Paris Day 2 (17 July)
Last night was good fun. Wandered around (and around) trying to work out what we felt like for dinner. Fast realised that virtually everyone was sitting just having a drink and noone was eating as yet. 6/6.30pm is too early in the 11th arr. for dinner it seems. Decided we would join in. Sat down in a pretty buzzy place and sipped on a beer and cider enjoying the atmosphere. Love the way you get such a mixture of people in the one place. Groups of friends, couples and people sitting on their own quietly sipping on a wine or aperitif, on a chair facing the street so you can see and be seen. Stayed on for dinner and had a delicious basil rocket pasta dish and chicken ceasar salad for Stephen. Just right. Enjoyed another drink each before wandering back to hotel and attempting to sleep.
Made the most of sunny weather today and crossed the river to the 5th arrondisement to see the Jardin des Plantes. Interesting place in the middle of Paris. Gardens date back to 1600's. Its original purpose was as a 'royal garden of medicinal plants'. It now covers some 28 hectares and has old buildings, a zoo, greenhouses, libraries, national museums. Many photos taken of colourful flowers and huge bumble bees. We chose to visit the Grande Galerie de l'Evolution as it got some good press online. It is a beautiful building inside and out from the late 1800's. Inside has much steel - railings and balustrades. Very industrial revolution. Place full of stuffed and 'pretend' specimens of animals. i.e. a natural history museum. Place also full of well behaved french school children tearing around. I would say it is endearingly old fashioned, although was a clever use of sound where the huge gallery was suddenly full of the sound of an elephant bellowing or a storm overhead. Not dull and didn't mean to be condescending . Was very enjoyable. Both loved the building and there were many of the usual specimens on display - elephants, birds, alligators, kangaroos, bears, apes etc etc - one favourite was a giraffe placed on the 3rd floor peering over a railing to the floors below. Some beautiful butterflies - well not just some, an amazing number of butterfly specimens. Also an interesting gallery of extinct and in danger animals, always thought provoking - including the dodo. Strange looking thing. Outside were some beautiful glass houses - again pretty old dating from the 1830's - glass and metal. Didn't venture inside as had already looked at many plants. Side note - one of our favourite books - All the Light We Cannot See was set in part in the National Museum of Natural History where one of the characters worked.
I should say before the Jardin des Plantes we re-visited the Marche d'Aligre - local markets and bought a bread stick, some raclette cheese, tomatoes and nectarines to have for lunch in the Jardin Des Plantes. All was delicious but the tomatoes in particular were so sweet. The size of the tomatoes at the markets and variety is impressive.
Wandered back via the Canal St Martin. Canal full of pleasure/leisure (not sure which) boats all moored at the banks. Was actually pretty. Visited the Canal a couple of years ago but further north and was not very impressed. Still wouldn't rush to view it - much prettier sights in Paris I think. Wandered onto the Bastille area. Lots of restaurants and ended up on Rue Charonne which is a nice street in the 11th arr. Lots of young designers of clothes mainly but also some galleries and jewellery shops. Really interesting to wander around in. Did manage to find out that the 11th was once known for its artisan shops - often furniture shops. Which explains some shops we saw yesterday plus the number of little shops selling their wares today. Lots more tourists around the Bastille area but still does not feel very touristy closer into the 11th where we are.
Trying to find the answer to one strange thing in the 11th. A number of walls on the streets have these symbols on them, made of little tiles - almost mosaic in size. They can be of anything but often look like little pacman from an old computer game although I have seen a smurf (?) Will ask at hotel reception I think. Strange.
Really warming up by about 3pm so we ventured back to the hotel for a rest.
Mystery solved. The mosaic tiled looking graffiti in the neighbourhood is actually street art. France's version of Banksy is responsible. The art is based on space invader games. The artist is known as AKA Invader although according to wikipedia his name is really the somewhat less exciting, Frank Siama. The Government here has been sponsoring street art. Will try and remember to capture some on phone.
Pushed dinner to 7.30 but seems still not late enough. Everywhere has a happy hour from 5-8pm so people sit happily in the sunshine until then enjoying cheap drinks. We waited patiently until 7.45 nursing our drinks but it seems not late enough. People still just sitting drinking and smoking gauloise cigarettes (or e-cigarettes) while we ashamedly ate our duck and chicken. Will amend dinner time yet again tomorrow. Still not a lot of signs of tourists in the 11th arr. Great. And noone else speaking english in our hotel as yet.
Made the most of sunny weather today and crossed the river to the 5th arrondisement to see the Jardin des Plantes. Interesting place in the middle of Paris. Gardens date back to 1600's. Its original purpose was as a 'royal garden of medicinal plants'. It now covers some 28 hectares and has old buildings, a zoo, greenhouses, libraries, national museums. Many photos taken of colourful flowers and huge bumble bees. We chose to visit the Grande Galerie de l'Evolution as it got some good press online. It is a beautiful building inside and out from the late 1800's. Inside has much steel - railings and balustrades. Very industrial revolution. Place full of stuffed and 'pretend' specimens of animals. i.e. a natural history museum. Place also full of well behaved french school children tearing around. I would say it is endearingly old fashioned, although was a clever use of sound where the huge gallery was suddenly full of the sound of an elephant bellowing or a storm overhead. Not dull and didn't mean to be condescending . Was very enjoyable. Both loved the building and there were many of the usual specimens on display - elephants, birds, alligators, kangaroos, bears, apes etc etc - one favourite was a giraffe placed on the 3rd floor peering over a railing to the floors below. Some beautiful butterflies - well not just some, an amazing number of butterfly specimens. Also an interesting gallery of extinct and in danger animals, always thought provoking - including the dodo. Strange looking thing. Outside were some beautiful glass houses - again pretty old dating from the 1830's - glass and metal. Didn't venture inside as had already looked at many plants. Side note - one of our favourite books - All the Light We Cannot See was set in part in the National Museum of Natural History where one of the characters worked.
I should say before the Jardin des Plantes we re-visited the Marche d'Aligre - local markets and bought a bread stick, some raclette cheese, tomatoes and nectarines to have for lunch in the Jardin Des Plantes. All was delicious but the tomatoes in particular were so sweet. The size of the tomatoes at the markets and variety is impressive.
Wandered back via the Canal St Martin. Canal full of pleasure/leisure (not sure which) boats all moored at the banks. Was actually pretty. Visited the Canal a couple of years ago but further north and was not very impressed. Still wouldn't rush to view it - much prettier sights in Paris I think. Wandered onto the Bastille area. Lots of restaurants and ended up on Rue Charonne which is a nice street in the 11th arr. Lots of young designers of clothes mainly but also some galleries and jewellery shops. Really interesting to wander around in. Did manage to find out that the 11th was once known for its artisan shops - often furniture shops. Which explains some shops we saw yesterday plus the number of little shops selling their wares today. Lots more tourists around the Bastille area but still does not feel very touristy closer into the 11th where we are.
Trying to find the answer to one strange thing in the 11th. A number of walls on the streets have these symbols on them, made of little tiles - almost mosaic in size. They can be of anything but often look like little pacman from an old computer game although I have seen a smurf (?) Will ask at hotel reception I think. Strange.
Really warming up by about 3pm so we ventured back to the hotel for a rest.
Mystery solved. The mosaic tiled looking graffiti in the neighbourhood is actually street art. France's version of Banksy is responsible. The art is based on space invader games. The artist is known as AKA Invader although according to wikipedia his name is really the somewhat less exciting, Frank Siama. The Government here has been sponsoring street art. Will try and remember to capture some on phone.
Pushed dinner to 7.30 but seems still not late enough. Everywhere has a happy hour from 5-8pm so people sit happily in the sunshine until then enjoying cheap drinks. We waited patiently until 7.45 nursing our drinks but it seems not late enough. People still just sitting drinking and smoking gauloise cigarettes (or e-cigarettes) while we ashamedly ate our duck and chicken. Will amend dinner time yet again tomorrow. Still not a lot of signs of tourists in the 11th arr. Great. And noone else speaking english in our hotel as yet.
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