lili: I love Paris in the Springtime

... and in the dead of winter.

Who cares?

It's Paris!

After almost 6 years, the French bank I work for finally sent me to Paris.

I've been there before (on vacation), and have already seen many of the sights. So this time, I just wandered.

During the first part of my trip, I stayed at the Hotel Saint Christophe in the Latin Quarter.

I love this hotel. It's small, but clean, inexpensive, and in a great location.

I spent the first afternoon walking along the Boulevard Saint-Germain, a street known for high-end shopping and the famous cafés Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore.

After passing through one of Paris' frequent protests, I made it to Christophe Cottin's shop on the Rue du Bac. I'd bought a bracelet there during my previous trip, and had to go back for another. His jewelry is unique and reasonably priced. (And he is SO nice!).

On the way back, I stopped at the English language bookstore Shakespeare and Company.

The original shop was opened by Sylvia Beach in 1919 and writers such as James Joyce, Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald all spent time there. (In fact, Shakespeare and Company published James Joyce's Ulysses when publishers at the time found it too controversial.)

The shop was forced to close during WW2, but in 1951 another English bookstore was opened by George Whitman, and when Sylvia Beach died in 1962, he renamed his shop Shakespeare and Company.

This shop is located on the rue de la Boucherie, across the Seine from Notre Dame Cathedral, and became a popular spot with Beat writers in the 50's. Whitman was friends with Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who opened City Lights Books in San Francisco two years later. A sign for his sister store still hangs on the front of the shop in Paris.

After managing to leave without buying anything (a monumental feat), I walked down the Rue Mouffetard to Les Caves de Bourgogne for the delicious cassoulet fromagier (potatoes, cheese and creme fraiche).

I spent the following morning wandering through the shops in the Marais (my favorites include Brontibay and Bensimon), then took the Metro to Les Halles, in search of ...

la droguerie (literally, "the hardware store"), is one of the best craft shops in Paris.

They sell yarn,

ribbon,

and buttons and beads.

And, according to the little sign in the upper right corner, taking pictures is forbidden.

(So don't tell anyone...)

Showing tremendous restraint, I (only) bought 2 knitting patterns, including one for this Cape Capuche (hooded cape).

Later that night, I met some French colleagues at L'Ecluse on the place du Marché Saint Honoré

for a glass (ok, bottle...) of wine,

before walking past the Louvre (the closest I've ever come to going in),

then back across the Seine.

The next morning, I walked to the Viaduct des Arts, a restored railroad viaduct converted into artist workshops and galleries, with a garden along the top.

After buying cross stitch patterns at La Bonheur des Dames (The Ladies Delight), I walked through the Place des Voges, former home of Victor Hugo, and a really pretty place to take wedding photos...

That afternoon, I met a former co-worker and his wife in their neighborhood near the Eiffel Tower,

and Les Invalides, originally a hospital for war veterans, and now a military museum and the burial site of Napoleon Bonaparte.

A petite Parisienne...

After a chocolat chaud and macaroons at the Christophe Roussel shop in the lobby of the Cadran Hotel, some shopping at Comptoir des Cotonniers and Chattawak (where I bought the Etole bulle), we returned to my friend's apartment for some wine, bread, cheese, and... more wine.

The next morning, I took the Metro to the famous Marché aux Puces at St-Ouen de Clignancourt. Of the many flea markets in Paris, this is known for having the highest quality (and the highest prices).

It's true. This little green coffee pot was 90 euro (approximately $125).

Needless to say, I didn't buy it (or anything else).

That night, I moved into the InterContinental Paris Le Grand, near the Opera.

This hotel is gorgeous.

But...

It's EXPENSIVE!

(And, oddly, there are no clocks in the rooms.)

After two days of meetings, I had dinner on my last night at Gambino, a cute Italian restaurant,