Photos on Flickr.
2015 – 7 – 21
On our last day in Paris, we really only had two major things to do, taking a tour of the Garnier Opera, and Paris By Mouth tour in the Quartier Latin area of Paris.
We’ve walked by the Opera Garnier in the rue de la Paix for all these many years without going in for a tour. We rectified that oversight today. This is Paris’ original opera, and it is extremely ornate in its decor.
Marc Chagall designed ceiling on concert hall
So after visiting the Garnier, we headed out for one last macaron at Laduree (caramel avec fleur de sel for me), and a last walk-through of the Mothership in case we found something we overlooked. The line for purses and leather goods this morning was longer than the day we went, with at least 30 people in line. Fortunately, nothing for us today.
From there we took the Metro to the Quartier Latin, as it is far too distant to walk, but it involved a station change which seemed like we were walking to our destination rather than taking the Metro.
Once at the cafe where we were to meet up, we waited just a few minutes before the other members of the group and our guide joined us.
We had booked a ‘Paris by Mouth’ tour of the Quartier Latin. There were seven of us on the tour, plus our guide, Emma, so we didn’t overwhelm any of the shops we visited. The total length of the tour was about three hours, with probably 45 minutes of that at the end, where we get our reward–eating what we picked up at the shops along the way!
One of the streets we walked down was very old,dating to the medieval times. It was very narrow and some of the construction was unique to that period, as they had not yet figured out how to build buildings with straight walls that would not collapse one way or the other. So they built the bottom story bulging out, and the second story leaning a bit to the inside.
We visited:
Pâtissier (Pastries)
Pâtissier (Macarons)
Fromagère (Cheese)
Boulanger (Baker)
Chocolate Maker
There is a worldwide competition to become a ‘chocolate master’ and our shop boasts two!
Bar
At the cafe, we gathered to hear our guide explain about the different cheeses, their types (cow, goat, sheep), the impact aging has and how each ripens to different ages to reach their peak, and some sausage, and chocolate for desert. Of course, a little wine to go with it all.
Great way to spend the afternoon, learn something of French food specialties, and a section of Paris with which we are less familiar.
Tomorrow, our stay in Paris ends as we prepare to journey home. No matter the number of times we’ve visited, we always find new things to see, or appreciate things we’ve overlooked in the past.
Thank you for allowing me to share a little of our trip with you.
Photos on Flickr.
TerraTraveler 