A (very) short walking tour of Paris

One of my favorite activities in Paris, Barcelona or any walkable city, is to rise early and take a stroll around the neighborhood. During the week it's fun to observe the mass of humanity rushing to work and on weekends it's not unusual to have the sidewalk to myself as locals sleep in.

This article covers a few walkable areas of Paris and captures the spirit of leisure that should be part of any vacation. It leads off with one of my favorite places, Place de la Contrescarpe. You may recognize it as the photo, tightly cropped, on our home page.

Place de la Contrescarpe, in the 5th arrondissement, is circled by cafés, with many more dining places on nearby streets. Ernest Hemingway opens "A Moveable Feast" with a reference to this place, very near where he lived when he first went to Paris.

This area is actually quite hilly, or at least there is one hill here that you must climb to reach it from the Seine. Rue Mouffetard, the famed old street lined with restaurants, bars and food stores, is to the left. I had my first taste of andouillette sausage at Café Delmas, the place with the red awning. I assumed it was like andouille, but learned after cutting it open that it's made with pork chitterlings. Smelled bad, tasted good.

The writer next heads toward the Luxembourg Gardens. We went in that direction one cold December night, walking past the imposing Pantheon, the final resting place of many famous Parisians.

It was more pleasant to visit during a fall trip; while flowers were few the greenery was in great shape.

The Luxembourg palace overlooks the famous bassin, where young and old alike sail model boats.

Another great Left Bank walking area is the 7th arrondissement, home of the Eiffel Tower. Start on the Rue Cler market street, where vendors bring out their produce early in the morning.

Rue Cler is lined with food vendors and shops. Some say it's too touristy, but we've found a good mix of locals and visitors.

It's a moderate walk from here to the Champ de Mars, the large park that stretches to the Eiffel Tower. It's a great place for a picnic and you're likely to see some old-timers playing boules in the sand walkways.

Another good neighborhood for scenery and greenery is near Canal Saint-Martin, in the 10th arrondissement. There's nothing particularly monumental here, and much of the area is standard middle-class residential/commercial. That means good food at fair prices and interesting local shops. The canal itself cuts a beautiful swath toward the Seine before disappearing underground.

Canal Saint-Martin is another venue for model boats.

For us, "living" in neighborhoods such as these makes a visit to Paris more intimate and memorable. To see apartments in Paris and Barcelona, visit www.likelivingthere.com