Thursday May 5 - Buttes Chaumon, the Canal, Place des Vosges and City Hall.

Did a lot of walking today.  Buttes Chaumon park is great this time of year with all the trees in leaf and many flowers in bloom.  It is difficult to realize that it is built in an old quarry and everything, including the mountain, is man-made.  The weather was good and the views of Sacre Coeur were exceptional.

The rhododendrons were at their peak.

We had a good lunch at the Restaurant Napoleon where we sat in the window.  A few years ago we were sitting there when a city work crew arrived, put on climbing gear, climbed into a tree outside and proceeded to cut it down.  The city planted a flowering chestnut in its place and it was in bloom.  Just as we sat down a handy man turned up in a small van, got out some tools and, with the help of the maitre d', took off one of the front doors, stood it up against the new tree and started to grind a bit off the bottom.

The "new" tree is being used as a support for one of the restaurant doors.

In the afternoon we walked down to the canal at Jaures and then along the canal as well as the closed-in part to Place des Vosges.  Place des Vosges was very busy with a lot of people sitting on the grass.  There was a

group of school children (6 or 7) with several teachers - they were running around a part which had been set out with cones they had brought with them.  One kid was lapping the others but many finished up walking around.

From Place des Vosges we walked to City Hall to see what exhibitions were available and then caught the metro home.  On the way in we bought dinner - a baguette from a boulangeur voted best baguette in 2007 with reblochon and ossau iraty from the fromageur - both are about half a block away.  The cheese was first rate and in excellent condition.