PY Explores Paris

 

There it is!  Le Tower Eiffel!  Too bad it was such a grey and rainy day....

The Seine, lots of bridges to cross from one side of Paris to another.

I found a piece by the French graffiti artist Space Invader on a wall in the Montmarte neighborhood while hoofing it up the hill to see the Sacre Coeur.

I saw another piece from Space Invader but this time in the Marais neighborhood/district.  Marais was the old Jewish Quarter and is also now "the Castro District" of Paris.  But less fun.  The French really like their formalities.

Here's the church, Sacre Coeur.  Apparently the stones used to build the church excrete some substance that keeps it white when it gets wet.  Now that's smart. 

There's everyone on the steps trying to get a photo in front of the church.

On Rue du Rivoli.  This was the 5th carousel I've seen in two days, (this is the biggest and fanciest).  I've seen small ones in neighborhood squares and even one outside a Metro station.

It could be that the French just love their kids.  I have to say they have the best childrens' clothing and toy stores around.  All the kids are well dressed and hanging onto their cool stuffed animals.

At the same place on Rue du Rivoli with the big carousel and the well dressed kids.  Fountains are everywhere.  Though there are more gardens.  Okay, so the French love their gardens too.

Even the damn fish market is quite presentable.  None of that US hyper-cleanliness habit here.  The guys just take the seafood with their bare hands and placing them in plastic bags for their customers.

Sadly fish is generally not cooked well at mid-priced restaurants here so I'm guessing they're better cooked at home.  Shellfish is big here, especially oysters.  I wanted to take a pic of an oyster bar but didn't get the chance.

The Marais District

In addition to being the Jewish and Gay neighborhood this neighborhood is the equivalent of a NYC SoHo shopping area with many cool shops, galleries, and places to snack.

I need to come back with my passport when I'm back in January as that's when everything officially goes on sale.

There's the original APC, Surface to Air, Vanessa Bruno, and many more cool shops in the neighborhood.  Though I did see an American Apparel...

These are truly delicious pastries.  And it's pronounced "ma-crons."  NOT "mac-a-roons."

I heard Lauderer was not worth waiting in line so I just bought some from the other big name, Pierre Hermes.  This pic is from one of the many pastisseries in Paris.

A shot of the I.M. Pei pyramids on a rainy evening.  Since this was on a Saturday it was still crowded.

Paris has leash laws.  But apparently only in parks since I've seen many a pup off leash.  The poop incidents aren't as bad as reported and the dogs, when they have clothes, do have more fashionable outfits than their American cousins.

I have to give it to the French for the free and clean public bathrooms.  Some do smell "fresher" than others but they all seem to be pretty clean.

Went to a Japanese restaurant recommended by someone.  I ordered a "menu complet" of shoyu ramen and gyoza.  Turns out my gyoza is like one big gyoza instead of 6.  Here's a shot of the ramen. The pork is really good.  Nice and tender with just enough fat...

Here's the window display of one of the simpler florist shops.  Yes.  Simple.  I think design is just in their genes.

I've heard France is more Catholic than Italy so it makes sense that Christmas is a big deal.

Though I thought the US was the only one that went retail crazy over Christmas...

Here's the Galeries Lafayette.  What's you're missing here is the lights actually do a sequence of changes for a light show.

Fromagerie

Cheese shops of this size and smaller shops are common in Paris.  I haven't tried any of the real strong cheese yet but don't think I will have time seeing as work is sucking up too much time, lol.

Got myself a croissant pan chocolat along with some other pastry that looked croissant-like from a famous bakery called Arnaud Delmonte. 

As you can see there's a line though they're mainly there to buy bread as that's what he's known for. I read to go for the almond croissants but they were already gone by 11am!

Charcuterie

Check out the bottom shelf of terrines!

  

Look at how beautiful the meat is!  Delicious.