From Praiano to Paris - weather or not...

A rare moment on a carousel in the Marais (note the winter hat)

After our eleven day Italian idyll, we left the brilliant warm sunshine and spectacular scenery of Praiano for my heretofore favorite city, Paris.  I toyed with the idea of remaining in Praiano and canceling the trip to Paris but it was impossible.  Our apartment was already paid for and we couldn't change our flights. Besides, we had to go to Paris to get our train to London.  So to Paris we went and there we were met with an autumnal chill and days of rain. Izzy wondered aloud as to why it had been "summer in Italy and it was now winter in Paris". I wondered the same.

I didn't expect much from Paris, simply some days of meandering, a few good meals, a bit of  frolicking in Place des Vosges,  Jardins du Luxembourg and Les Tuileries and perhaps a visit to a small museum or two.  I also wanted to shop, for Izzy, myself and my friends.  Hardly got to do any of those things as the weather foiled most of our plans, except for eating and shopping, of which we did far too much.

Whenever we stepped outside, the sky would darken and the drops would begin falling.   I had no choice but to duck into the nearest shop.  We spent an inordinate amount of time in bookstores, clothing shops and whatever else crossed our paths.  Izzy began to amass a collection of Tintin books, which entertained him during my forays into clothing shops and shoe stores.

Tintin au restaurant

And so we spent our days in Paris, scurrying in and out of shops, escaping the rain, enjoying occasional bouts of sunshine and a few other activities...