28 August 2007

Rue de Vertbois











Here is my little rue in the Marais. Next door to the apartment is a tiny shop where a man makes violin bows - not the string, just the wood bit and further down the street a young guy repairs what looks like old railway clocks.
Spent most of today is wandering around the Left Bank et Les Halles - my old haunts from the 80s. It does not seem the same as I remember it. My old cafe is now a 'sportsmans bar' and my hotel has been turned in a vintage clothing shop!
While there are still dogs under my feet in the restaurants, a mayor in greater Paris has been forced to give up the use of a repulsive spray on the homeless to move them on!

The centerpiece at Place de la Nation





































The flight from Sydney just seemed to go on and on but the connections worked and my luggage and I turned up at Charles de Gaulle. I caught the train into Paris with the tourists and the usual North African and Eastern European train jumpers singing for change.
The apartment was easy to find. It is simple and well positioned and the owner Madam Claude is a honey. She gave me a list of facts for the area, supermarkets etc and now have a place full of cheese and cakes.
I have a 'carte orange' which means I can travel around Paris by metro or bus for a week for about 16 euros -what a bargain. I caught the metro to Place de la Nation for no reason and wandered around the shops and had a few beers in a cafe watching the the world go by.