Sunday night, 5 September, 2010

Allo! Allo!

Well, finally up and organized and out the door. (Also had done a load of laundry, which was then scattered all over the apartment!) We had two things we wanted to get done today – the new Passe Navigo Decouverte cards good for all transportation for a week, and the Bastille market for roasted chicken.

Walked down the hill until we came to St. Michel, figuring that would be a good place to find the Navigo cards. (To explain: Up until about a year ago, you could buy something called a Carte d’Orange, which was good for a week or a month at a time. You just showed it to the bus driver or used it to get through the metro ticket points. However, Paris has now converted completely to the Navigo cards. These cards have a computer chip in them, and you basically just have to point your purse (or I’ve even seen people back into the card readers with the cards in their back pockets!) over the scanner, and it will ding you in. We had heard that there were occasional difficulties, as they would rather sell you a Paris Visite card, which includes discounts to some attractions, but is much more expensive and for shorter time periods!) So…found a lovely lady at the ticket booth, and were out with our Navigo cards in a matter of minutes! They will officially begin tomorrow (Monday) morning, and will be good until Midnight next Sunday night! (As if we’re out that late…) We’ll see how they work tomorrow!

From St. Michel we headed to the Bastille Marche (market); WOW! What a place! I’m not sure if R’s photos can convey the scope of this market, but it is HUGE – and really incredibly crowded! It’s unreal trying to get through – people with carts, dogs, children, etc. all pushing and shoving…a real French experience! We bought a few things – some baba ghanosh and pita bread, two bunches of radishes, a handful of ravioli stuffed with eggplant and basil – and of course, the chicken! We got a large tarragon roasted chicken and roasted potatoes, and bought some haricots verts to round out the meal. Back to the apartment – the buses don’t run as frequently on Sundays, so we metro’ed back rather than wait forever for the bus to come. Got back around 2 and put the chicken and potatoes in the oven and prepped the green beans. Had forgotten how SMALL this kitchen really is, but we did manage to get everything on the table eventually! YUM! That is one terrific chicken!! Had our nice lunch, cleaned up the dishes and then settled down for nice naps. (Oh yes! Doing yet another load of wash – the last one for a few days! Fortunately, with the drying rack on the balcony in the sun, things dry really quickly!) (One of the best things about spending so much time in Paris is that we don’t need to do something at all times! If we want a slow day with books and naps, that’s absolutely OK!)

Out again around 6 for a walk and bus ride. Walked first around our neighborhood – noticed a new hotel or restaurant here or there, but much has remained the same. Then took the bus over to Pont d’Ilena, where we walked across the river to stand in front of the Tour Eiffel. Just as beautiful as always! From there we walked along the Seine, picking up a bus in St. Germaine-des-Pres back to Cluny and walked back to the flat. Not too hungry, so made due with the pita bread and baba ghanoush! Tonight will definitely be an early night, as I think we’re still trying to make up for our late night out last night!

Tomorrow have a few things to get done. Post office to hopefully mail some items back (thus lightening the load!), the Louvre for a short visit, Monoprix and possibly Bon Marche for some good beef. (Unfortunately, all the shops on Rue Mouffetard are closed on Monday!!)

So – that’s it for now!

Much love,
m
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