S'orienter

We got moving really slowly, what with the jet-lag and everything.  We decided the most sensible thing to do was to do the walk from our borrowed Paris Walks book that aims to help you get your bearings in the city.

On the way to the train, we checked in on the doves in the aviary around the corner.  They seemed to be getting on just fine.

We started our walk at Gare St-Lazare, which is not exactly "easing into it".  The traffic and crowds in the neighbourhood are pretty full-on.  At the same time, I was smiling as soon as we got off the train -  Hausamann-style buildings all around, brasseries with street terraces, stylish shops...exactly what one expects to see in Paris.

We saw our first "Vélib'" station/drop-off thingy.  They look so nice sitting there, all lined up, it seems a shame to take one out and ride away.  Actually, given the traffic pattern and the fact that "les casques" (helmets) are not worn here, it's somewhat surprising anyone does use them...

Speaking of traffic, Danielle was pretty stunned by the drivers and their antics, as evidenced in the pic below.

We made our way our way to Opéra Garnier, then to Place de la Madeleine.  The church was pretty cool, and we checked out Fauchon.  I have heard it referred to as "food porn" and I think that's appropriate.  We also saw some truffles being sold for €4900/kg.  We didn't buy any.

We had lunch at Café la Madeleine (€26,50) and then carried on with the walk.  It was bloody hot, so we were basically scooting from shady spot to shady spot.  We reached Place de la Concorde, which has no shady spots, but LOTS OF TRAFFIC.  Once we were safely across Place de la Concorde, we had our first sight of the Seine.

Once we crossed the Seine on Pont de la Concorde, we meandered our way through "la rive gauche" with its narrow streets and more human scale.

Eventually, and after a visit to the Monoprix near Blvd. St-Germain, we crossed "le Petit Pont" onto Île de la Cité.  Danielle was melting by this point, so we took a breather beside Notre Dame before moving on.

We made our way through the touristy section of the island, and crossed back onto the "mainland" in front of l'Hôtel de Ville, which had a huge collage image of Charles de Gaulle in front of it.

Across the square we saw BHV, and them proceeded up Rue du Renard towards le Centre Georges Pompidou.  Very cool building, but I wouldn't like to paint it.

By this point, we were well past our best-before dates, so we decided to skip the last leg of the walk and headed home on the RER from Châtelet-Les Halles.  When we got home, we threw together another salade composée, which is all we seem to feel like eating at the moment.  We raced out in time to make it to the Monoprix before it closed for some sorbet and to replenish our supply of cheap rosé (I paid €3,70,  I think).