Day 2 - The Clever Pup as a Flâneur

Close-up toward the West, down rue Soufflot

Or maybe make that a flâneuse. What's a flâneur? A flâneur was a 19th-Century gent; top hatted and using a cane - a stroller, a saunterer. I like the definition coined by Baudelaire - "a person who walks the city in order to experience it". That was me alright - all day Saturday in Paris.
The weather was beautiful again; 25 C. Once I  manoeuvered around the pink-clad runners participating in the French version of the Run for the Cure, I came out the other side of the Luxembourg Gardens and strolled along Rue Vaugirard. Past the Sénat which just infamously okayed the changes to French retirement legislation. Took a picture at the La Maison de Poupée at 40 rue Vaugirard. Hello PeeWee!

La Maison de Poupee

After avoiding some avid street-cleaners, (thank you,by the way), I doodled around and headed to Rue du Cherche-Midi. I had heard great things, but that early in the morning I couldn't find too much to interest me. I saw Mamie Gâteaux and Tugalik, but what really floored me is the architecture in Paris. Everywhere you look there's something beautiful. Do you know how many times I'm awestruck walking down Bloor Street West in Toronto? 0.

Tartes in Montparnasse

 Then I  found my way onto Rue du Sèvres where I was handed a perfume sample of Thierry Mugler's Womanity. Mmmm. And then I found Bon Marché at No. 24. Bon Marché is pretty nice, but pretty similar to a Toronto-style flagship store. Dating from 1852 it is the oldest department store in Paris, evidenced in the creaky wooden floors. Very much in layout like a North-American shop, Bon Marché had less merchandise, just more expensive. The main floor with the scarves and perfume and handbags was a very exciting jumble of sights and smells but for a really eye-popping experience, or if you have less time, save it for Galeries Lafayette. 
À Bientôt