Living in the 12th arrondissement

 Tuesday September 23, 2025

Our first full day in Paris and it began with 51 degrees F and light rain this morning. But that didn't stop the open air market from setting up shop and getting itself ready for the week. (It's reportedly one of the largest open air markets in the city center.) So, after morning coffee and a light breakfast of fruit we walked across the street to the market. We browsed through the indoor building, then strolled through the open air portion, the stalls protected by temporary roofs. Along the way we picked up a couple of heads of broccoli, some gorgeous green beans (tiny haricot verts), a few small potatoes and a rotisserie chicken, most of which was planned for dinner this evening. 

the covered indoor market, Marché Beauvau

open air market on the Place d'Aligre

and along rue d'Aligre

that's our broccoli

We had hoped to visit the Maritime and Monuments museums both (located in the Palais Chaillot on the Trocadero) but since they were closed Monday we opted to try getting into Notre Dame. So, while we sipped coffee and had a light breakfast, I went online and got our free (timed) tickets for seeing the newly renovated Our Lady of Paris.

After dropping our groceries off at the apartment it was time to head out and see Paris!  

We walked the two blocks or so to the Ledru-Rollin Metro stop where we got on line 8. It was pretty quiet in the Metro.

After one stop we connected to line 1 at Bastille -- where we were entertained by a wonderful group of busking musicians supporting the Ukrainians.

We took line 1 to the Hotel de Ville where we left the underground and stopped in at the BHV department store for lunch. One of the nice things about the large department stores like Bon Marche, Printemps, and the other big names is they all have cafes, usually on the top floor, and all have handy and free bathrooms as well.

At BHV (Bazaar Hotel de Ville) the lunch was a variation on the cafeteria style: we opted to skip the hot line and go right for the salad bar. They also had a dessert/cheese plate bar as well but we opted to forgo filling ourselves up too much -- otherwise I'd need a nap afterwards. The restaurant was hoppin' and I couldn't help but notice how many people had a plate full of salad and they also had a plate full of frites. My kinda place.

a curious name for a chain of pastry shops

lunchtime

view of the Hotel de Ville from the restaurant

Leaving the department store we walked across the street and then across the plaza in front of the Paris city hall (Hotel de Ville), which has gradually been turned into a lovely green space. I remember the last we were there it was a large paved area usually dotted with various funky sculptures. 

Anyway, arriving at the Seine we crossed the river on the Pont d'Arcole.

looking upriver

Once across the river we ran straight away into a rather daunting maze of tourists queueing up for a variety of tourist shops (and creperies) on the Isle de la Cité, making our way to  Notre Dame herself.

The parvis in front of the church was packed with folks navigating a maze that would have made the Border Control people at the airport proud, all waiting to get inside but without reservations. The reservation line was virtually empty so we scooted right into the church without a wait. Once inside it was controlled chaos. 

the reservation line

Imagine hundreds of folks moving in a slow crawl clockwise with hardly any room to stop and catch your breath, let alone appreciate the incredible job done on restoring this church to its former glory. The stained glass was simply stunning.

Leaving the church we walked across the Seine to the left bank and through one of the old backstreets to Place Saint-Michel. We caught the line 4, getting off at the Saint-Sulpice stop and making our way to the Bon Marche department store complex as we passed some classic street scenes. Along our walk we passed through the tiny Square Alphonse Deville, which contained a couple of benches and one remarkable statue group dedicated to the French novelist and poet François Mauriac (1885-1970). He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1952. And just across the street from the Square we passed one of dozens of reminders scattered around Paris of the city's liberation in August 1944: a plaque dedicated to an unknown member of the Free French who died fighting on that spot August 21, 1944.

François Mauriac

It was a short two blocks to the department store. We skirted the main building and popped into the epicerie part of the store hoping to find a place so Susie could have a hot chocolate and pastry. The place was jammed so off we went up nearby rue de Bac. Susan recalled there were pastry shops close by and we soon found ourselves ensconced in Foucher (not Fauchon), a lovely, quiet chocolate and tea shop, where we rested and collected our wits over  a delicious cup of hot chocolate (Susie) and a perfect espresso (me). 

After finding ourselves revived and refreshed it was back to the Metro. From the stop close to Bon Marche we took the no. 10 to Odeon, switched to the 4 and then got off at Etienne Marcel so Susie could spend a bit of quality time at Mora, one of her favorite kitchen shops (for the serious cooks and chefs). Along the way we passed a shop you just don't see in Michigan.

From Mora we popped around the corner to G. Detou's food shop (always a favorite) where we bought a one kilo (2.2 pounds) bag of Marcona almonds ($20!) after which we made our way back toward the Metro, Along the way we decided to try the bus with our new Navigo passes and took the no. 29, While traffic was stop and start it was a pleasant ride. The bus was clean and comfortable and the digital screen aboard gave us plenty of time to get ready to get off at our stop. It was then just a few blocks to Place d'Aligre and our apartment. We did stop at the indoor market -- the open air had already closed for the day -- to pick up some cheese from one of several cheesemongers and then a couple of pastries from a nearby boulanger for tomorrow morning.

Once home we kicked back and, since it was aperitif time, we shared a toast with a glass of chardonnay to a nice day in Paris! That evening I shredded the chicken and then blanched the beans and little potatoes for dinner. A delicious meal!