Finally, our 4 days of museums and monuments behind us, today we feel released from our self-imposed exile in tourist hell, carefree and ready to indulge in our favourite pastime - relaxing as we wander the streets of Paris together. We shop at the markets in the morning and it feels like we've been away and now we're back where we belong. Ok, ok, enough with the dramatics.......... ;-)
After lunch we head out to do some gift shopping in the Marais district, a favourite area and only a short walk from home. The weather is glorious, sun shining and so mild that for the first time in 7 weeks we go out without our coats - yep, we don't even carry them over our arms "just in case", we actually leave them behind in the cupboard - it feels wonderful!!!!
We follow our well-trod path, strolling along Rue Saint-Antoine to Place des Vosges and then along Rue Francs Bourgeois, such a lovely street. While dawdling in the Fragonard shop the reason for the warmer weather becomes apparent when a sudden heavy rain shower turns up. Hmm, not only did we come out without coats but no umbrellas either! Looks like we'll be browsing a little longer........ well it could be worse, we could be stuck in a crowded tourist spot :-/
We spend the rest of the afternoon hopping from one shop to the next in between showers (no more heavy ones though) and it's fun - 20 minutes in Starbucks for coffee, 10 minutes browsing in the épicerie, 10 minutes in "our" pâtisserie, 10 minutes looking at cards and books, 5 minutes admiring the beautiful colours out the front of the artisan fleuriste, 15 minutes looking at Suzuki motorbikes, then Yamaha.........
By now it's stopped raining and the sun is out again and we can stroll and explore our local area a bit more. We really are blessed to be "living" in a great part of Paris. These streets are so familiar to me now, they feel like old friends, stamped into my mental map of Paris. This is "our" stomping ground now. Today we add a new street to the mental map - an ancient little cobbled laneway that connects Place de la Bastille with Rue Daval - it's quaint and pretty, with lovely old buildings. Old? Oh really? I can't imagine......... ;-)
As we wander back towards the Bastille, we discover more restaurants and shops that we haven't tried yet. My husband says we should just spend our last week here, hanging around the Place de la Bastille and its surrounds, exploring and discovering more. Maybe............ ;-)
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