Julian observed that our travels follow a predictable pattern. We (actually he) are obsessive-compulsive about plane and accommodation reservations. Witness that, for this trip, he had all of these in place by early March. But once we get to our destinations, we tend to wander about, often without premeditated objectives. In old European cities and villages, serendipity often reveals wonderful discoveries.
Paris is a good city in which to wander. Yesterday we did have a bit of a plan: we went exploring passages. These are arcades within ancient buildings, populated with shops to keep customers and the products out of the rain. Some of them have elegant architectural details. Passages can be seen as the precursors to modern shopping malls. Many of the stores were closed on Sunday, but others were open due to the upcoming Christmas holiday. Two days in a row we managed to wind up in the neighborhood where we stayed two years ago. When we last visited, Forum Les Halles wasn’t much more than a hole in the ground. Now it contains lots of stores, and has a small ice rink for the season. The obelisk in honor of Napoleon on Place Vendôme was undercover last time, but has since been restored. I didn’t notice any reference to the disastrous invasion of Russia or to his defeat at Waterloo on the monument – I wonder why.
Julian and I have distinct differences in how we wander. He relies on cell phone map apps, which may or may not point you in the right direction. If it’s somewhere we’ve been before, I’m more focused on streets and landmarks – restaurants, churches, and stores. I also do a bit of dead reckoning. Somehow, between the two of us, we manage to find our way back to the rental apartment.
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