AlanB said:Bow_Rider said:
The Riviera sounds and looks lovely but we're more interested in the places you mentioned in Paris. My daughter is taking her second year of French in High School, it is her favorite subject. I am relearning some of most of what I forgot from my six years of French! England is at the top of her list for the big tourist draws in London and a side trip to Cardiff for the Dr. Who stuff that they have there. Some other year we'll get to the Riviera. Cloudy, cool and a bit of rain is fine with us, we get more than our fair share of sun here in So Cal!
There were lots of places we visited that I didn't take time to mention. For instance...the Shakespeare & Co. bookstore, on left bank overlooking the Seine, across from, and about three blocks west of Notre Dame. I think we spent over two hours in this tiny, but wonderful little bookstore.
We also enjoyed a walk and a cafe au lait on Rue Cler...full of market stalls, food shops, cool cafes, and occasionally live music on one of the corners. Nothing special...just typical Paris. It's close to the Eiffel Tower, Invalides, and the Musee Rodin so there's lots of other stuff to see in that neighborhood.
One night after dinner we just walked Bd. Richard Lenoir from the corner of Rue Oberkampf all the way to the Place de la Bastille. It's a long narrow city park the whole way, people all over the place from one end to the other. It was one of our favorite evenings in Paris. We were pretty beat when we got to the Bastille though, so we took the Metro back to the Oberkampf Metro station, just across the street from our apartment.
We also spent most of Sunday at the big flea market that starts at the corner of Rue de Rosiers and Ave. Michelet in Saint-Ouen. It's just up the street from the Port de Clignancourt Metro, follow the crowd. Fabulous, if you like flea markets. But when you're walking to the market, don't get confused by the swap meet in the parking lot just south of the Bd. Peripherique overpass...it's junk. People think it's the flea and never get to the actual flea...it's a shame. Anyway, keep walking past this place and go under the overpass and when you come out the other side, turn left on Rue de Rosiers, north side of the street, and duck into the first passageway you see, and viola!, you're in the oldest, and best section of one of the best flea markets in the world. Caution...it's only open on the weekend.
