Thursday (Paris)…

 





 
Fueled by hot café lattes and a couple of flakey pastries, we spent the morning winding through the charming side streets and cozy parks of the 3rd and 4th Arrondesmonts making up the Marais. We took an extended pause to flip through vintage black and white photos…anonymous scenes provided creative inspiration. After picking up three favorite vintage gelatin silver prints, we strolled among the shops that tempted us with creative window displays… mannequins decked out in autumn garb, creative art, and on fleek Parisian men’s fashions.
 
We paid a return visit to the Carnavalet museum, a delightful, off-the-radar, and free (!!) collection right in the middle of the Marais. Paintings depicting Paris at various points in it’s history covered every inch of wall space. The collection mixes old period paintings mixed with more contemporary pieces. Detailed models show buildings lost to time. The lavish interior of an art nouveau Parisian jewelry story was saved and presented in situ. The museum’s prize collection (and its original collection) tells a year-by-year story of the French Revolution.
 
We spent the rest of the day wandering and people watching. Some days are just so nice that you don’t need an official destination…you just need a direction.
 
We stopped for pre-dinner wine and nibbles at the charming Resistance cocktail lounge. Later, we dined on escargot and chanterelle, oxtail and pork, millefeuille and apple tart. (Good thing we walked 18,827 steps today!)