Still life in our hotel’s front window. There seem to be a lot of stringed music shops in this neighborhood.

Unique approach to a mobile food cart: double-decker bus outfitted with a kitchen.

Is “Aioliwood” a play on Hollywood?!

Here is where we camped out for a big and yummy breakfast. Omelets,croissants, and café aulait!

Hmmmm…wonder how many pregnancies have been prevented  by a late night purchase of condoms in the subway on the way back to a love nest!!!!!

Hmmmm…Rick is still split on whether or not he should buy at “man purse”!!

But if it looked this good on him he’ d be all over it!

Be careful biking in Paris , , , ,

. . .  ouch!

Like Madison’s e-cycles, bikes to rent. They are very popular. Many of the stations were empty of bikes!

Here is the French version of Billy B returning to the station in his ambulance from a morning donut run!

The fresh morning bread smells heavenly . . . we picked up several yummies for our walking tour.

We went on a walking tour with “Paris Walks” for two hours around the Latin Quarter neighborhood. Chris, a Brit, was our informative guide.

This woman was all suited up with walking sticks and big hiking boots. Stay out of her way!!

This is the quiet apartment on a courtyard where James Joyce penned his classic book Ulysses. It was quite controversial at the time.

Part of the old Roman wall, dating back to 1210 AD Paris.

Children on a field trip in their reflective vests walk along a busy street.

The Pantheon was initially going to be an abbey. But it was built during the French revolution, where church and wealth had fallen out of fashion. So it became a mausoleum for French heroes. A hero can be “de-Panthoniezed” if people discover very  bad things about him or her, posthumously. Then they go to a common grave!  The windows had been blocked in with stone to make it look less beautiful and more austere.

We went inside this beautiful and ornate church. It had a “”Rood screen” – the ornate stone carvings which also had wooden panels — which visually hid the priests from the common people. That separation went away after the Reformation.

Ornate pulpit

Reliquary holding a finger-bone from Paris’ patron saint Genevieve.

Here is the apartment where Ernest Hemingway and his first wife lived, during their 20’’s, in the Latin Quarter.

Here is the building where writer George Orwell lived,

Notice stone carved street sign. After the French Revolution, all references to religious and political leaders were scrubbed from the city. “Saint” was chiseled off before St. Genevieve’s name!

Bustling street scene. This was a youthful neighborhood with many students.

We hung out on this corner for hours, enjoying beer and lunch! We were tired and thirsty after 2+ hours of walking, stopping and, standing.

Very happy to sit down and drink beer!

Yummy croute complete with fried egg!!

By the time we were done the place had cleared out!

Restaurant worker in man-scarf. But does it match his pants and apron!?

After lunch we need to walk aagain and headed north through the Latin Quarter to the Seine and several shopping areas . . . . many choices of great French wines.

. . . fresh seafood everywhere!!!!

. . . if only we had a kitchen.

Funny name!

Interesting art on these peoples patio , , ,

. . .  clever French.

Soon we arrived at the river and there was Notre Dame!

Beggar next to tourists in line to tour the cathedral.

Japanese bride getting her makeup touched up for wedding photos. The groom seemed a wee bit bored by it all….

Good musicians everywhere. These guys were on a bridge over the Seine, playing cool jazz.

A fun way to tour the river and the city.

It turns out these are community cars, like Madison’s “Zip Cars”!

After all the walking today soon we were hungry again . . imagine that!!! We checked with our hotel owner for a suggestion and soon we were on the way to her favorite  neighborhood dinner spot . . .

. . . where we settled into a nice corner booth for an evening of culinary adventure . . . three waiters did a fine job serving us . . .

. . . Bobbie felt adventurous and had the steak tartare . . .

emJay had the roasted duck legs. . . .  while Gary had the roasted sea bream . . .

. . . and I had the braised beef cheeks. We ate and drank our way through the night while it rained outside. By the time we walked back to the New Orient Hotel the rain had just about stopped . . .