The day began a little late and I was behind on blog posts. So I finished up Thursday’s post before we headed out. I had been remarking about the unusual signage used by some of the merchants in rue Montorgueil and decided to take the time to photograph them before our day really got underway and I was side-tracked. So I walked up through the market street, and here are the best of the best.
Stohrer's, the bakery started by Marie-Antoinette's bakery
Le Bistrot des Comperes, 16 rue Charlemagne, Paris
We walked from rue Montorgueil towards the St Paul Metro stop. Down toward the Seine on Boulevard Sebastapol, cutting through Place Georges Pompidou, turning back toward the river on rue du Temple , then turning left just before rue de Rivoli,on rue de Verrerie/rue du Roi de Sicile. What is notable about this path is that along rue de Verrerie and rue du Roi de Sicile is the number of vintage/second-hand clothing stores along the route. I had never really noticed second-hand clothing stores much before, but, honestly, in the city devoted to fashion they are everywhere and they often have great bargains on great things. Just past the St. Paul Metro stop we passed through a passageway, to rue Charlemagne and a bistro for lunch. The bistro was quaint, traditional French menu, easy jazz in the background, and the food was well-prepared – another place to add to our list. We arrived at 12:30 and there were only a few guests, but by 1:15 the little bistro was crowded with patrons.
We left the bistro and headed over to Place de Bastille to catch the bus to Gare de l’Est. Bruce and Tom are arriving Monday at the train station and want to do lunch before they continue on their way to London at Gare du Nord. We know a couple of things: many places are closed on Mondays and the places around the train stations are not known for great food – for example there is a McDonald’s there. We walked the path from Gare de l’Est to Gare du Nord and back, reading menus, checking out places all along both sides of the route. The best probables are: Bistro Boughate near Gare du Nord and Le Renouveaux near Gare de l’Est. Of course, eating lunch while keeping an eye on your suitcase in these small places will be interesting!
We hopped the bus, toward an area that Jerome had asked about during our meeting on Thursday. We walked the area to get a feel for the neighborhood (cleanliness, safety, overall initial impression, easy access to transportation). We even found a furniture store with couches and chairs that had seats higher than 5 inches off the floor! We walked by a florist, selling lemon trees and grapefruit trees!
Lemon tree for sale at a florist
A grapefruit anyone?
We headed home, arriving about 6 PM, picking up a baguette to accompany our dinner salad. Another day….another 6 miles or so….
