We had a sleepy start to our day. Yesterday wiped us out more than we expected it to so we relaxed with an extra cup of coffee before setting out for Le Marais district. We took the Metro to the Chatelet station and walked the rest of the way to Place Des Vosges.

Place Des Vosges
A courtyard at Place des Vosges

This was the first planned community in Paris and is an enclosed square of homes with a formal garden in the centre (now a park).

The Queen’s house that only one queen (the queen of Spain) ever lived in. It and the King’s house opposite on the square are the only 4 story buildings, the others are all 3 stories.

We stopped for a refreshing beer break before getting a look at Victor Hugo’s home, the only home that is open to the public. The City of Paris runs the museum dedicated to Victor Hugo. We enjoyed not only the exhibit, but the free admission.

Victor Hugo
Quasimodo
A scene from Les Miserables

Our next stop was the Marche des Enfants Rouges (market of the red children). It is the oldest covered market in Paris, established in 1615. It is named after a nearby hospice for orphaned children who were typically clad in red uniforms. It is now a cacophony of restaurants serving any type of food you might desire.

Marche des Enfants Rouges
The smoothie station in the market.

We did the circuit of options a few times before the guys zoned in on the Burger Fermier. OMG was it ever a good choice. The server talked us into the local cheese and the delicious “sauce” (which turned out to be an amazing version of mayo) for the fries. Greg declared it the best burger he has ever eaten. We ordered the burgers done medium. I am sure that no restaurant in Edmonton would be allowed to serve a burger this rare (for shame!)

The largest burger and fries combo ever provided!
Rare but delicious.

We needed to continue strolling to wear off the lunch time calories, so off we went to find the Maille mustard store. It was a long walk interrupted by a short stop at a pharmacy to buy me some blister bandaids. My feet were swollen from the heat and the straps of my sandals were not my friend. The temperature was in the 30s again today and we were all feeling the impact of the walking and heat combo.

The Maille store became a target following a prompt from Amanda, my culinary buddy in Edmonton. The store was amazing with a huge amount of mustard, pickle and other condiments to taste. It was also hugely busy so we bought a few momentos looked for a place for a happy hour beer.

The mother ship of condiments
The Church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine outside the Maille store – a great neighborhood! We were too tired to explore it on the inside but were so impressed!

Our last beer of the day was needed to give us enough of a rest for our weary feet for the final drive to, of all places, St. Lazare Metro Station. You can tell by the look on these two fellows just what the impact of walking 6.7 miles in 30+ degree heat looks like.

Despite vowing to never eat again after our lunch, we started to get hungry. We dined on baguette, roast chicken and veggies on the balcony of our apartment. We have enjoyed eating out for lunch, usually spending 20-30 euro per person for an appetizer, main course and beverage. Our evening meals have typically cost us less than 15 euro for cheese, veggies, a protein of some kind and wine for all three of us. This way of eating has also allowed us to shop like locals.

Tomorrow is our last day in Paris before heading home on Sunday. We have a low key sightseeing day planned before we start packing. We have had a great trip but are ready to go home to the smoke from forest fires, the severe thunderstorm warnings and the new wasp nest in the garage! There is no place like home.