Day 18 - Exploring

Au revoir Janice, au revoir Bun and Tom ... Janice is heading home and Bun and Tom are flying to Prague and then driving to Bratilava and then on to Vienna and will be back in Paris on Thursday mid day so our regular followers will have to put up with just me and Lucy for a few days.

They all got off safely although Janice sent me a comment ( read it in the previous blog ) about her difficulties getting to the airport via the RER but she obviously made it. ( Note to Janice, we are all really glad you decided to join us for a couple weeks ... thanks a bunch and we'll see you at the house warming party. )

I've posted a number of pictures of "local" Paris over the last couple of weeks and yesterday was "exploring day" so here are some more.  This is one of the remarkable aspects of this city. It seems every time you turn a corner there is a street full of interesting shops. Tom and I took an early morning trip to the Lavee (before they left for Prague) to drop off my laundry. Bun need a battery for her watch so we headed out to find one and in the process explore some of the neighbourhood. It was a very long walk since nobody seemed to carry watch batteries but we finally found a wholesaler of D & G watches who was willing to install a battery for us. Despite the amount of walking we both found it quite fascinating to explore little side streets here and there. We found a street called "Passage de Grand Cerf" with all kinds of interesting shops tucked behind closed doors. It is the picture with the glass ceiling. I didn't post any pictures but we found a street that specializes in ladies hand bags and a number other neato streets as well.

Once everyone left, Lucy and I headed out and just walked around the area where we are staying and found a number of neat shops as well. Tom spend a fair amount of time exploring this area but I had not so it was a treat for me. The two most interesting shops for me were actually shops specializing in cooking instruments. Oh to be a chef in Paris ... there were dozens of tools that I have no idea existed and not speaking or understanding French I still do not know what their function is in a kitchen. I bought Laura some cool stuff which we will post to NY this week. I posted some pictures of the insides of these shops but you don't get the "feel" of them in the photos. One was founded in the 1600's and the fellow told me it has been in the same location and the same family every since. You don't find that kind of pedigree back home. You pick up what every you want and take it to a counter where the fellow writes out a list of everything in your cart and then you take the list over to the cashier to pay and then once paid come back and pick up your purchases. A bit different from what I'm used to and naturally I stood in the pay line for about 10 minutes before I realized I was in the wrong line. A simple mistake but part of the lure of Paris.

What a great walk though. You turn another corner and there is a big old cathedral, turn another corner and there is a sculpture, turn another and you find interesting architecture etc. etc. Like I say the pictures I posted do not do it justice. I only took my little Canon along on this adventure but will try to find the time to go out with my D-200 Nikon and see if I can capture the atmosphere a little better. Time in Paris is actually getting quite short.

Not sure what we are going to do today but will post tonight before I go to bed. I waited until this morning to post yesterdays pictures and write up which I shouldn't do.

Till Later.