Bonjour from Paris!

Arrived to cold, rainy Paris a while back and checked into the Hotel Modern, which it decidedly was not. But the price was right, and I managed to talk them out of the 6-floor walk up room and into a first floor room with a great view of their sign.


I put on every long-sleeved item in my suitcase and headed east to where the Bastille market was in full swing.

Notice the artful tower of artichokes.  

Next I treated myself to a big cup of café crème and a croissant in one of my favorite little restaurants. They prepare specialties from the mountains of central France, a region called the Aveyron, as well as regular bistrot food. The most addictive dish they serve is aligot - a blissful mixture of mashed potatoes, Cantal cheese, garlic, and of course butter. The waiter there once told me that the ratio of cheese to potatoes is 1/1.  It's wonderful.


They don't seem to have that for breakfast however.

So fortified, I hit the long road back to the hotel.  Specifically, rue Chemin-vert - which means "Green road". 

 It seemed appropriate that it was recycling day and the entire length of the street was lined with big green recycling bins.

There are a lot of fashion wholesalers along the street, so I can clue you in that the hot item for this year is lace. Lots of it.



















Also seen, the t-shirt of 
a disappointed Argentina 
fan for the World Cup.

Sad shirt hanging in the rain.

The next step for me was a long nap to recover from jet lag.  

More later…. (yawn).