A Picnic In Paris
Paris has many sights of all kinds that are justifiably famous. But it is also a great city for just for walking. And in Paris, walking seems to be inextricably tied to eating.
Judy and I spent a lot of time walking in the general vicinity of our hotel, which was located on the Left Bank near the Jardin du Plantes. We especially enjoyed heading up toward the Place de la Contrescarpe, which is near the University of Paris-Sorbonne.
Heading out in the morning, we had to pass the bakery across the street. This bakery made it very easy for us to have breakfast in our room every day. I would bring back a fresh baguette and Judy would bring up a pot of coffee from the hotel dining room. We might combine these with fruit or cheese purchased the day before.
It’s astonishing how many really good bakeries there are in Paris, with several within a few blocks of where we stayed.
Of course, while walking we would always pay special attention to any plantings we found. Here are some interesting vertical plantings.
And the residents of some buildings were fairly ambitious about their balcony plants.
The Place de la Contrescarpe and the surrounding area was once considered to be more or less a slum. Now it is full of students, middle class Parisians, and tourists. You can have a fine time sitting at a sidewalk cafe, watching the scene and drinking a leisurely cup of coffee.
The coffee is good, but expensive. There are no free refills. On the other hand, they seem to think it is perfectly fine for customers to sit for hours, reading or people watching. Which we did on a few occasions.
Ernest Hemingway lived in an apartment just off of the square during the 1920s. During our trip Judy and I both read the novel The Paris Wife, which is a fictionalized memoir of Hadley Richardson, Hemingway’s first spouse. The book helped us get into a more Parisian frame of mind.
Just off of the Place de la Contrescarpe is the Rue Mouffetard. At first as you leave Contrescarpe, Mouffetard seems dominated by tourist traps of various kinds. However, the further you walk, the more the balance tilts to Parisians doing every day shopping.
I’m not sure why, but we really enjoy fresh produce stores, even if we don’t buy anything. We noticed that here stores were selling a kind of sour plum called a mirabelle, which we have never seen in the US. Later in the week we shared a delicious desert of stewed mirabelles and caramel sauce.
We noticed that the French are very serious about cheese. The quality and variety of cheeses, both in supermarkets and fromagers, was very impressive.
One day we picked up a baguette, some cheese, and some fruit along Rue Mouffetard. We then walked on to a small park on the Rue Monge and proceeded to have a picnic.
As we ate kids played, others ate their own lunches, and the nearby fountain splashed for our appreciation.
Do you have a favorite city for walking?
gardeninacity 
Beautiful images, I would love to stroll around over there, savouring all the wonderful pastries and cheeses, and of course coffee as I love a good capuchino. Thanks for the tour, it’s nice to see other parts of the world.
You’re welcome, Karen. Travel is one of the great pleasures in life, and I am greedy to do more.
When I stayed in Paris last year (to visit the plant fair at Courson) I stayed near the Jardin du Plantes and that bakery looks familia! the market on Sunday morning was a joy! I love the way they display their wonderful produce.
We visited the Sunday morning market also, I have lots of pictures from that as well. The markets there are so much fun.
Sounds and looks wonderful! Thanks for letting me experience this vicariously through your posts!
You’re welcome!
Everything’s lovely! thank you for sharing these photos =)
Thank you so much! Chellet, could you include a link back to your blog when you comment?
Hello, sir.
I made adjustments on my blog’s settings to include a link back to my blog. Thanks =)
Have a great weekend!
brilliant photos…feel like I was there with you…
So glad you enjoyed them.
my dinning room is styled on a french theme…lots of french pictures and a subtle red colour scheme..only been to the Auverne so mostly countryside but I’m really taken with most things french.
my dinning room is styled on a french theme…lots of french pictures and a subtle red colour scheme..only been to the Auverne so mostly countryside but I’m really taken with most things french.
Perfect lunch, perfect setting, perfect company…what more could you want?! Life is good.
Yes … but life is better on vacation.
I really enjoy your trip. You had a marvelous time and the simple picnic seems so what the locales would do. What a better way to enjoy the scenery and the day.
I miss it already!
Goodness, that looks like it was a dreamy trip! You got wonderful photos and now I really really want to go to Paris and have a picnic in the park!
You should definitely go when you are able, which in our case was not until our kids were out of college. If you like food, it is a fantastic city.
I love walking in San Francisco and Boston. After those two, Georgetown area in Wash. D.C. is fun for strolling!
Your vacation sounds delightful!
I agree about SF, Boston (especially now that they’re done with the big dig) and Georgetown. We did have a lot of fun, I am already daydreaming about going back.
Food, drink, public parks and balconies. It looks like a very liveable urban area. The pastries and baked goods would do me in though!
They certainly did me in, but I have few regrets!
Mmmm. French bread and cheese, but where’s the wine?! Love the pictures. Such a romantic city.
We were keeping the wine off camera, it’s a family blog after all.
😉
This post made me ache to visit Paris again….I could almost taste the cheese and coffee. I love the place and really enjoyed this lovely reminder of a fabulous city.xxxx
Luckily for you Paris is not nearly as far as for us, though I know how hard it can be to get away. Glad you liked the post, and I agree with you it is a really marvellous place.
I’ve only lived in one city and that was in Florida. It was okay, but I got homesick for the hills and trees before too long. Paris looks like it would be a fun place to visit. I’d have a hard time resisting buying the street art though. Do they still do that?
There’s lots of street art in some places, like along the river near the Ile de la Cite. I enjoy the country but am more of a city person myself.
Your photos make me want to go to Paris NOW! I actually love DC for just walking around but I think Venice is the best of all.
Oh, we have never been to Italy. I have heard Venice is incredible.
Very nice! Cheeses, and fresh fruits, and baked goods … oh my! I’m glad you had such a great vacation!
Thanks! But I meant to contribute to your Lessons Learned, hope to do so next time.
I love France. I love Europe in general. I miss going to a bakery in the mornings and buying the days bread. And the cheese.. oh you’ve made me nostalgic.
Why is it we don’t have these bakeries in the US?
I love Paris very much (and I’m not at all a city person) and it’s a pleasant city to walk around, charming through and through. Our soles were seriously worn when we last visited ;). So glad you enjoyed the culinary side of things too – we certainly love good food and wine in France! Maybe that’s why people are happier here?
I think my soles also need replacing! From the outside, at least, France seems happier because of all the good food and wine and not working too hard!
What a fun trip. You captured exactly what I loved about Paris – the bakeries! And they were everywhere. I am hardly a world traveler but I’d have to say that New York is the ultimate walking city. It’s a spectacle no matter where you go, and it’s the easiest, fastest, and cheapest way to get around.
And I didn’t even mention the croissants, the brioche, the tartines, the quiches, the … oh, I’ve got to stop.
Jason, I too love strolling along the streets in new city, the fruit/veggies markets are interesting and I always like looking at people sitting with cup of coffee, walking in the parks, etc. Thanks for sharing!
We have similar ideas about how to enjoy traveling, Nadezda.
Coffee, cheese, fruit, caramel, walking . . . sign me up. This sounds like a heavenly vacation.
And I didn’t even mention the wine.
Jason this reminds me of the Island of Capri. When we visited there we walked everywhere and ate amazing food from small shops and little restaurants….we were in heaven.
What, no wine on your picnic? If memory serves, good wine flows cheaper than water in France! Looks like you had a great time, and now I’m craving great bread and cheese!
And really good bread is hard to find here. I know a good place for rye and pumpernickel – but not baguettes. We did drink our share of wine, but kept it off camera – this is a family blog, after all.
Great pics. The amount of good quality bakeries in Paris is amazing, I think you’d struggle to get a duff baguette. We had a wonderful time wandering around the city too on a holiday a while back, glad you enjoyed it. Looking forward to hearing what you got up to in London…