A Sunday Walk Through the Marais in August

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We’ve just had a lovely visit from of my former ESIT students now living in Maryland, with her husband and little Ada, which is my mother’s name. The weather is not brilliant so we decide to forego a visit to the Villette version of Paris Plage as planned and walk towards the Marais.

Lovely façades in rue Saint Honoré
Lovely façades in rue Saint Honoré

As we walk down rue Saint Honoré, which we must have done a hundred times already, we notice two façades we’ve never seen before even though we’ve eaten several times at the Bistrot du 1er.

Café Oz in rue Saint Denis
Café Oz in rue Saint Denis

A short while later, I spy Café Oz off to the right in rue Saint Denis. The last time I saw Café Oz it was on the other side of the river – now there are three of them! www.cafe-oz.com.

Window box in rue Saint Denis
Window box in rue Saint Denis

We are intrigued by all the window boxes of geraniums. How do they do it in the middle of Paris when I only have very mediocre success in Blois? We are also amazed at just how many people there are! August is supposed to be empty. On rue Vieille du Temple, we come to a quiet little cul-de-sac with a village feel to it and an Australian Ugg shop on the corner. Now I know where to buy my winter slippers.

La Chaise au Plafond
La Chaise au Plafond (the chair on the ceiling!) in rue du Trésor off rue Vieille du Temple opposite Ugg

In the Marais, immediately recognizable from all the Yiddish signs everywhere and the throngs of people, we stroll into the Jardin des Rosiers and out the other side through the Maison de l’Europe de Paris which has a giant Easter egg, painted by Croatian naive artists in the courtyard.

Giant Easter Egg at the Maison de l'Europe in rue des Francs Bourgeois
Giant Easter Egg at the Maison de l’Europe in rue des Francs Bourgeois

We can also see a large brick chimney that we later find used to be a factory for extracting gold, silver and platininum from jeweller’s dust. The Marais of course was once full of Jewish jewellery shops.

Spontini on
Spontini in an old bakery on rue des Francs Bourgeois

It’s amusing to see that Spontini is now in a former bakery that once sold special bread for diabetics. I like the fact that they’ve kept the old signs.

Harpist in the arcade leading onto the Hôtel de Sully on Place des Vosges
Harpist in the arcade leading onto the Hôtel de Sully on Place des Vosges

When we reach Place des Vosges, all the cafés are full so we walk along the arcade to Hôtel de Sully, enticed by the haunting melody of a harpist.

Village Saint Paul
Village Saint Paul

Our route takes us past several courtyards. We wander in and discover Village Saint Paul, which we’ve never seen before, but most of the boutiques are closed.

Part of Philippe Auguste's wall around Paris
Part of Philippe Auguste’s wall around Paris

We see a large half-ruined wall which turns out to be part of the city walls built by Philippe Auguste at the end of the 12th century to protect Paris while he was off at the Crusades. We have vestiges near us as well, but they are not nearly as imposing as these.

Chez Mademoiselle with its coordinated 2CV!
Chez Mademoiselle with its coordinated 2CV!

Further along the street, after the famous Lycée Charlemagne in Rue Charlemagne, there is a little café called Chez Mademoiselle with a grey Citroën 2CV parked in front and painted to match the front of the café. How’s that for coordination?

Tapas at Trésor in rue Trésor
Tapas at Trésor in rue Trésor

After going past two of the oldest houses in Paris on rue François Morin, we find our way back to the Ugg shop and its cul-de-sac because we saw that Trésor is serving tapas. There is even a table for us on the edge of the inside room looking out on the terrace. It seems to be a well-guarded secret from tourists because everyone around me is speaking French.

Nicki de Saint Phalle's fountains near the Georges Pompidou centre
Nicki de Saint Phalle’s fountains near the Georges Pompidou centre

Our path home takes us past the Pompidou Centre and Nicki de Saint Phalle’s fountains that my kids used to love when they were little.  A much better promenade than last week!

UGG Australia, 26 Rue Vieille du Temple, 75004 Paris
Trésor, rue Trésor, 75004 Paris
Chez Mademoiselle, 16 rue Charlemagne, 75004 Paris
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11 thoughts on “A Sunday Walk Through the Marais in August”

  1. Loved this blog … it is almost the same paths we took last year when we had a week in the Marais …. It is always lovely when I recognise the places in your blog and it brings back many happy memories.

  2. What a delightful walk. I think that I might try to replicate it next time I am in Paris. Thanks for all the commentary which will give me things to look for that I would probably walk right past.

  3. Love the Marais. Because we always stay in the same apartment three minutes walk from the Pompidou we spend a lot of time rambling in this area. It’s such a delight – and there’s always something we’ve never noticed before. Haven’t tried Tresor, perhaps next time. As well as meals or coffees in the Place des Vosges we enjoyed this time the Swedish Cultural Institute with their homemade Swedish cakes and coffee in their courtyard – and their super exhibition of Slow Art in June. Also loved the small park across the road with free city of Paris wifi available in the gardens. Seemed very popular with the locals. About half had their laptops, ipads or smart phones out as they sunbathed on the grass amid the flowers or lounged on the benches.
    Also, so many gorgeous little boutiques and galleries. Adore the fabulous photography gallery in the rue du Vieille du Temple. Best wishes, Pamela

  4. Looks like a lovely walk in the Marais! I live in the neighborhood but have never tried Trésor – I will have to keep that in mind for next time! If you return to buy some slippers at Ugg, almost directly across the street is a wine bar inside a book shop called La Belle Hortense. It’s a cute place to stop for a glass of wine after shopping in the area 🙂

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