tbaroundtheworld

Is it possible that we’re running out of big things to do? It sure felt that way this morning so we took off towards the Place des Vosges which we had dropped off our itinerary yesterday, due to the heat. But first coffee at a charming little place around the block that I had seen a couple of days ago. They had a professional-level Nespresso machine, a new experience for me. We caught the Metro for the 20-minute ride across town and left at the Chemin Vert station. The Metro has many interesting names, some for the place they serve (Assemblée Nationale) and others for historical places (Stalingrad.) Chemin Vert translates as “green path” and designates an old foot path through the city’s market gardens. Today it’s a bustling neighborhood, nice, but perhaps a couple of clicks below the 7 th where we like to stay. The Place des Vosges is the oldest planned square in the city and it remains one of the finest. Built by Henry IV between 1605 and 1612, it is a true square, 140m by 14...

Our Frommer’s guidebook described the Canal Saint-Martin area as “Scruffy Cosmopolitan,” so how could we resist? With a plan to explore it for ourselves, we hopped on the Metro station across the street and made our way to the mid-point of the canal system, Jàures station. It’s said that you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and our first impression wasn’t all that positive. Rather than follow the guidebook recommendation and start at the bottom and walk to the top, I went the opposite way as we had other places in town on our list. Interestingly we ended up on a weedy canal back with a big Paris fire department on the other side, and a trash recycling plant on our side. Workers in bright green slickers were pressure washing garbage bins as we strolled in the morning light. I asked MLW to check the route, and sure enough Mr. Frommer had suggested a walk right through this section, why, I don’t know. We crossed to the other side at the first bridge, t...