Paris!

We had a lovely long weekend in Paris with gracious hosts John and Rose whom Kevin knew years ago in Cambridge. They live in Boston and have a beautiful flat in Marais.

We enjoyed walking around the neighborhood eyes wide open as we shopped at their local G 20, peered into shop windows, gaped up at the elegant buildings and rooftops. I've been reading Paris Paris by David Downie. He describes this area of Paris as a "self-consciously chic theme park for what Parisians call Bobo--Bohemian bourgeois." Certainly the display of goods in Paris is magnificent.

The local G 20 flaunting its vegies and wines!

Checking out

An old Boulangerie now fashion factory and nearby, Chicken Clothes!

A tea shop

Sweets

We passed a bronze statue of a dapper Beaumarchais, a resident of Marais and Renaissance Man whose life spanned the 18th century, who wrote the plays, The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro, who invented a spring mechanism that made watches run better, who gave harp lessons to the daughters of Louis XV....

And from our bedroom window we looked over rooftops and chimney pots

We happened onto some Klezmer music and a lovely old synagogue. This area of Paris provides the setting for Tatiana Rosnay's Sarah's Key.

And a full orchestra playing to raise funds.

We spent a morning in the Musee d'Orsay, recently rennovated--this postcard shows the before and after. There were better viewing places that gave a good feel for the train station it was built to be but photography was not allowed

I learned that the city Nimes is historically known for its textiles and here Van Gogh shows its most famous, denim! I also learned that blue is the traditional color for the working class in Paris.

We crossed the Pont Neuf Bridge and wandered around the Ile de la Cite;

In the big flower market we found this seasonal display.

We passed a Carousel,

And beyond a skating rink on the side of the Town Hall

which featured a retrospective of a favorite New Yorker cover artist, Sempe (he is the only artist to have 2 covers on our New Yorker wall!). He said, "When I first started drawing, I wanted to make happy people, funny drawings with happy people. Insane. But that's my character." Sempe has succeeded in making people happy with his drawings!

And on the other side of the Town Hall we walked through a market with stunning blue hyacinths and yellow mimosas.

We walked and rode buses.

Wyatt and Francis

would fit in on

Rue au Bons Enfants!

We passed some ancient buildings,

like the tower on the left.

We explored beautiful arcades.

With ornamental and glass ceilings

More beautiful window displays

A restaurant made famous by Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson

A Peephole

And welcoming cafe

We passed a cinema with billboards for Coming Attractions

We watched a man fishing for coins at the Palais Royale. I like the clever striped stools for sitting and jumping and photograph posing.

We passed the Pompidou Center.

We went to a neighborhood market on Sunday morning--friendly, noisy, and beautiful!

Potatoes and Yogurt

His potatoes were amazing as were her cheeses.

Like the British, the French always note where the food comes from. The purple artichokes come from Spain; the clementines from Israel.

Scallops in their shells and huge prawns

Soap from Syria and Fur from Chechnya

News from around the world

And music from an organ grinder

We enjoyed the History of Paris museum.

And, finally after our days of pleasure, back to Gare du Nord where we boarded the Eurostar back to London