On Thursday we took the 38 the other direction, away from the Seine. Our destination was Montparnasse Avenue, and eventually Montparnasse Tower, the tallest building in Paris.
Our plan was to take the 91 down the length of the avenue on the way to the tower. After exiting the 38 we didn’t see the nearest 91 bus stop, but that worked in our favor as we had the opportunity to window shop for a couple of blocks as we walked to the next stop.
When we got to Montparnasse Tower we decided against riding to the top as the day was gray and cloudy; not the best for taking photos from such a great vantage point.
Instead, we continued with the rest of our plan, and made our way to the stop for the 92 bus. We were on our way to Rue Cler, a street noted (and perhaps a bit over-hyped) for a variety of interesting shops.
It was fun though, and the quality of the produce appeared to be excellent. The strawberries were unlike any we’ve ever seen, with high shoulders growing up almost 1/3 of an inch beyond “normal” berries.
We also bought some tasty chocolate at a small shop, and were amazed at the selection at the cheese (fromage) shop. There were a variety of cafes and other shops, including a couple of flower stands. The one shown below was for sale at one of the stands, and is quite unlike any flower I’ve seen before.
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Near Rue Cler we found a wonderful bakery; these photos are from the front window. We didn’t try any of these fancy desserts, but the pastries were very good.
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We found the 92 near the bakery and were heading back to the 91 to get back to our room when I spied this massive flower shop across the street from where the bus had stopped; we quickly jumped off and made our way over to check it out. We have a nice bouquet in our room now.
For dinner we rode down to Boulevard Saint-Germain and walked for a couple of blocks till we found a small place that seemed to fit the bill. The highlights were the French Onion Soup and the Paella.
The happy couple at dinner.
