The last Thursday

Well Paris is blowing us out of town. There is nasty weather coming at us from the Channel telling us it is time to leave. By a vote of 2 we think the best time to come to Paris would be the middle two weeks of October. The weather only got cold this week and last week was like summer. Today we are finishing off the shopping for kids & grandkids. Our first stop is the Bon Marche built in 1852 it is the oldest department store in Paris. When you enter you have to walk through the purses, hats, scarves & glove department not like home where you run the gauntlet of makeup & perfume. The first hat we noticed at Bon Marche was 240 euros so back to St. Michael full of cheap little tourist shops where we can do our last minute shopping. We wandered the streets and saw the Dior shop, Ralph Lauren etc. Off we go to find an authentic French souvenir made in Turkey. Hope you like my new chapeau .

We are off to Versailles

This morning with a blue sky looking back at us we decided to head to Versailles. We were going to go the day before but fortunately changed plans because we discovered later that the French President had used Versailles for his economy talks and we probably wouldn't have been able to get in.  It is very grand as you walk up the street toward it. The city is all around it which surprised me. I expected it to be way out in the country. I guess that a town grew up around it to support the palace.

The palace has ongoing restoration and there are tarps and scaffolding everywhere. Sort of reminds you of Vancouver and condo rot. Scarey on that scale.  There was a free headset with descriptions of the rooms but we didn't want to wait in the lineup.

Another day another bistro

The sun is shining and the beer is good. Just so you foodies know, I had a vegetable soup that seemed to be a puree of squash, carrots and some fabulous stock base served with a dark baguette. Lyn had the most delicious looking quiche with chevre cheese melted on top, that was about 2 inches deep and wide across with a salad. She said it was so rich it tasted as if it were made with heavy cream. As you can see by our plates it wasn't very good. (click on the picture for the evidence) It is a good thing we don't eat out 3 times a day or I wouldn't be getting through the turnstiles at the Metro. For my sister, the onion soup a few days ago was incredible. They use emmental cheese rather than the mozzarella I have had at home. C'est tres bonne!

Marais District

We can't believe it we have 3 days left on our holiday. Where did the time go? The weather this morning was cloudy but we could see blue sky in the distance. We talked at breakfast what we wanted to see in the next coming days-whether we get there who knows. Today we decided to take the bus to the Place de la Bastille & do a Rick Steves' walking tour of the Marais. This was where the rich lived in the 15 th century but by the 19th century it was a working class neighbourhood with a large Jewish population. We walked down toward Place des Vosges. This is Paris's oldest square. It has 36 houses surrounding a park that once hosted jousting competitions but now have children enjoying themselves on the swings. We followed the map through the narrow streets & back alleys.

Stopped at the Carnavalet Musuem which is 2 Marais mansions connected by a corridor. The museum was free so we had to go in. There isn't to many freebies in Paris. This place is a little confusing and we got lost a few times. We wondered if we would ever surface. All that traipsing made us thirsty so we had to stopped at a cafe for a Heineken & food. Have to get your priorities right.

Vimy Ridge

At 7 o'clock we woke to rain. By 8:30 the sky was turning blue so we headed out of the city to visit Vimy Ridge National Historic Site of Canada. We arrived at the town of Arras, after being told that we could either get a cab or join a tour bus to reach the monument. Exiting the station we are met with a total absence of cabs and no bus. Hmmmm. Others have been waiting 30 minutes to catch a cab. We talk to a young couple from Toronto and we agree to share a cab if one ever shows up. Yeah! We have a cab and off we head.

A quiet Sunday

Today we were up an hour earlier than usual because we didn't realize that the clocks went back last night. With the extra hour in our pocket we headed off to the street market to do some grocery shopping. Our first purchase after looking over all the stalls was the french version of KFC. It is a huge rôtisserie with chickens dripping and a pan at the bottom catching the "jus" with potatoes and olives cooking in the bottom. Oh my gawd. Oui madame, we want the "jus" s'il vous plait. Merci!!
Next to the cheese merchant, then veggie man, then bread baker, then fruit merchant for apples and then the flower merchant, then the Lebanese merchant for hummus, babba ganish and pita with chicken kabobs. Oh and the the jewlery booth. Boy, are our arms long. You may think we were stocking up for the famine.....where is my granny cart?