Bordeaux & Bayonne

We took the train from Paris to Bordeaux to start a trip to French Basque country.  We stopped in Bordeaux because it was easier to rent an automatic transmission car there and because J had dreams of visiting a restaurant in Bordeaux with a cheese cave in the basement.  One of the dinner options was to get a big green salad, fresh bread, and unlimited trips to the cheese cave to sample from the 100+ cheeses.  It was amazing!

On our way south from Bordeaux, we stopped in the city of Bayonne for lunch.  Bayonne used to be a walled city and the walls still circle the older, most central part of town.  We parked just outside the wall and walked through one of the gates to explore the riverfront and narrow lanes inside.  We had a fun lunch sitting outside in the beautiful weather and sampled both the ham and the chocolate for which the city is known.

Canal Saint-Martin

J was working a half-day one day this week, so we went for a morning walk along the Canal Saint-Martin and the Bassin de la Villette.  We stopped at a favorite bakery near the canal for some bread for our dinner that night and enjoyed people-watching before heading back home so he could get to work.

Paris by night

This past weekend we took a fun evening walk down to the Île St-Louis to get some Berthillon ice cream to eat while sitting by the river.  We were coming from dinner at a restaurant rather than our apartment, so we got to pass by the Hôtel de Ville (city hall) and Notre Dame on our way.  I love the way Paris looks at night and never get tired of watching boats on the river.  And as a little bonus we spotted Wes Anderson (the director of several movies J and I like) on our walk!

Le Marché aux Puces de la Porte de Vanves

Paris has a few flea markets located just outside of the city limits.  When J's aunt saw an article in the paper about the Marché aux Puces de Vanves and mentioned it to him, we decided to take a trip down to the Porte de Vanves to explore this particular market.  We spent a fun morning inspecting tables filled with an interesting mix of old books, silver, dishes, art, and a variety of other objects.

Basilique du Sacré-Cœur

We spent our first month in Paris back in 2011 living in a temporary apartment in the Montmartre neighborhood.  We took a walk through the charming streets of this neighborhood that started by going up the hill in front of the Sacré-Cœur basilica.  The view of the city from the terrace in front of the basilica is spectacular but I always like to walk down a side street to where you can see the Eiffel Tower from afar.