When I got home, I confirmed with Marc, who
would be my Paris greeter and who is meeting me for my stroll on Tuesday. I am meeting him on
Opera Garnier steps - more strikes, no metro apparently so will have to walk
but it isn’t that far – about 20 minutes probably.
Today I did a bit of shopping. I called into a
pharmacy and bought some L’Occitane and Roger & Gallet soaps and then to my
little supermarket to shop and the fruit place for some blueberries for tea.
Unfortunately, it is raining lots but because of this it is a tad warmer. Now I
am heading to the right bank to find Opera Garnier to meet Marc my greeter
today. The sun came out for about 10 mins then rain. Marc was charming,
interesting and so knowledgeable. We strolled around the area to Place Vendôme
and saw the Ritz and all the jewellery shops, such as Cartier. He is retired
and used to work at the Bourse (stock exchange) in education and public
information.
We walked through two of the passages
– one of them Panoramas – which was gorgeous; with lots of fabulous little
shops. We finished the walk with a coffee. It was a lovely few hours even in
the rain. I was starving as I had not eaten all day so had a croque monsieur
(toasted ham and cheese sarnie) and glass white wine. Then I found some
interesting gifts and bought more soaps to bring home as gifts. Around 7pm I stopped at Cafe St Severin for a drink and chatted
to a friendly couple for a while and then I strolled home in the cold and rain.
On
Sunday, I was back at my favourite cafe St Severin and had a large black coffee
(well bigger than an expresso anyway) then headed off to find the Bastille. It
was a pleasant quiet walk, but extremely cold. I walked up to Place de la
Bastille, which is incredibly crowded and decided to stop and warm myself with
a hot chocolate in a friendly cafe. After that I walked around Village St Paul
and the Marais area in general, stopping off for lunch about 1.30. I had a ham
and cheese crepe which was okay-ish. Anyway it was filling and I was warming up
a little. I then wandered up to rue des Rosiers, which is the Jewish quarter of
the Marais. I saw the famous falafel eatery L'as du Falafel, pity I didn’t see
it before sitting down to lunch, and lots of Jewish bakeries and butchers. That
area was really lively, with lots of people around and huge queues to buy food
at the creperies and the falafel places. I pondered walking up to the Pompidou
centre but it was just tooo cold so walked a bit further up rue Rivoli then
crossed over the bridges near the Notre Dame.
I took the metro from Cluny Sorbonne to Duroc
and then changed trains and went to Varenne, heading for Rodin museum. What a fabulous place: gorgeous bronzes and marbles
in a fantastic old building with beautiful ceilings, fireplaces and chandeliers.
It looked as though a function would be on that night as there was a great
marquee with beautiful place settings and flowers. The gardens are also stunning:
beautifully designed and manicured. I walked back down rue de Varenne into rue
du Bac then to Boulevard St Germain stopping off at Le Bonaparte for hot
chocolate. You mix it yourself: a cup of chocolate comes with a jug of hot milk;
and very nice it is.
Monday, and I am off to Mont St Michel in Brittany - madly early start. Don't know what the weather will be like in Brittany but I have a feeling it will in fact be a bit colder than here. I am really looking forward to the day and pray that the weather is fine. I bought a hat for myself today to try to keep my ears warm. We drove towards beautiful Normandy. The countryside looked lovely, albeit as a view from the freeway. Fantastic monastery but a very overcast day with rain (drizzle really). It is certainly a long climb to the top of the monastery. It was money well spent even though it was a long, long day. Four hours in the bus each way.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed my visit. When I
got home I decided I would head off for a good meal - six gorgeous oysters,
followed by entrecote (a bit tough) then Roquefort cheese and coffee.
What a day - no rain but freezing cold. Walked
up to Institut du Monde Arabe, but felt like an absolute fool as I didn’t know
how to get in to the building. On the way, I passed by some gorgeous little
restaurants and shops. I called into Diptyque and bought a couple of aromatic
candles as gifts. After that I crossed over the Seine
and walked to Galeries Lafayette where I bought some aftershave as a gift. It is
huge; I get lost in Myer. I went up to the roof for the great overview of the
city. I stopped at all floors and looked at shoes and bags. Then I headed
towards rue Madeleine and stopped for a very late lunch – a fantastic herb
omelette with a glass of rosé (rosé is dry in France). Then
on to Place de la Madeleine, calling in to Hediard where I and bought small jar
of Dijon
mustard and then to Fauchon where I bought a small tin of biscuits. I wandered
on to Place Vendôme and thought about having a hot chocolate at the Ritz but decided
against it and continued on with my shopping and then struggled back to my side
of the river. Went to little cafe in rue de Nesle for a kir then down rue
Christine towards my apartment but on the way I headed into Mariage Frères, a
teashop to die for, and bought some super posh Earl Grey tea (bags of course).
Monday, and I am off to Mont St Michel in 
