Seeing the sights

In spite of the economy, the possibility of swine flu, and up and down weather, Paris still appears to be everyone's favorite destination.

Today we followed some of the same routes I took last Sunday, starting with the market at the Place de Bastille. In addition to the regular food and dry goods market, there was another group of tents housing jewelers, clothing and accessories merchants, and purveyors of high-class dried and candied fruit (among other things.) We did our bit for the local economy (good thing Cathy was carrying a really big shoulder bag.)

From Place de Bastille, we made our way to the Place des Vosges, where locals and tourists enjoyed the lawns (it's one of the few Paris parks where there are no "keep off the grass" signs) and waves of people moved along the paths. Neither of us had been to the Marais for a few years, and we were amazed at the crowds and the changes at street level. Where it used to be full of small shops, delis and a few large restaurants, the district now is full of high end clothing, accessory and home stores, and expensive restaurants. The delis and falafel shops remain on the Rue des Rosiers, with lines of people waiting to get in or to order takeout.

Since the weather was pleasant (in spite of a forecast for rain) we kept walking, trying to find a place to sit that was somewhat away from the crowds. We finally found a nice corner cafe, where we got a table just inside the open windows and felt we had the best possible situation.

"Are you lost?" said an American voice behind us, as I checked my Paris Pratique Par Arrondissement book to verify our location (corner of Rue de Turenne & Rue des Francs Bourgeois.)

"I don't think so." After we explained where we planned to go - down Rue de Turenne then Rue St. Paul to Quai des Celestins, our questioner, a friendly person from South Carolina, said, "You do know where you are."

Rue St. Paul, a bit out of the main tourist area, is also full of elegant little shops, but many of them have been there for more than a few years. And in the midst of the Marimekko and antique jewelry and kilims, we found what we really needed - a bakery open for business. (The good bakery on Rue de Courcelles has been closed for the May 8 holiday, so part of every expedition this weekend has been to find bread.)

Visiting markets is a wonderful way to see a huge variety of neighborhoods in Paris. Yesterday morning we checked out the market on the Rue de Poncelet (near here) then, in the afternoon, rode the Metro to the Barbes-Rochechouart stop. This is an old elevated station on the #2 line, a stop that's close to Sacre Coeur church and Montmartre.

Although we climbed partway up the steps to the church, we decided we would rather investigate the many fabric shops of all kinds that line the nearby streets. After walking past a long line of shops and sidewalk bins full of cheap clothes, shoes and household goods (everything from lava lamps to wedding dresses) we eventually came to the fabric shops, a feast for the eyes. Although many shops are filled with glitter and tinsel and tulle, the really interesting ones sell beautiful upholstery and drapery fabrics, in every imaginable weight, color and texture. You can buy dark gray coarse linen, velvets, brocades, and tissue silks too light to imagine touching. One shop offered a bin of remnants, tied with dark raffia ribbon.

Tomorrow we deal with practicalities - railroad tickets to Toulouse, renting a car to get the rest of the way to Dufort, perhaps a visit to the Louvre.

And I will make one more effort to find the pictures I downloaded onto this computer - which seem to have completely disappeared! (Fortunately I did not erase the memory card.)