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Published: August 9th 2007
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PARIS - 27th April 2007 (Friday 28º Sunny)
Woke up in Paris. It is a wonderful feeling.
Down to brekky and into the neat as a pin area where we and the other inhabitants will enjoy our ‘petit de’jeuner’ for the next week or so. The continental breakfast of cereal, croissants, juices and really good ‘café au lait’ is presided over by a matronly woman with a steely eye and a forced smile. We are bound for a falling out when she catches me warming my croissant on top of the toaster - she assures me in broken English that this is against fire regulations and I could see myself in jail or worse, made to eat cold croissants for the rest of my 5-week holiday.
We bust out the front doors of La Demeure and today we are in search of a “Marche aux puces” or literally The Market with Fleas that we researched on the www before we came away. It is held in a square called Place D’Aligre about 3 or 4 kilometres walk and we set off in that general direction.
We pass what must be regarded at the first and only Drive
in ATM for Scooters (see photo) and walk unerringly towards our goal. Across the River Seine and into one of the less touristy parts of Paris - this is what we came to see. We pass Schools and Colleges with Students smoking around the front steps ignoring the bells that signal the start of classes. We marvel at the number of bent over Old Men that are walking small off white slipper dogs. We see ‘juene femme’ riding their scooters and pushbikes in traffic that we wouldn’t drive through in a Humvee and before long we reach the Place D’Aligre.
Place D’Aligre is a happening little market square full of tables of bric-a-brac, surrounded by fresh produce stalls which are all hemmed in by some very average 70’s style high rise apartments.
Normally the stall owners at flea markets are the eccentrics wearing the heavy eye make-up and fake fur great coats, not here. Everyone is a little left of centre and with Deb dressed to nines and me sporting my best hat we blend in very nicely. We sort through tins of badges & medals, bins full of old photos and piles of books including some Cook
Books that feature Pineapple Fritters on the cover. So even the French got caught up in bad 70’s cuisine. There is even a book of Australian Wildlife circa 1965 - funny how all Koalas looked like Leonard Teal in 1965.
We smell the Roses and the Radishes at the Produce Market and head off without and purchases but richer for the experience.
Along Rue de Chareton to the Place de la Bastille. We pull out our map turn around three times and hold a wet finger in the air - this confirms that we are lost. Not to worry, this is how we prefer it.
We stumble across Place des Vosges (Square Louis XIII) - the oldest square in Paris and no doubt the most beautiful. The history of the Place des Vosges goes back to 1604 when King Henri IV built a Royal pavilion at the southern end of the square.
He liked it so much that he ordered all 35 other buildings bordering the square to follow the same design. The result, an early example of urban planning, is a symmetrical square surrounded by buildings with red brick and white stone facades, steep slate
Place des Vosges
A beautiful woman takes photos in Place des Vosges. roofs and dorm windows, all constructed over arcades. All very pleasing to the eye.
From here we walk back towards the River and onto Ile de la Cite for a quick circuit. We start and finish a la Notre Dame, spend some time goofing off on Pont Neuf and grab a very bad kebab for lunch at Hepatitis Harry’s Café. Back for another look at Notre Dame and then onto the Metro at St Michel. We change at Odeon, change again at Jussieu and onto Les Gobelins. We are very proud of how Metro savvy we have become in such a short time.
That night, more French fare. A pizza at Cesar’s on Ave Des Gobelins.
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