Can it be that it’s over now? My ten-year-old grandson and I are back from the trip to Paris we have been planning for five years! But we did bring back lots of wonderful memories and photographs so we will never forget our time there. I want to share with you my favorite little street in Paris…Rue Cler. It’s a little pedestrian street, only a few blocks long, not far from the Eiffel Tower. It is a wonderful area to use as your headquarters if you ever get a chance to go! It is a French teacher’s dream! If only I could have taken my class here when we did the chapter on the shops in France because it has everything…so very Parisian! Of course, it has the obligatory sidewalk cafés…several of them! We had the traditional French breakfast of bread, butter and jam at the café every morning and watched the people pass by. My grandson especially enjoyed seeing the parents walking their little children to school, since it was still in session there. As for me, I think I could have a café crème and a croissant every day for the rest of my life and never be tired of it… …but my grandson wanted something else, so he tried the only other breakfast choice on the menu…l’oeuf à la coque…a soft boiled egg…and was not a fan! lol It was pretty, though! After breakfast, we would wander around on Rue Cler for a few moments before heading off for sightseeing. There are several fresh fruit and vegetable stands… …with wonderful displays of beautiful fruit… …and sometimes unusual vegetables, such as this white asparagus. My grandson loved checking out the seafood market with the day’s offerings staring back at us… …as well as an assortment of oddities such as this pile of octopuses…uhmmm…octopi? You will find several flower shops as well, some offering more plants… …and others more fresh cut flowers. Gotta love those sunflowers! We had dinner one evening at this crêperie housed in a former boucherie chevaline…horse meat butcher shop. Although the idea is repulsive to most Americans, you have to admit that the hand-painted sign is a work of art! I am happy that the new owner decided to leave it as is. There is also a traditional butcher shop, offering rotisserie chicken…yummy! Why is theirs so much better than ours? Only in France, where there are over 400 recognized varieties of cheese, could you have a whole shop dedicated to fromage…cheese! I had to stop by and at least visit my favorite every day…roquefort! I can eat it straight! Yum! Of course, a little French street must have a wine shop! I love how they have displayed it in the baskets out front. There was also a candy shop featuring chocolates made on the premises. I love their sign! The display window was filled with chocolate cell phones and golf clubs for la Fête des Pères…Father’s Day…on the same day as ours! This is my favorite sign on Rue Cler…and one of my favorite shops as well! It’s a boulangerie…a bakery specializing in bread. But they also sold pastries! Needless to say, we hit this one several times! The oldest building in Rue Cler houses a deli. Not only is there an offering of wonderful food to go… …but a peek at Paris in the early 1800s with its two garret windows on the roof! Ahhhh! Now you know I lingered in front of this window each day! This shop specializes in table linens from Provence! There was even a table runner version of my favorite yellow and blue table square that I bought in Fontaine de Vaucluse several years ago! Let’s end our walk down Rue Cler where we began…at a sidewalk café! I think I am ready for another café crème before we start our day of visiting Paris and I always enjoy the traditional Parisian pastime of people watching. Won’t you join us? If you are planning a trip, a good source for information about the Rue Cler area is Rick Steves' guide book Paris 2011. I used it so much that by the end of our stay, my grandson was joking…Does Rick Steves recommend that we sit on this bench? lol Missed any Paris posts? Back from Paris…or My Grandson’s Favorites! Listing the must-see spots for a ten year old boy! My Favorite Street in Paris…Rue Cler Great little street to use as your headquarters In case you want to follow along, here is my plan for visiting Paris in seven days! I am linking each of the seven days as I complete the posts. Day One…All about Eiffel! Eiffel Tower/ Champ de Mars park and play area Day Two…Sightseeing by Subway! Arc de Triomphe/ Montmarte/ Sacré-Coeur Day Three…Monsieur Monet, I Presume (and a lot of Louis)! Giverny/ Versailles minibus tour Day Four…The Cradle of Paris! La Sainte Chapelle/ la Conciergerie/ Notre Dame/ Latin Quarter/ the book stalls/ ice cream on Ile St. Louis/ the bâteau mouche on the Seine Day Five…Art Museum Madness…Plus Play in the Park! Louvre/ Tuileries Garden/ l’Orangerie/ Musée d’Orsay Day Six…A Phantom, a Fountain and Some History! Opéra Garnier/ Pompidou Center/ Carnavalet Museum Day Seven…A Tomb, a Tank and a Tower! Napoleon’s Tomb and the Musée de l’Armée at les Invalides/ Eiffel Tower at night Thanks so much for stopping by! See you next time! A la prochaine!