Sunday, July 1, 2012

Au Revoir Paris

Our last day in Paris and what a great day it was!  During my research, I came across a group called Parisien d'un jour - Paris Greeter where locals volunteer their time to visitors and show them their Paris.  It really quite fabulous as you tell them what interests you and then you receive a proposal from one of their guides which you can either accept or decline.

We received an email from Marie (a retired school teacher specializing in teaching English) recommending we meet for a stroll to include a wine bar, chocolate shop, oldest market in Paris, the hanging gardens of the viaduc, walk through the  Le Marais (The Marsh) section of Paris and visit to the site of the Bastille.  As this was exactly what we were looking for, we quickly accepted and made plans to meet at a metro stop.

We met Marie at the LEDRU-ROLLIN metro station and our first stop was Puerto Cacao for a cafe and cake. The tour was off to an excellent start!

Le Marais is one of the oldest areas of Paris and the architecture is quite lovely



We were so caught up in our walk and talk with Marie that we did not get a lot of photos. Sometimes it is nice to just be in the moment.  Here are some random shots taken during our 3 hour walk.




We took a quick stroll through Aligre Market...wish we had more time 
there as I do love markets.  Oh well...next visit!



Next stop was Place de la Bastille

Colonne de Juillet (July Column)
commemorate the Revolution of 1830

Larger brick path marks the walls of the Bastille 
before it was stormed on 14 July 1789

After our tour with Marie, we headed back over to Notre Dame to take a cruise on the Siene.  Along the way we passed a street performer and couldn't resist watching his show.  

 A few pictures from our trip along the Siene...what a great way to end our trip!



Au Revoir Paris...until we meet again