'Joie de Vivre' Is Alive And Well

Aaah, Paris. There are so many images that come to mind when one hears that name. Although it is home to the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame, the Louvre, and so many other sights, it is more than that. Paris is a feeling. Paris is an experience. And Paris is an attitude. Parisians grab life and everything it gives them and celebrate it (usually with a drink in an outdoor cafe). We were very excited to be coming back to Paris and it was especially wonderful to have found a little apartment in our favourite part of the city, the Marais, to live in for two weeks. We wanted to spend our time walking the streets of Paris as locals do (okay, maybe we didn't fool anybody with our comfortable shoes and pathetic attempts at French phrases) and shopping at their markets and sitting in their parks. And in a little way we succeeded. It was an experience we won't soon forget. (By the way, all of these pictures were taken in the Marais area.)

The Marais is a unique neighbourhood just northeast of the Notre Dame where the streets are very narrow and the buildings predate those of most other parts of the city. It is also refered to as the Jewish quarter because of the number of Jewish shops located there. We were living just one block from the main park in the Marais called Place des Vosges. Victor Hugo lived in one of the homes on the edge of the park and many other famous Parisians lived in the area as well. Today it is most famous for the endless tiny high end shops and countless cafes that line the bottom floors of the six story buildings.

Our favourite memories of living in the Marais were getting our daily baguette from the corner boulangerie, watching the children scootering by on their way to the private school on our street every morning, reading in Place des Vosges while people picnicked on the grass, walking past all the cafes with the chairs facing the street to watch life go by, and so much more. We even got a kick from all the street cleaners who seemed to work around the clock to keep up with all the cigarette butts and dog doo. The best part was when Matthew started confidently taking off on errands in many different directions because the Marais had become home to him.