We got outdoors only after lunch today and spent a couple of hours promenading around the Marrais district incl. Centre de Pompidou. It was a lovely and warm afternoon and many locals and tourists were enjoying life on the streets and in the adjacent cafés.
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| The Pompidou Centre of Modern Art is a peculiar building with an exo-skeleton. |
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| The Stravinsky pool has some very entertaining artistic creations. |
We then took the Metro to Place de la République and did some people-watching.
This African woman lived in the middle of the traffic with her few belongings. She is just one of 40.000 sans-abri (homeless) in Paris' streets and parks.
Close by, on Rue au Faubourg du Temple we visited a cheesemaker (fromagerie) and spent two very enjoyable hours with Caroline who taught us everything we didn't know about French cheeses.
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| This cheese is a Tomme au foin duely wrapped in hay from the pastures where it was produced. |
We tasted six very different kinds of cheeses and learned to appreciate their peculiarities and how to best match them with wine.
This item was, however, x-rated and tightly wrapped so we didn't get to smell or taste it – and the myriads of tiny mites that were having a great time munching the cheese from the inside. – Apparently highly recommended if you like your over-ripe cheese that way.
Coincidentally, adjacent to the fromagerie was a pest control shop that specialized in rats and mice. Presumably, these trained rats would keep the cheesemaker's shop mouse-free. – At least, we didn't see any.
It was then time for real men to check the cell phone while waiting for dinner being served.
We dropped dinner and instead walked along the romantic and two centuries old Canal Saint-Martin.
Our Friday ended where it began: the flat in 8 Passage Choiseul.
Home sweet home !
