To Market, To Market

Highlights: I'lle St. Louis, Flower and Bird Market, St. Berthillon Ice Cream, Tuilerie Garden, Raspail Organic Market

We woke at 7:30 and enjoyed our breakfast of fruit, yogurt and bran buds (for me). We headed to the organic farmer's market on Raspail. It was incredible - four blocks long with vendors on both sides. We bought strawberries, bread with figs, brie, tomatoes and dried fruit. But my favourite experience was buying butter which they cut from a big block with a garrotte. I also impulsively bought a scarf for 20 euros.

We stopped for a coffee on the way home. The bathroom was up steep stairs and was tiny, on an angle. We had a cheese and tomato tart for lunch and then took the metro to St. Michel. We tried to buy Navigo (transit tickets) from a rude, impatient clerk, Then we spent a fortune trying to get the right sized picture for our transit pass in a photo booth. We finally surfaced from the metro and walked to I'lle St. Louis. We bought an ice cream at the world famous Berthillon, and walked all around the island before we realized the flower and bird market was on I'lle Cite. However, Belinda found a great purse which she bought along the way. We stopped near Notre Dame for coffee and water and got conned by the waiter. The bill was 21 euros!

The flower and bird market was disappointing - small, no cut flowers, birds grouped in tiny cages. We decided to walk to L'Orangerie along the Seine, taking a few breaks along the way. In the Tuilerie Garden, sand was blowing in our faces like crazy. We got to L'Orangerie at 5:30 pm and the guards were locking up. We felt like crying. We pulled ourselves together and walked all the way home.

Belinda found out her suitcase was in Geneva - poor thing. We were exhausted.Read more