[Lots of photos of flowers from the Jardin des Plantes so don't say I didn't warn you.]
Sunday September 28, 2025. Day 7 in Paris. Chilly again this morning but lots of sun so that's a good sign of things to come.
After another leisurely morning over coffee, fruit and cheese we left the apartment heading for our old stomping grounds around Place Monge in the 5th arrondissement. Rather than take the Metro, which would have proven a bit convoluted, we took the no. 86 bus right near the Ledru-Rollin Metro stop. We soon crossed over to the left bank and got off on rue des Fossés de Saint-Bernard between boulevard Saint-Germain and rue Linne, near the Arab Institute.
Walking along rue des Fossés we discovered a vintage furniture market. This was not a run-of-the-mill flea market (as in "let's clean the stuff out of the attic") but instead a high end brocante with well curated goods. Quite a few of the pieces had us thinking we wished we could take one or two home with us.
We turned up
rue Linne past our old Metro stop at
Jussieu -- aaaah, we walked up and down those stairs many a time -- past
l'Arbre à Cannelle, a favorite place for lunch back in 2006. We were soon at the entrance to
Le Jardin des Plantes. This has been and always will be another go-to place to stroll ever since we lived nearby on
rue Poliveau. Those days seem so long ago now but yet like it was just yesterday.
Located near the greenhouse as you approach the main garden area from the
rue Cuvier entrance is this life-sized sculpture depicting a mother bear in the death struggle with a naked hunter who has killed her cub; this is incredibly powerful.
 |
| "Le Dénicheur d'oursons" by Emmanuel Frémiet 1884 |
The last time or two we had been able to walk through the
jardin it was usually too early in the season, but this time everything was in full bloom and the colors were stunning.
 |
| "Bumble rumble" dahlia |
 |
| "Bumble rumble" dahlia |
Melons and squash too!
From
le jardin we made our way past the Grand Mosque where the line was quite long to get into the tea room, and were soon over at
Place Monge. Just a half block up from the
place was Pascal Pinaud's pastry shop where Susie did two internships back in 2007. We were surprised and a bit taken aback to discover that Pascal's name is gone. It's still a pastry shop but has obviously changed hands.
At
Place Monge the market was in full swing; Susie spent a fair amount of time picking out produce for Pascal's here. From the
place we walked over to
rue Mouffetard. One of the older streets in the city it was also another favorite spot for us to shop for wine, produce, and other assorted foodstuffs in 2006-2007.
We grabbed a table for lunch at La Vielle Tour right across from one of the more popular spots on the "Mouff." Susie and I each had a glass of Provençal rosé and a bowl of very tasty onion soup with baguette. A superb lunch on the Mouff!
After lunch we strolled down the Mouff to
Place Saint-Medard and popped into the church to feel the centuries wafting over us. This church has been here since at least the 12th century and before that there was a chapel here dating back to when this was the old road between Paris and Lyon.
 |
| les bouquinistes |
 |
| the line for Berthillon ice cream |
We waited a few minutes at the Sully-Morland bus stop for the no. 86 bus to take us back to Ledru-Rollin.
Around the corner from the bus stop was Blé Sucrè, a pastry shop
we visited back in 2008 during a casual stroll around this neighborhood. Little did we suspect then that we would now be staying right near here. Anyway, that first visit was inspired by Clothilde Dusoullier's book on eating in Paris. That time we just grabbed something to go but this time we snagged a table to have our afternoon
le gouté. Susan ordered us coffee, choosing a
brioche feuilletée for herself and one of my favorites, a coffee eclair -- yay!
 |
| mother waiting for her son and his girlfriend |
It was a short four-block walk to our apartment where I sautéed up the last of our rotisserie chicken over blanched broccoli.
Tomorrow we meet up with Marie B. in Père-Lachaise!
Comments