Marais way

   Today after class I decided to do a little exploring and it ended up being one of the best days I've ever had!

  I wandered through the Jewish quarter and came out into this beautiful park called Place des Vosges, it's just down the street from the building we have our classes in--I can't believe it's taking me a month to come across it! The sunlight was perfectly golden, kids were playing, a light breeze kicked up the smell of the fallen leaves. heavenly. The apartments and shops surrounding the park look like something out of a fairy tale and were full of elegant tourists having an elegant tea in elegant cafes.

Best smell ever: parks in the autumn

I saw this little guy while exploring the surrounding neighborhood:

Street art of the day:

  To add the perfect edge to this truly being an almost-perfect day....I found the best patisserie place I've ever been to, got lunch and ate it in the park.

Chausson aux legumes

Volia! Here it is: Patrick et Christine is located on Rue du Petit-Musc. Their pastry is the best--light and flaky, fresh tasting, and it didn't taste greasy or ooze grease when biting down. Later in the week I went there and got a baguette--phenomenal, easily the best baguette I've had on this trip. It was flaky and crunchy on the outside and oh-so-soft-melt-in-your-mouth on the inside, also, it was warm which always increases the deliciousness of any baguette. Also, the cherry on top is that it's also the most reasonably priced bakery I've come across--love!!!

   I love the Marais, every corner I found something interesting to see. For example this set of apartments which date back to the middle ages:

Or this old church/school:

The Saint-Gervais church:

  This church is right across from Hotel de Ville, and even though I go to that metro stop almost every day I've never noticed this lovely church. It was so lovely to sit down and have such a cozy silence.

   I love going to churches/cathedrals from 4-6 pm-- the golden hours where the sunlight filters through the stained glass. There are always less tourists and everything just feels so peaceful. I used to moan and groan inwardly whenever I traveled with my mum in Europe because she would stop by every little church to see what it was like and I was always of the opinion that once you've seen one you've seen them all, which is true to a certain point. However, some of the best art and architecture I've seen has been in churches/cathedrals, and although the general format of the church is the same, I can't get over just how beautiful and awe-inspiring they are. It's also nice to take a break from sight-seeing and relax and let your mind unwind a bit. The best moment is when you push open the door to a church, let it close behind you, and let the silence envelope you. All of a sudden the sounds of traffic become muffled and the effect is even better when the stained-glass is a-sparkling!

This pieta was so beautiful and life-like I may or may not have misted up a bit.

  Then I crossed the bridge onto Ile Saint-Louis--very charming touristy bit. I sat on the wall overlooking the Seine and watched the late afternoon sun dance along the water, the people walking--no wonder so many poets flocked to Paris!

  Then I walked around Bastille and on my way back to Hotel de Ville I saw this lovely greasy-spoon out of the corner of my eye and stopped in for a bite.

  The place was so sketchy looking I knew it would have to either be good, or be the best place to catch salmonella, so I just went for it. I decided to get the chicken tikka sandwich and the man prepared my sandwich whilst watching a bollywood music video (this is essential for flavor). He was trying to use up a batch of fries and so he gave me all of them=a lot of fries. I was expecting them to be really disgusting and old tasting, but they were the best french fries I've had this entire trip. This means that they were nice and crisp on the outside, soft on the inside and not too salty. The sandwich was good too, the chicken was perfectly cooked and tasted like chicken tika, also he piled on some fresh onions and lettuce which added a nice crunch. I wish it had been a bit more spicy, but it was almost perfect. I am a big fan. So if you're ever trying to find an enormous meal for a very reasonable price this sandwicherie is located on Rue de Pont-aux-Choux (or you can just look at the above picture).

    And that, my friends, was my almost-perfect day. Nice and simple, full of discoveries, crunchy leaves, over-all feelings of good will, delicious things, and sunshine.