was very popular with joggers. I left it after a few kilometrs at a large park that it went through and walked to the river.

I walked back towards the centre of Paris taking pictures of bridges.  It was always on a walk / cycle way but traffic next to me.  There was a footbridge, Passserelle de Simone de Bouvoir, which had 2 bits , each went up and down, one went up while the other was going down and they met in the middle. That sounds incomprehensible.  There was a lovely green metal bridge that was just for trains and another bridge that had 2 layers. It was quite wide. The middle third had an upper layer for trains and road traffic went one way on 1 third and the other way on the 3rd third.

I stopped at a nice place for lunch and felt I had earned a desert.  On the way home I discovered another little area of cafes and interesting shops quite near me.

Again, no photos. Hopefully tomorrow. Instead of sorting photos, I experimented with some cotton I bought from a yarn shop I visited on Friday. I have an idea for another project.

Musee d.Orsay

This morning I had a cup of good coffee in another on my list of good coffee places , today in the 7th arrondissment.  I timed it so that I would get to the Musee d'Orsay very soon after it opened at 9.30. This meant a very pleasant stroll around looking at mainly Impressionist painitngs for an hour or so.  Then the school groups started to arrive. I persevered for another 30 minutes but had had enough.   There are definitely more smokers in Paris than Canberra.  After I left the museum I sat down on a bench to look at a map. Just before I was about to leave , 2 ladies came and sat on the same bench but with their backs to me but less than 1 person width away from me. The lady nearest me started to smoke. I made a bit of a performance of coughing (which I am still doing anyway) and got up , but she took no notice. Ah well, not my country, not my rules.

I wandered back along the edge of the Seine, taking photos of a few new ( to me) bridges and watching the several very long and skinny barges go down the river. At one bridge I got accosted by a young woman who wanted me to sign a petition for deaf and handicapped tourists and give a 20euro donation. I declined and she started yelling at me.  Needless to say, I checked that I still had my valuables secreted away.

I had a nice but basic lunch in a back street cafe. There was a single male French speaking tourist and the rest were locals or/and workmen. Everyone seemed to know everyone else.  Also a dog who slept on whatever seat he could find that was free till he was pushed out of the way by an incoming diner.

No photos today. I had a slight mishap - caused by my impatience - which caused a problem which I cannot fix . I have spent 2 hours trying to find a work-around solution to gettting my photos off my camera. I think I may have found  a better way than before, but I have run out of time tonight.

Wed

The only noteworthy aspect of today has ben my inability to stick  to intentions. I had decided to stay in except for going out  to lunch for my main meal of the day to the place a few blocks away that is comfortable with nice food. I intended to only get a main course.   I want to get my cold better.

I had some yoghurt  for breakfast  and then opened a packet of rice cracker things i had bought to have with some cheese. Amongst all the blurb on the packet  about bio this and natural that I missed the bit that said they had chocolate paste on them. Yuck. I would eat them on a desert island, but not in  Paris. So out for a brisk 10 minute walk to another nice coffee shop, read my book for 20 minutes and brisk walk back.

Next was lunch. I went to where i intended. The same friendly lady was there and she  remembered to speak slowly to me. I ordered beef bourguignon. Well, you cannot have a nice plate of beef bourguignon without a glass of red.  Then I was told that the something or other was very good after the beef.  The only word i caught was chocolate. Why not? Then i had to have a coffee with the choc pudding like dish.

No photos today.

Tues Eglise Saint Eustache , Palais Royal gardens

This morning's coffee was at another of the new ( for Paris, not Aus) breed of coffee shops, along with avocado on toast. I could have done without the honey that was drizzled on top though.  Then I went to the gardens of the Palais Royal. The Palais was not huge and the formal rectangular garden was bounded by buildings of a regulr size with colonnaded shops at the bottom - now up market shops, restaurants and offices - all still closed when I was there at 9,30. There were 8 rows of trees, each ( I assume, they appeared very regular, I only counted 1 row) of 60 trees. The pruning would take ages.  It is my plan to at least  have a cup of coffee  and sit somewhere in a park ( 2 different things) in each of the 20 arrondissements. So I sat for a while - about 10 minutes, it was only about 2 degrees - in this garden.

Then I went to a church I had passed on my way to coffee, Saint Eustace. It was large, a bit dark and a mish mash of styles, but there were several interesting side chapels. One was a definite reference to the neighbouring markets of Les Halles. The other had a standard sort of stained glass panel but underneath, in a traditional wooden frame, a bizarly beating heart - a video of it going in and out with bits shooting out of it.

I walked from there to the Ile de La cite and looked at more bridges.  Then lunch. On the way home I stopped at a supermarket. I wanted more tissues for my stubbornly persistent cold ( Driving around in an open roofrd car for almost 2 hours yeaterday would not have helped). The supermarket  was spread over 3 floors, no lift. The 'health products' i.e. tissues were on the second floor.  Too bad if you were really sick.

The Gardens of the Palais Royal

Pont Neuf, reputed to be the oldest bridge in Paris. Completed 1606

Petit Pont

Monday - a tour in a little citroen

This morning I went looking for somewhere open at 7.15 that would serve me some eggs and vegetables. Silly move. Eventually I got an omelette and salad. The first streets I walked through were very busy with delivery trucks, some huge manoeuvring into tiny spaces. The next streets were very quite, hmm, I thought - not such a good idea. A man was walking toward me, I deliberately avoided eye contact, as you should in foreign empty streets. He called out to me asking  a question, - did I know where there was an open boulangerie - in French. I understood, and was able to give him directions to where I had been the previous day, also all in French. Not hard, but harder when you are not prepared.

Later in the morning, courtesy of some Air France  loyalty points that were about to expire, I was picked up, as arranged , by a driver  in his little yellow Citroen for a 90 minute tour. It was great and although I thought I had on enough layers, because the hood was down, by the end I was frozen.  Not helpful when I am trying to get rid of a cold, cough and earache. We went around mainly south bank arrondissements and lots of the main sights. He talked all the time, except when I was asking a question.

I went to a nearby local bistro that had been recommended in the 'cheap and cheerful' category. It was both. I was wedged in - only a few inches between my shoulder and my neighbour.  Roast beef in a sauce and a baked potato. On the way back, I went to a shop to buy some nespresso pods .The machine in the apartment makes quite nice coffee. I thought I would follow my nose home.  Not such a good idea with a blocked nose. I started off in the right direction, but I was not centrating and somehow ended up going in the wrong direction. Never mind. I smiled.

Sunday and the start of bridges

When I first looked out of my windows at 8am there was no-one at all in the place in front of the Hotel de Ville that I look onto and noone in the streets. As I look now, 5pm, there are about 40 people  in small groups of mainly 2 and 3  wandering around.

This morning I walked a few blocks to a boulangerie I had seen that had seats.  The coffee was quite pleasant and the croissant disappeared quickly, so I had to try a pain au raisin. I was watching the street and from 8.30 to 9 only 6 different people walked past and 4 of them were leading dachshunds. I have seen quite a few dogs since I have been here, but never dachshunds, until this morning. And they were diferent dachshunds.

I pottered in my room until lunchtime, then went about 8 blocks to a place that I had read about. My dictionary is not too good on cooking terms, sauce ingredients etc etc. So I wasnot quite sure what was coming with my fish.  I donot need a dictionary for chocolate mousse. The restaurant was quite old - wood pannelling half way up the walls, small room, mirrors, tables only inches part, lovely mosaics on the floor, mainly covered by the tables.  People, including me, got moved to different seats to make room for people. All fun to watch. I had the chocolate mousse just so I could stay longer and watch the comings and goings- a better excuse than I usually dream up.

After pottering some more and enjoying sitting in the sun in my room watching the people in the Place opposite - this morning someone must have been distributing chalk ( but I could not see where or who) because lots of people were bending down writing on the paving, there were still people writing or drawing this afternoon - I decided to go for a walk with no map and no real idea. I walked over the bridge that I can see to the Ile de la Cite ( excuse no accents) and then to Ile Saint Louis. I walked around it and started my collection of photos of the bridges over the Seine. Great fun. On one of the bridges a goup of 4 people on roller skates were dancing along to music along a row of small cones quite closely spaced along the bridge.  They were quite skilled and fun to watch.

A fairly ordinary bridge, Pont Saint Louis,  behind it a typical Parisian building and behind that the back end of Notre Dame cathedral.

A more interesting bridge, Pont Sully, built in 1874

Saturday, a pottering day

I am going to start sightseeing on Monday so my main intentions for today and tomorrow are to finish adding all the places I have read about or which been recommended  to me  to my map and to get rid of my cold and cough.

Most places around here are slow to open on weekdays and even slower on weekends.  I started thinking and looking up websites at 7,15. Plan A opened at 9, plan B said 7.30. Good, 1 block away. When I got there it was nowhere near opening. Plan C,  the next closest of a row of typicl French cafes was open and the cofeee was not bad. They had not used UHT milk. So that was good. While I was sitting watching the very few passerbys ( it was still dark) I saw what looked like a market a block away setting up.

The market was great. Small - a flower shop with lots of wattle, 2 seafood stalls ( nothng refrigerated - OK today maybe -  2 degrees, but other times??) , 2 deli type places, 2 cheese , 1 meat , 2 fruit and veg, 1 oyster, and probably a few others, but yet to open.  I am not over keen on large markets in unfamiliar places - too much choice. I  chose one cheese shop and bought some cheese made of half sheep milk and half goat milk. I bought some clemetines ( i donot think I have ever tried one) and some raspberries ,both from Spain and then I bought quite a few things from the deli. All very pleassant interactions with the shopkeepers patiently helping with my French ( and the cheese lady practising her english on me). I might not have kown about it if Plan A had worked.

I spent the rest of the morning pottering at home and watching things happening,  Lunch was to go to another of the row of typical looking French bistro/brasserie/cafe. The terms , which used to be distinct , now seem to be used interchangeably. About 3 blocks from here I went down a side street to look at a small little place and went in. I had a delicious 3 course meal. There was a set price for 3 courses which was the sum of the entree and main which I would have chosen, so I got a creme caramel for free. I will return.

Some knitting and people watching this afternoon. My next challenge will be to decide which of the delicacies i bought earlier to eat tonight.

Friday

I started the day well, with a cup of decent coffee and a croissant. The bad part was the cost = 7 euros (5 coffee and 2 coissant).   But the very ordinary coffee of the day before was 4 , so i didnot mind. When in Rome... The troube was when I went to pay I realised my wallet was next to my bed. OOPS .  They were understnanding and I went back , 8 min brisk walk one way, retrieved the wallet and paid. Then I walked to the next place on my list. I got to the right street and number 100. I wanted 52 so started walking in the right direction,  it was not at 52, so I looked again at my list and found it said 90. OOPS. When I got there , the mobile repair man was very helpful , spoke better English than my French and pointed out that there was no problem at all, which I had worked out in Canberra ( swapping simm cards, different sizes, differnet phones). I had forgotten the solution I had come up with. OOPS 

I pottered for the rest of the day. I went to the tourist office, met the owner of the apartment, wandered along several streets to a wool shop in a lovely old passage way, Passage du Grand Cerf, looked in the big department store in the next block to me - it was too big for my tired brain - found a supermarket for a few more staples, looked in some shop windows - the January sales in many shops seem to extend into mid February according to signs. A pity I usually find shopping stressful.

  When I was walking back from th wool shop, I thought a cup of tea would be good with a little something. I decided I would stop at the first place. This turned out to be a beautiful patisserie / cafe , one of a fancy chain.  The fancy tea ( mint and  a slight peppery taste) and little citron tart were delicious. I had an excellent view of the passing parade.

I love just wandering, there always seems to be something different around the corner like the tower below.

Tower of St Jacques , the only remaining part of a 16th C church destroyed durng the French revolution

Same tower from a different street

Passage du Grand Cerf