Paris and All That Junk

Our first day in Paris.  The nice part about having an apartment is that we can fix our own breakfast that includes some protein.  It seems like some of the little hotels serve just baguettes, croissants and coffee or tea, and the charge for that is usually about 7 euros.  That's about $10.  Think of the breakfast you can get at Denny's for that!   Of course the baguettes and croissants in France are the best ever, so we have to consider that in the equation.

Breakfast at the apartment is coffee and tea with croissants and eggs and ham.  After that we're ready for a full day of sightseeing.

My absolute must-see, must-do, not-going-home-until-I-do-it goal, after being in Paris 7 times and never accomplishing this, is to visit a flea market in Paris.  I chose the Porte de Vanves market, since it has about 200 vendors, as opposed to the Clingancourt and Montreil markets which have over 2,000 vendors.    My fellow travellers aren't really into pawing through old junk looking for treasures, so I thought this would be a good choice all around.

The Porte de Vanves was an easy Metro ride from our neighborhood.  At the station we purchased a packet of 10 tickets (a carnet) for each couple at a ticket machine.  Rick Steves suggests buying packets of tickets (for a stay of less than a week) as opposed to the Passe Navigo, which sounds similar to the Oyster card in London, but requires a photo and isn't quite as user-friendly as the Oyster card.

So off on the Metro we went to the Porte of Vanves, and found the street of vendors.  After yearning to be here for oh-so-many years I couldn't believe I wasn't buying lots of great treasures.  In reality, there was lots of silver, lots of china and crystal, and lots of junky junk.  My soul was fed just walking through it all and watching the other shoppers.  I'll go back again someday for sure, and maybe find some special things to buy. 

Linda at the Porte of Vanves flea market

I'm happy just looking at all of this wonderful stuff!

We had lunch at a nearby cafe and headed back toward our neighborhood on the Metro.  We decided to get off nearer the Seine and walk along it for a bit. We passed by a few bridges, each unique in decoration.

I had read about the custom of attaching padlocks to the bridges in my friend Cheryl's blog Paris and Beyond 2012.  She talked about couples attaching a padlock to the metalwork on the bridge and tossing the key into the Seine to seal their love for each other.  There is one bridge known for lovers and one bridge known for committed love.  She said the lovers' bridge was loaded with locks, whereas the one pledging a commitment wasn't so crowded with locks.  I thought this sounded like a fun idea, so I bought two padlocks at home and had them in my day pack as we were out and about.  I couldn't remember which bridge was which, but when we came to a bridge with padlocks attached, I got out the locks so Linda and I could show the guys how much they meant to us.  And since we didn't really know which bridge we were locking our feelings to, we decided for us it would be a reflection of a lifetime commitment that still felt like a passionate love affair.  They were both touched by the sentiment. 

Tim and Linda pledging to stay together for another 40 years!

I'm not sure, but this might be the hot love affair bridge!

After the bridges we decided to hop on bus #69, which Rick Steves touts as a great way to see the city without paying for a bus tour.   He cautions against taking the bus on a hot day however, since the buses aren't air-conditioned, so we were foolish to do it!  We did see a lot of the city though, and enjoyed the ride, aside from the heat.  Maybe we wouldn't go on such a hot day again.  

Back at our apartment dinner was nice little beef filets wrapped in bacon from the local boucherie.  And lots of great wine, of course!