Part 2 JOHN'S STAY IN PARIS

JOHN'S PARIS STAY PAGE TWO. RICHARD LENOIR OPEN AIR MARKET, AND CARNAVALET MUSEUM.

We might get to the Museum by walking through the market. Despite the Supermarkets and "Grand Surfaces," (hyper-markets,) I read somewhere that Parisians still prefer to shop in open air markets. There are literally hundreds of them all over Paris open on different days of the week; flea markets, fruit and veg, art and crafts, all kinds. 

Our local market, which starts about fifty yards down the road from us, is open for four or five days  a week. Some days it just sells food, some days it has art and crafts as well. On the food days you see stalls which sell all the produce that France is famous for. There might be a stall that sells just cheese, but there will be dozens of different sorts of cheese. Another stall might just sell products from a certain area, I saw one which sold, products from Normandy. The bread and pastry stalls are just amazing (you put on weight just looking at them!) and there are all the usual arts and crafts as well.

The Carnavalete Museum is one of my favourite museums from all the ones I have ever visited. Although it is a "boutique museum," if there is such a thing, it is housed in a big mansion owned by a French nobleman hundreds of years ago. Think "The Three Muskateers," and you will get the idea. For me it is a museum about Paris for Parisians and Parisian life. So although I wouldn't be unhappy if I didn't go back to the Louvre again, I think I could still spend hours wandering around Carnavalet. They had a special exhibition showing called Paris Libre about the liberation of Paris at the end of the Second World War. Unfortunately, photos were not allowed. Julie said it was some of the best photo journalism and reporting she had ever seen. 

For photos of this and the rest of my Paris thoughts see Julie's blog. She has expressed and photographed everything I wanted to say ...  ... But better!

However, back with me, and after our visit to the Carnavalete,  we might think about getting some lunch.