A walk in the Marais

September 7, 2015

...always a good choice for a walk, and I had not been there since my arrival, so I headed out there one early evening.

I first went to the Rue de Rosiers in search of a snack.  I encountered a place called "L'As du Fallafel", which I had heard about, and which had a big line in front.  But there is a crepe place on Rue Mouffetard which always has a big line in front, and when I finally tried it, it was no big deal.  So, even if the Yelp reviews for this place said it had the world's greatest falafel, it's still just falafel, and I wasn't going to stand in that line.  So I went to a place down the street with a much shorter line and got a curry chicken pita which was perfectly fine.  (Didn't mean to rhyme.)

While I was waiting, I noticed a cat lurking in front of the place across the street (which was not very far; the street is so narrow at this point I'm amazed they let cars on it).  He was acting like he was willing to play with me, but then a motorcycle or something went by and scared him back into his house.  Oh well.  A cat sighting is always a plus.

I also found the "hidden garden" again... If you are walking down the Rue des Francs Bourgeois (I think) and see a courtyard with a huge painted egg in it, check to see if there is a sign that says the garden is open.  If so, just go into the building, turn right, and you'll find the garden out in back.  My friend Marylind and I stumbled on it last year... and I found out this year that it's bigger than we realized!  There is another section that we didn't see:

Well, well.  So I finished eating my sandwich in here.

I then headed down to see St Paul's Church (on Rue Saint Antoine); it's featured in my previous blog, but I took another picture of the colorful clock:

and this time I went inside:

My next stop was the Hotel de Sully, just down the street a little, on the other side.  There was some nice greenery in the garden:

and if you go all the way to the back, on the right side, there is a little doorway that takes you right into the Place des Vosges -- very handy!

My next photo op was this wall, which is the largest surviving portion of the wall built around the city (as it existed then), as ordered by Philippe Auguste, at the beginning of the 13th century.  Now it borders a school playground! (the Lycee Charlemagne, to be exact).

Part of my return route took me along the river, on the Ile St Louis.  I had seen two swans near there last year ... is this one of them?

And now there are three!  Have they reproduced?

I liked the look of this door on the same island, and I took the photo just in time, before someone came out of it.  Yes, people do live here...

including, at one time, Marie Curie, who lived in this building for many years.

Next up... museums galore!