Two lovely things: the post by kovsie about the neighborhood and the quote from Les Miserables by Mathieu.

Made my day. Merci.

I remember your concerns about this location when you were at the planning stage. So glad it's working out so well.

I enjoyed your post very much, Paris is my favorite city in Europe.

Hi Kovsie - Is this really a home exchange? When are the owners going to your home?
I also remember reading your post when you were undecided. This is so delightful and I can't wait to read more.

Hi PatrickL and Micheline! Yes, it is the home exchange that I have posted about earlier this year. I am not sure whether I would have done this without the input from all you wise Fodorites, but yes, it is working out really well. Our exchange partners are in our home now, they went a bit later because it seems as if they decided that they first wanted to visit children elsewhere in France. I do hope that they will have a wonderful time in our part of the world.

Mathieu: thanks for the profound quote. Today we went to the Rodin Museum, and I spent a few extra minutes at the various sculptures of Victor Hugo. Sitting in the garden with beautiful roses, having enough time to really look at Rodin's art was special.

Stokebailey: your recommended day trips are on my list for early next week. I struggled a bit to get into the first part of Napoleon's bio, but now that he has gained control of France I do better as well. He showed many of the signs of a highly gifted child!

Seamus and Maine: sorry for the mix-up with your names!

I have been to the Shakespeare & Co bookshop this week, but could not find anything by Irving Stone there. What a special little store that is!

More to follow later ...

Such a charming tale ... the story of your Paris stay! I am enjoying reading your observations & experiences, especially about the 'simple' things like how watering the plants in the window boxes bring you joy! Brings me joy to read that. Thank you!

Enjoying your posts very much. I see you went to the Rodin Museum, was thinking of that for our short Paris visit in September. I know that part of the museum is closed for renovation so wondering if it's worth a visit, am thinking that perhaps it might be nice and quiet?

Jane, I loved seeing Rodin's work. We were there a little before 10am, when they open. There was a short queue, perhaps 8 people before us. When we left after 11, it was busier, but not at all crowded. There are certain works - like the dancers - that you do not see because of the renovations. Still, you see enough to give you a good idea of his genius. The 'biggies' like the Thinker and The Kiss are there to enjoy. For planning the rest of your day: we took a little more than an hour, and I can be s-l-o-w in such places. It is also easy to find: right next to the metro. Highly recommended.

As an aside: I again wondered today what makes one work of art stand out for 1000s of people. When you think of all wonders that Da Vinci produced - why is it the Mona Lisa that buses full of people rush to see - to the exclusion of so many other works. And then: why is the Thinker the one image that comes to mind when Rodin is mentioned? To me, there are other works that say much, much more.

That is called PR.

Thanks for the wonderful, vivid descriptions of your life in France, really looking forward to the rest.

This is such a sweet TR. Thank you, kovsie. I would love to read/hear about the reactions of the folks who traded with you.

DH and I were lucky with short lines at the Tour Eiffel but the 2nd elevator was cause for alarm. It stalled about 3 feet above a floor but the door opened. One very frightened tourist said, "I am so out of here!" and made the 3-foot jump successfully before the doors closed again.

More soon, please!

I spent a lovely summer day in Moret-sur-Loing.

http://anyportinastorm.proboards.com...oret-sur-loing

Thank you, kovsie, for letting us join you on your journey.

Kerouac: Thanks for introducing me to Moret-sur-Loing. A definite must. What an enchanting place!

How long is the trip from Paris to Moret-sur-Loing kerouac? Your photos are just wonderful as usual. What a pretty place.

Regarding paintings, I honestly cannot fathom the charm of the Mona Lisa. I, of course, had to see it in person because it is arguably the most famous painting in the world and is practically priceless. I'm just "meh" when viewing it.

The trip from Paris-Lyon to Moret-Veneux les Sablons takes 44 minutes.

Great to stroll down those streets again by the magic of K's photography.

I can see by K's photos 3/4 of the way down why they had to repair the creperie, La Poterne's, roof.

THE DAY WE WENT TO CHURCH IN PARIS
Our first day here is a Sunday, and we think it will be nice to go to a church … just something simple. Off we go on our first experience of the RER, changed routes because of construction, Paris Metro, finding bus 24 from Austerlitz, asking directions and asking again …

Then at last: that view of the Notre Dame through the green trees. That ‘here we truely-are-in-Paris’ moment. The Seine, the boats, the booksellers! The almost physical shock of how many 1000s of other people had the same idea this sunny Sunday morning: let’s go to Notre Dame! The queue stretching away into the distance, but moving reasonable fast.

At last we are sitting in the congregation. We are not Roman Catholic, so some of the doings are new to us. The sermon is in French, so that goes right past us. But to sit quietly, just absorb the sense of this immense and glorious building, the sun giving life to the stained glass, the mighty organ, the candles, the music - to sit quietly for an hour and give thanks for being here with my daughter – how blessed I am!

THE DAY WE MET A PARIS GREETER
Before we left home, I registered at the Paris Greeters website. Paris Greeters is an organization of volunteers, people who live in Paris and are willing to spend a few hours to show you ‘their’ Paris. They do not charge a fee, but you can make a donation at their site:
http://www.greeters.paris/?page_id=13&lang=en

I received a mail from Stephane, a Paris Greeter who lives in Montmartre. We arranged to meet in front of the Abbesses Metro. He took us to hidden-away places, gave advice about eating, buying cheese or wine, told stories about Moulin Rouge and Picasso, made us aware of the architecture. He spent almost 3 hours walking with the two of us through the small streets of Montmartre, and the first time we saw the crowds was when we reached the area near Sacre Coeur.

I do not like following tour guides, very often the attempt to be informative and funny at the same time grates against my sensibilities. DD reports that she suffers from TMI syndrome - too much information … causes mind fog and the desire to escape ;)

But with this system, you are more in control, you can (and should) say when you want to move on, you can ask questions and interrupt – it is not a prepared spiel, it is more like walking with a knowledgeable friend. I still wanted to return and see Montmartre for myself – but that’s just me.

FUNNY MOMENTS
DD buys a slice of pizza from Lafayette. She sits down flat on a sidewalk, ready for this rare treat. Just when she takes the first bite, a man walks by and says: “Bon appetite!”

A guy starts chatting with DD. He just has to smoke quickly, he says, because he cannot smoke in front of his boss. It turns out he is smoking pot. He knows it is not legal in France, but says that he has a lot of stress at work. Looking at his uniform, she sees that he delivers organic coffee.

I enter a small convenience store near our home. They sell everything, including some wine. I ask for a dry white. The handsome young man explains in limited English that he does not like dry white wine, therefore he does not sell it. I buy a sweetish muscadel because he loves it.

Near the Notre Dame is a shop that sells sweets ‘since 1795’. A customer wants to know if they still sell some of the original products (meaning the same recipe). The salesperson says seriously: “No ma’am, we are careful with expiry dates.”

lol !
Still chuckling over the last one.. hehehe...