sortie Paris

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Packing our bags and planning our sortie from Paris is hardly the state of mind for good blooging but I'll give it my best.

We racked up thousands more steps today. Didn't use the metro once! And boy we covered some cobbles.

Standard breakfast of croissants and pain au chocolat and we are off to the Bastille Marche (Markets). Predominantly fresh food markets with a few clothes and souvenir stalls for good measure. There seemed to be a mix of tourists snooping and locals going about their regular fresh food shop. The quality of the food looked good and we kinda wish the markets were open on our first day and not our last. Fresh fruit and veg, fish and shellfish, butchered meats and offal, crepes, olives galore, a patisserie and a fromagerie, it had everything a foodie could want but we weren't really shopping for food when we leave in the morning.

We had nothing much else planned for the day and made it up on the hop. Deaks and I were keen to try out the velib after walking passed so many velib stations and seeing all the people velibing all over Paris. Velib is a combo of velo (bicycle) and liberty (freedom) and the name is a perfect fit. This awesome Paris city bike program has over 18,000 bikes at over 1,200 stations all over Paris. Unlike Brisbane's CityBike program, you see the Velib being used by locals and tourists alike all over the city. It cost me $2.50 to register for 24 hours and I did it online this morning. You get a code emailed to you and set your own PIN and voila! You're off and riding. The first half hour is free and it's charged at $1.50 per hour after that. You unlock the bike with your code and PIN ride where you want and lock it back in at your destination station. Soooo easy! You don't need a helmet in Paris and this obviously makes the concept more accessible. As does the division of most roads into transit lanes that are shared by bicycles, mopeds, buses and taxis. The bikes have three gears and aren't too flash on the eye but they are smooth and get you where you want to go quicker than walking. While a little bit heavy, especially for Deaks, the streets of Paris are remarkably flat and once again are buolt for riding. Deaks had a quick ride near the Bastille before lunch and I took one for a spin when the kids were bathing for bed. I rode from St Paul along Rue De Rivoli, past Hotel De Ville, around Chatelet and along the Seine to near the Bastille. I don't know why there aren't more accidents on these roads. It's almost surreal to drive passed these iconic buildings. I actually laughed outloud with glee as I rolled along and glanced over at Notre Dame. I dropped off the bike at a station near the supermarket and grabbed some pizzas for dinner in the apartment.

After the Bastille Marche and getting a bit to close to some dodgy looking characters in the local park we stopped on Boulevard Henri IV for lunch at a local brasserie for some true French grub. The girls had Croque-Madam and Croque-Monsuier and I tried Tartare de Boeuf. Imagine buying 200gms of raw beef mince from Woolies, stirring in some worcestershire sauce, onions and capers and then just biting into the uncooked "pattie". This wasn't a particularly touristy establishment but the garcon could tell by my abominable pronounciation of shia lebeouf, I mean Tartar de Boeuf, that I wasn't from around there. He says hesitantly in broken english "no cook" - he's probably seen his fair share of patrons turn their noses up at the circle raw mince served up with chips and lettuce - but I'm commited to the task. It is really quite nice and perhaps I'll try to slip it to Jules and the kids on those busy mid-week nights at home. Jules and Mags both ate it but weren't sure they could handle the few 100 grams on offer. I draw the line at frogs legs but Tartare de Boeuf is fine by me.

As we are in the area we pop into Pavilion de L'Arsenal - a museum with scale models of Paris through the centuries. It was under repair and I don't think all the models were on display but the one we saw was very interesting. So was the way Paris has changed over the centuries.

We cross the Seine again and wander through the Latin Quarter - centred around the Sorboone and so called because the international students spoke Latin in this district up until the French Revolution. Now it's winding alleys are crammed with tourist shops, bars and restaurants. We pick up a few souvenirs and stop for happy hour at a bar on Boulevard St Germaine.

It's unusual for us Australians to sit out the front of the cafe/bar, facing the street, shoulder to shoulder with our companion, observing the passersby. You can pay extra for the privilege and while initially novel and a bit weird, it is a pleasant way to relax. The locals seem to either sit in silent ignorance of their company, more concerned with anybody else but them or to be in passionate, animated discussion while smoking a cigarette oblivious to everyone else in their vicinity. The smell of tobacco smoke triggers distant memories of pubs gone by and the kids weren't shy in announcing their shock and disgust that people actually smoke! The alcohol culture is definitely different over here. The availability in shops, supermarkets and on trains would cause consternation back home but there doesn't seem to be a drinking problem over here and while we weren't exactly out on the piss at 2am, I don't think the locals actually consume alcohol the same way as Aussies and for that matter Poms. I have no idea why that would be or if it's even accurate but that's just my observation.

We are all a bit tired tonight with the realisation that we are at the end of our adventure. I reckon the kids could have gone to sleep at 7. We walked their little socks off again today. Apart from all the amazing sights and experiences, the historical ambience and the new adventures we've shared, I've really enjoyed sharing the train and boat rides, the strolls, the meanders and promenades with Jules (as usual) and also with the kids. Walking along a beuatiful street, rolling around on the grass of a parc or garden and chatting on the tube has made this trip truly memorable. These two little people are pretty cool.

The bags are half packed, the kids are in bed asleep, we are out of wine and beer and are silently preparing ourselves for the torture of what is basically a full day in transit. We'll take the 1 to Chatelet and change for the RER to Charles De Gaulle (CDG) or we could take the 1 to Bastille, change to the 5 for Gare du Nord and then catch the RER to CDG.

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