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Tuesday 26 November 2019

T Stands For......the long walk...

Yes, I am going back to Paris! 

Last week we were waiting for a heating Engineer to come and fix new radiators, except that he forgot about us and rearranged to come on Thursday! The apartment is lovely and warm now! 

We'll get to the long walk in a little while....
...this is about the continuation of our walk on the Friday. We walked towards Notre Dame, the last time we were in Paris the devastating fire here happened as we reached London on our way home.
We stopped for a drink at a little cafe  - freshly made lemonade - we shared the table with some chatty American students- we could see the repair work taking place!
We have never seen this little park before.

Shakespeare and Company, a famous bookshop selling books written in English - it has an interesting history! 
We set off in the direction of City Pharma for my cut price French toiletries - choosing to take a route we had never taken... 
...some interesting street art...
..old buildings...
...and...a cinema!!(It shows, amongst other things, old American classics)
A shady square was welcome near the metro!

The next morning, after a short walk to the art shop around the block from our hotel we set off to visit the Bois du Boulogne - we  followed instructions to reach the park at the lake end. We walked from the Metro following the map, expecting to find somewhere to eat..by the time we reached this path(about a mile), all we had seen was a small grocery shop - so we doubled back and bought a very dry sandwich,nuts and water and then found a shady seat along this path.
Eventually we reached a lake, not THE lake, but we knew we couldn't be far away...surely??
Half a mile or so later we found this path ...
...and we found the lake!
We thought we might find a cafe in the park....but didn't expect it to be in the middle of the lake!

We walked down and bought a ticket...
A florist loaded on some flowers....

..when we arrived it seemed that not only could we not have a bite to eat but the only drink they would serve was tap water..lunch was over and a few stragglers were drinking wine but...
...as we sat there with our water they began to clear away the tables around us!!
Time to get back onto the ferry boat and head back..

...to where? We had no idea where the nearest Metro or bus was and there was just a huge car park when we got off!
Luckily a family was able to give us rough directions of where to head!
As we were on our way we heard some fantastic music!
 Very entertaining, they were marching band practicing for a festival the next day!
We eventually crossed the Peripherique and back to civilisation!
 .and the Metro..
 ..where a mix up getting off the metro too early led us to having a tonic water and lemonade at a hotel close to the Grande Arche..


 ...where there are super modern buildings....
We had to walk past this lovely misty area to get back on the Metro.
I hope you enjoyed our walk and sharing some drinks with us on our adventure - I am late posting so will get to visit soon! 

For AEDM I shared some photos of beautiful Paris!

Thanks for looking, Chris


15 comments:

Linda Kunsman said...

you certainly do have very interesting adventures and make the most of it too! Hard to believe there was not a café to be found on the way to the Bois- and then not to be able to have something IN the parc to boot:( You did make the best of it though! And the Shakespeare and Company bookshop is a place I must see if ...when... I get to Paris again. Thanks for sharing more of your glorious time in France. Happy T day!

Divers and Sundry said...

You manage to come across the most interesting places, even when you're not looking for them. I can see y'all must have a lot of fun on your travels :) I know I enjoy virtually tagging along. Happy T Tuesday!

Sharon Madson said...

What fun times the two of you have had! I want to visit that Shakespeare bookshop. Lovely post. Happy T Day!

Elizabeth wanted me to let everyone know she is having computer problems and will come by when she can.

Anne (cornucopia) said...

Great photos. You were lucky to see Notre Dame before the fire. I like the architecture there. Nice path to walk along. Happy T-Day!

Kate Yetter said...

I love how your account of your trip sounds spontaneous. Like you plan the places you visit but the rest of it is play by ear. Such a laid back approach and I bet you and hubby have seen some amazing things because of it.

That would be extremely disappointing to make it across the lake on a ferry and then they wouldn't serve you food. The cathedral still looks beautiful despite the repairs going on. And the bookshop intrigues me the most. I didn't know that Shakespeare and Company was an actual bookshop.

As always, I love reading about your trips and seeing your pictures.
Happy Tea Day,
Kate

Eileen The Artful Crafter said...

Quite an adventure. You got to see Notre Dame JUST before the devastating fire. That's pretty special. To bad about the food situation. I'm sure you ate well on other days in Paris. What a beautiful city. Sigh.

Happy T-day! Eileen xx

Helen said...

How disappointing that after all that effort you were unable to eat! beautiful pics as always though.

Let's Art Journal said...

So glad to see that Notre Dame is being repaired, it was quite a shock to hear about the fire and I can't believe it was over a year ago, where does the time go ...lol 😉. Wow, that's quite an adventure you had! The tree street art was beautiful and it was so lovely to walk along the river and park with you 😁. Sending you happy T Day wishes! Hugs, Jo x

Valerie-Jael said...

Oh my, Chris, sounds like Hänsel and Gretel lost in Paris! You got some great shots tough! Glad you found back eventually! Happy T day, hugs, Valerie

Rita said...

How lovely! Too bad you missed serving time at that restaurant, I love the tree painted on the building like a shadow! :)

Meggymay said...

Oh Chris that sounds a real adventure that you didn't want to happen. The photos and scenery looked good but you must have been ready for something to eat and have a comfortable seat after all the walking.
Belated T day wishes.
Yvonne xx

My name is Erika. said...

I love what you can discover when walking. You made some fabulous ones. Thanks so much for sharing and happy belated T day. Hugs-Erika

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

What can I say, other than I realize I’m very late visiting. I'm even later than you, dear.

I enjoyed your walk and was so happy to see that Notre Dame repairs are coming along nicely. What a tragedy for Paris that was. Really unique street art. I think I preferred seeing the flower boxes that seemed to be everywhere in the windows of certain flats.

How disappointing you had to buy a ticket to visit the restaurant that didn't serve you anything but water. I think T's rather disgusted/dejected face said it all! This entire day read like a comedy of errors, including the mistake with the metro. It DID give you a chance to sit and gather your thoughts, though. Not sure I care for those modern buildings, or maybe I don't understand them.

Thanks for sharing your walk, your boat ride, and of course, all your drinks in Paris with us for T on Tuesday, only now it is Wednesday.

Cath Wilson said...

Lovely - and interesting - photos. So nice to see what you saw. I must confess I've rarely wandered off the beaten path in Paris, but I was usually alone, so I do have my reasons. You found some great little places. Love the café on the lake, but how on earth could you possibly expect the French to serve once their cherished lunch-time is over, lol? You know how fussy they are about eating times! Maybe they know something we don't. Mine are VERY erratic.
Great little tour, Chris.
Cath x

Words and Pictures said...

How nice to take another trip to Paris with you... and finding all those hidden delights. I'm blown away by the tree mural on the house, and the lake looks like a lovely place to spend some time away from the hustle and bustle of central Paris... even if it was a long walk to get there and back!

So sad to see the scaffolding on Notre Dame - I can remember the shock of watching those flames engulf the structure on all the video clips. Shakespeare & Company featured in the Guardian earlier this month - it's celebrating its 100th birthday if I remember rightly.
Alison x