Paris Autumn

I find it interesting how you can skip a week in a city, and come back to a totally different scene. 

When I returned to Paris after two week, the leaves had changed colors and many had already fallen to the ground.

I had an errand to do today, so I headed out to Place Vendome, and Fratelli Rosetti.  I was exchanging some boots for a friend of mine at this lovely store on Rue St. Honore.

http://www.fratellirossetti.com/en/Catalogo/

After exchanging the boots, I had a ten Euro credit.  Knowing the prices here, I asked what I could purchase for ten Euros.  The salesgirl replied "What color shoe polish would you like?"  I laughed and chose black.

The Place Vendome was laid out in 1702, and the Vendome Column was originally erected by Napoleon to commemorate the victory of Austerlitz.  You can read about the history at the link below.

http://france-for-visitors.com/paris/place-vendome.html









I have shamelessly stolen the photo below, so you can see how magnificent the place is at night.

I then headed over one street to the Rue de Rivoli, alongside the Lourve, past the statue of Joan of Arc, toward the Tuilleries garden.

This is likely one of the most famous streets in Paris, and certainly one of the most popular. It was very cold and the wind was brisk.




The streets were crowed, and everyone was bundled up.  One of the things that I love about Paris is that cold weather seldom keeps Parisians indoors.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rue_de_Rivoli,_Paris

I was hungry now, and decided to have a late lunch/early dinner at the Brasserie Le Carrousel, across from the Tuilleries.  There are some really nice photos of this cafe and the area around it in the next link.

http://www.mightymac.org/london2010/10UK14.htm

I had the Croque Monsieur, a fancy grilled ham and cheese sandwich, and a nice sancerre wine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croque-monsieur

Now I was ready for a walk through the Tuileries Garden,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuileries_Garden











past the D'Orsay Museum

past the carrousel and the man doing tai chi,

past the Eiffel Tower to the Place de Concorde, where I caught the Metro back to Boulevard Saint-Jacques.

I enjoyed a wonderful, creamy lemon tart, another fine sancerre wine, a delightful waiter and lovely atmosphere at Cafe Carmel.

The colorful lanterns and fall leaves created a surreal fairytale effect, and set the tone for sweet dreams.