On our fifth full day in Paris we decided to just go with the flow and just do whatever came to mind during the day. During the previous four days we'd had plans, but on this Saturday, we just wanted 
to kick back and enjoy things. So, a visit to our favorite little spot on Rue Montorgueil, Café du Centre was in order. So, we strolled on over. It was fairly early on this Saturday, so the streets weren't quite as busy, though the shopping on Rue Montorgueil was in full swing.
So, we sat, had our Cafe Allonges and just watched the world go by for an hour or so.
So relaxing; it's a favorite pass time of ours.
From here we headed off to do some shopping in the 2nd; passing this art installment which we don't remember seeing before right in front of the Bourse de Commerce.
Doing a bit of a search when I returned to the apartment, I found that this is called Cheval et Cavalier (" Horse and Rider") by American artist Charles Ray.
We strolled thru the lovely Galerie Vero Dodat which I've mentioned before.
We love walking thru the and exploring the covered passages of Paris.
It was fun checking things out. There were some cute pooches as well……
There's always something to draw your attention.
After our required stops along the way, we headed on back. Stopping at Hôtel de Ville, City Hall for a bit. You see this was during the first week of December and the Christmas Markets were open. Hôtel de Ville has a Christmas Market of its own.
While not as fun and those in the Alsace (we'd actually be taking a short trip soon) it was a fun little stop. And we saw this well behaved little one posing for a photo which stopped us in our tracks.
My goodness……he looked like Frankie! The Missus and I looed at each other and smiled. Maybe Frankie was looking down at us at this moment! "We miss you everyday Frankie!"
We took busy Rue des Archives back in the direction of the apartment and the Missus saw a chocolate shop named Patrick Roger and we stopped in.
Many of the chocolates seemed sculpted like pieces of art and the Missus decided to buy an assortment.
The Missus didn't enjoy these quite as much as Her favorite, but it was a fun stop.
Patrick Roger
43 Rue des Archives
75003 Paris, France
As we got to the apartment, we decided it was time for some lunch. The side streets close to where we were staying had quite a few Chinese restaurants, in the Haute Marais of all things. I mentioned the History of this in an earlier post. We saw this shop and decided some jiaozi might be nice on a winter day.
The window was all fogged up because there were quite a few people in the place and there was a woman making jiaozi in the front as well. Customer base was a mix of Chinese and regular Parisians.
We got an order of Pork and Cabbage Jiaozi and an order of Baozi.
The wrapper was too thick and chewy, the filling tender but on the bland side. The black vinegar provided was really weak. These weren't very good.
The Baozi was better, but not by much.
The dough was too rubbery, though the pan fried portion was better. It was fairly yeasty in flavor and not overly sweet. The filling here was more tender and juicy, but still on the bland side, in need of a ton of the watery black vinegar.
Not quite sure in the dumpling "artiste" was inhouse on this day? But it was an inexpensive lunch.
Les Artistes du Ravioli
33 Rue au Maire
75003 Paris, France
And it was close to the apartment which was a good thing since I was ready for a nap!
Thanks for stopping by!