A Leisurely Day - 9-10-10

Cafe

A more leisurely day today.  Got up later than normal (7:30) and decided to go check out one of the open air markets.  We strolled up to a nearby café and grabbed a coffee and people-watched for a while.  There is no such thing as coffee here.  The closest equivalent seems to be cafe which is in small amounts and very strong.   I imagine you could order an Americano (espresso with water) but language-wise that seems like too much work.  I wonder if Starbucks has the same menu as back home? 

It is helpful to understand that Paris is made up of 20 municipal districts call arrondissements.  They are numbered 1 through 20 and start at the center of Paris and spiral out like a snailshell.  The Eiffel Tower is in the 7th arrondissement and the Arch de Triumph is in the 8th.  Each arrondissement has its own character.   The 5th arrondissement, where we are staying, is considered the Latin or intellectual quarter, contains many universities and is very  multicultural. We have three Indian restaurants and seven sushi shops on our street alone.   It is also considered one of the oldest parts of Paris with lots of old buildings, small back alleys, and little shops and cafes.   It is also a popular place for tourists and a great place for first-time visitors such as myself with little to no French-speaking capabilities.  Many of the proprietors speak multiple languages, but you can also find places where only French is spoken.

Pantheon

St. Etienne du Mont

The open air market we went to visit is in the 5th arrondissement, so nearby. On the way Ricked purchased for me a souvenir of a beautiful silk scarf.  Then we stopped at at the pantheon which houses a “reconstitution” of Foucault’s Pendulum, which (I had to look this up) was conceived by Foucault to demonstrate the rotation of the earth.  We also stopped at the church, St. Etienne du Mont, in place since 531 AD though it has been modified and added to substantially since then.

Fresh Seafood

Open Air Market

The open air market was just getting started when we arrived at around 11:00 am.  It is colorful and full of delightful smells and sites and things to purchase.  The cheese and meat stalls alone had us transfixed.  Of course there were a considerable number of  bistros and we took our lunch at one, Bistro Gourmand, where I had Quiche Lorraine and a salad and Rick had vegetable soup and herb roasted chicken.  We shared  a bottle of rose, and I finally learned how to ask for a carafe of tap water which is free compared to the 10 dollar mineral water that you would get otherwise.

Take a Drink at the Wine Bar

Botanical Garden

Dinner

 

We then wandered over to the Botanical Garden which houses the zoo and the museum of natural history.  Then back for a quick catnap and shower and then we walked four doors down to a lovely little wine bar with just  three outside tables.  There, the proprieter, Eve (a man), introduced us to some French wines and we had a good chat with him about his hometown of Lyon and his getaway on the Island of Corsica.  His friend, Azouz, stopped by and we learned that he was the Minister of Equality under Jacque Chirac so we had some good political discussions.  Then, like good Parisians, it was off to dinner at 8:00 pm at an Italian bistro for some simple pasta (the butter and mayonnaise in the French cooking is killing my cholesterol; no wonder the French drink so much red wine!) where we again sat at a table on the sidewalk and watched the nightlife, and then down the street for some gelato and observed masseuses giving massages in the town square.  Anything goes.