Paris 1

We walked up rue Montorgueil [a busy shopping street] firstly to have lunch. We both had salade campagne which came with fried potatoes, four slices of jambon and a half camembert grilled. Geoff noted that this wouldn't qualify for inclusion in a heart cookbook. The wine helped. Our first stop as we walked back down the street was the cheese shop. This shop is noted for their cheeses. Fortunately they have a refrigerated cabinet out the front with cheese selections boxed up. We just had to choose which box. After the supermarket we stopped at Picard, a frozen food shop where one could buy every course for a dinner party. A friend did just that and told us at the end of the delicious meal. We could have bought many things, but we are only here for a week.

The last bike in the row

rue M

We are in an area of pedestrianised streets, with at times a lot of people meandering. The bike riders weave in and out of the tourists stopping and starting. The boys delivering restaurant meals for Deliveroo [kangaroo on the back] are fast and furious. We saw three today.

When we landed at 6am it was still dark. Paris, being directly south of London should be on Greenwich Mean time [UMT] but takes Europe time. This means that our apartment which faces south gets very hot in the long afternoon. Fun, as we have hit Paris in a heat wave and Friday is forecast to be 29. The night time temperatures are not low so the stone buildings heat up.

We went to a Grand Train exhibition in northern Paris. The heavy engine workshops, no longer used, are to be demolished for housing. We saw enormous engines beautifully painted with their buffers greased ready to be moved out after mid October when the exhibition finishes. Set up in the sheds were pop-up restaurants, book shop, second hand furniture and displays with a model photo shoot taking place while we were there. Outside was a ping pong table, barbecues and deck chairs. Between rails outside the fence were community gardens. For a break we sat on pink deckchairs enjoying the scent of buddleias. We went back to the village for lunch and enjoyed watching the passing parade quite different to the stream of tourists outside our apartment door. Thanks to www.peter-pho2.com for his blog about the exhibition.

Grenoble Gap Briancon train with snow plough