The Montorgueil neighborhood

Caterina and Marco went to see Notre-Dame and go up the Eiffel Tower. We wouldn't see them until evening.

The rest of us, minus Marchesa, walked over to the Montorgueil area to check it out. Little did we know what we'd been missing!

On the way over, we walked through the Passage du Grand Cerf, a covered passage which is supposed to be the highest in Paris. I’ve never been in one. It was quite charming, and lined with shops and offices. Lots of the shops were closed, but we found a few open, and did some shopping.

Katia headed into the Passage du Grand Cerf

The weather is always beautiful under the glass of the Passage

I really wish the Little Weasel yarn shop had been open!

We stopped at an antique shop along the passage, and a few of us bought some very old-looking carved wood blocks that would have been used for printing. The owner, a young man in his 30s, spoke Creole, French, 2 kinds of Spanish, and English. I'm glad he spoke English, since our French was like that of a 3-year-old, or maybe a 2-year-old!

We headed through the passage and reached Rue Montorgueil. This area is a nice market street, lined with shops and restaurants. I read somewhere that it's the oldest market street in Paris, possibly because of its proximity to Les Halles, no longer in existence, which was the city's main produce market. It's right next to the Forum des Halles, which is a modern shopping mall on the site of Les Halles. 

We stopped at Au Rocher de Cancale for lunch, and ate upstairs. As a former waitress, I always sympathize with the wait staff that has to go up and down stairs to serve customers and clear tables. We left an extra nice tip. Our lunch was tasty. One person had a "crunch" salad, with chicken, and a few even had burgers, and then we continued to wander down the Rue. 

Beautiful produce along Rue Montorgueil

The girls did a bit more shopping, but Il Padrino and Ricardo headed back to the apartment. They weren't in the market for cute purses or jewelry. 

Once again, we're struggling with the laundry machines at our rental. The one meant for renters doesn't seem to be working, so we were given access to the one the housekeeper uses, in a locked closet in one of the bedrooms. Each machine appears to have different controls. We've researched the Users Manuals for each washer in each of our rentals using the Internet, on our phones. The Venice apartment had 8 manuals, in 8 different languages, but none in English, so we started this process on day 3 of our trip!

After much research, and a pow-wow of all interested parties, we got this to light up, but it doesn't work!

In a secret closet, there was another machine for the housekeeper to use, and amazingly, a dryer!

The working washing machine, in a secret closet. The controls are different than the other machine, of course!

After relaxing at the apartment for a bit, I decided to find the other passageway I'd read about near us. Ricardo and I went out again to find Passage de l'Ancre. It wasn't covered with glass, and had lots more greenery than the covered one we visited.

One of the entrances to Passage de l'Ancre

Ricardo admiring the greenery along the Passage de l'Ancre

Really? A shop that fixes umbrellas? and parasols?

This has to be my favorite shop ever! Pep's Umbrella Repair! Do we have anything like this in the U.S.?

Laura's one wish in Paris was to eat at a sidewalk café. We didn't find one at lunchtime, so ventured out again at dinner, sure we would find something along the busy Rue Montorgueil. Sure enough, we found a place called La Grappe d'Or, where we could sit outside, but not at the same table. Four of us were at one table, on one side of the outside door, and Giuliana and Laura were at a table for 2 on the other side of the door. The waiter had asked a couple sitting at that table if they'd mind moving over so that we could all at least sit within hearing range of each other. It was a busy place, and watching the waiter deal with all of the tables, plus hail some of the passersby that he knew, was entertaining. 

During the process of questioning the waiter, ordering our meal, and being served, Giuliana finally asked me why the waiter talked to me about her order and preferences, instead of talking to her. She and I weren't even sitting at the same table, although he knew we were together. He could speak good English, so that wasn't the issue. I finally said, it's because I'm wearing a scarf! That lent some credibility to me as a sophisticated visitor to Paris, no? 

And, as a sophisticated, scarf-wearing customer, wouldn't I want to order my favorite dessert - Café Gourmand - a selection of 3 or 4 tiny desserts, including an espresso? So what if all that sugar and caffeine keep me up half the night!

Back at the apartment, Caterina and Marco returned and reported that they'd accomplished both of their goals - visiting the inside of Notre-Dame, and going up the Eiffel Tower. I was sure they'd be in a miserably long line, waiting for the elevator to go up the Eiffel Tower, but they hit a sweet spot in the day - late afternoon - when the other tourists were done with their sightseeing. They'd dined along the way, and had some good meals. A nice end to our few days in Paris.