We got up
early this morning so we could get to the boulangerie for a couple of
baguettes, knowing that some boulangeries close on Sunday. Well, ours was closed. No problem, there was a little market down
the street, we would go there. Nope, it
was closed, too. No Problem, there were
other little markets around, we would just go there. ALL of them were closed. The big Franprix and Monoprix stores would
certainly be open…heck, aren’t all the big grocery stores open on Sunday back
home? Well, we went to the Monoprix and,
yep, it was closed. Leon laughed and
said we were on a quest, remembering our quest with Caroline and David for a
roasted chicken last summer. We passed
several more little markets, one of which was open, but no bread of any
kind. Finally we got to the Franprix,
and they were open. We were elated! We walked all around inside the store…lots of
fruits and vegetables and a whole wall of wine, but not a single baguette. When I asked, the clerk just sadly shook her
head. They did have some small
half-loaves of sliced mystery bread for 2.95 Euros, and Leon said that would
have to do, so bread (and wine) in hand, we started back to our apartment.
In all our
walks around town, we have seen only the one boulangerie about 2 blocks from
us. In the Rue Cler/Eiffel Tower
neighborhood there seemed to be one every couple of blocks. I keep thinking that this area is really not
a neighborhood, more a business area, so maybe that is why. The big streets we walked down while we were
exploring and even on last night’s walk to the Eiffel Tower were all commercial
areas.
It is always
encouraging to see how frugal the French are about energy consumption. The light in the foyer of our apartment
building only comes on when we walk through the door. The light in the hallway outside our apartment
only comes on when we turn the switch.
Even the escalator in the walk-thru to the next street only comes on
when you step on it.
Saturday
night must be a big party night close to the Champs Elysees. There was trash everywhere early this morning
with empty liquor bottles tucked in corners by doorways. We think that Paris is much cleaner in recent
years than it was in our first years of traveling here. We have not seen any trash on the streets,
and even the cigarette butts get swept away every day. We have seen street sweepers going by every
day, and garbage is picked up in front of our building every day. Maybe it was
because we were up earlier than usual this morning, or maybe the cleaning crew
just gets a late start on Sunday.
We have
walked by this shoe store every day on the way to the boulangerie. I keep thinking that if Diana were with us,
we would have been in there and she would have a pair of shoes from there. I know she does not wear heels, but knowing
what a bargain hunter she is on shoes, I took a photo of this “deal.” These Dior shoes had been 940 Euros and were
marked down to 380. The Lanvin shoes
were on sale for only 149 Euros.
After a late
breakfast, we set out to see if we could find the place where we will get our
rental car on Wednesday. We decided to
walk down the Champs Elysees to the Grand Palais (almost to the Seine), then
turn on a side street and see what we could find. The Champs Elysees was so crowded. Leon just couldn’t believe this many people
could be out walking around when it was cloudy and cold outside. We rarely hear any languages except French as
we are out and about, so these people were just out walking and shopping and
enjoying being out when it is not raining.
Lots of families with children and babies in strollers all bundled up
because of the cold. It was 37 again
when we were out this morning, but was a warm 43 this afternoon.
The sidewalk
cafes were doing a brisk business, too.
We were never cold, so I figure if you are dressed for this weather and
you are sitting outside drinking a cup of something hot, you are just fine.
Near the end of the street at a big intersection, there is
already a big Christmas display on every corner. We have not walked down here at night, but I
imagine that it is already lighted at night.
Since the fountains here are probably closed up for the winter season,
they have just decorated them for Christmas.
There was a brisk wind blowing the flag on top of the Grand
Palais.
As we walked along a little side street on the way back to
our apartment, we came across a cute little sandwich shop and bought a couple
of quiches and a pain au chocolat for our lunch (we ate fashionably late at
3:30). We were thinking how smart we
were and how great our lunch was going to be when we suddenly came upon a
boulangerie. We were so excited. We went in and bought some croissants, a
baguette, and they even had some dinner salads…with corn, ham, and cheese. We came back to the apartment and warmed up
the quiches, I made a salad with the last of the mache and tomatoes, sliced off
a chunk of the baguette, and we ate. We
will have the big salad for a late dinner.
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