Paris Scenes, 1

As I wrote earlier, our first several days here were mostly about errands and chores, setting up housekeeping, and then some minor walks to check on our old neighborhood in the 11th. Here are some pix from those days...

Paris has been taking great strides in greening itself up, especially
during COVID

Thus, the Oasis of Aboukir, whole side of a
building, a few blocks from us

But we really think it has gone far enough in some cases

Speaking of COVID, every pharmacy in the city has a little tent
outside for testing and vaccination

In France, there's a $160 fine for being an asshole; nose and mouth;
the US could pay off the national debt and all future national debt by
so fining the assholes

Can't remember where we were going (Decathlon?), but somehow
we wandered into the Printemps and got to see its rotunda

Now in the Champs Elysees area, to see our landlord...at a glass
store, Daum, Vicki liked

Interesting stuff they're doing with glass nowadays

Another day, walking over to the 11th, where we had apartments
in 2014 and 2019, to see how it was doing; passing by the Place
de la Republic

A shop filled with antiques caught our eye...turns out it was a
store for decorators, selling to the trade only

At the corner of Ledru Rollin and Charonne, my favorite, Le Bistrot
du Peintre, appears to be doing just fine

So also our favorite crepes joint, Creperie Bretonne

Lunch that day

Septime was packed; as always

Our 2019 apartment on Rue Faidherbe appeared

unchanged

The Bastille Market was there as usual (Thursday, it was); somewhat
fewer stalls, and many fewer customers--the tourists are pretty much
gone; it was weird being able to step right up to the counter, not being
elbowed and bruised nor run over by carts and carriages; but otherwise
pretty much as always

I was particularly relieved to see the fridge magnet guy still there...

Waiting for the bus, outside one of the beautiful shops beneath
the Promenade Plantee and Viaduct des Artes