My Peaceful Sunday Morning Walk in the 6th

This was my last day in Paris and a peaceful walk or wander was in order.  I wanted to be able to soak up all the ambience I could before leaving. No rushing about, no agenda, just purely being in the moment and enjoying every little thing Paris has to offer on a peaceful walk.

I was up and out early and as I was just a 5 minute walk to Église Saint-Sulpice, I stopped there first. Mere weeks before, there had been a fire in the door-way. With bated breath I entered the church hoping to find the Delacroix paintings unharmed. I found no remaining evidence of the fire – what a relief!

Église Saint-Sulpice

Around Marché Saint Germain

Next, a croissant to fortify me. I headed to the Marché Saint Germain which is a lovely covered market. It is open every day except Monday. Entering on the rue Mabillon side, I discovered Marks and Spenser grocers has taken up residence. Luckily, they do not occupy the whole building. Walking down the rue Lobineau side, I found the entrance to the market with all the fresh veg, meat and cheeses.

On this same street, at the corner of Lobineau and rue de Seine,  I stopped at Maison Mulot for a croissant. Yes, how very “un French” of me to walk and eat at the same time but I was not yet ready for a proper petit-déjeuner. Maison Mulot also had a wonderful selection of pre-made sandwiches for the lunch crowd, not to mention tempting patiseries.

Across the street from Mulot is Arnaud Larher chocolates. I resisted all but a picture as it was way too early for sweets!

Stopping to verify my location on Google Maps, my peaceful walk continued as I crossed Boulevard Saint-Germain in search of a cup of tea. Hot tea would definitely take the edge off this cool drizzly spring morning. On the corner of rue de Seine and rue de Buci  I stopped to listen to this band before heading into Boulangerie Paul.

My Petit-dejeuner

Tables outside warmed by heaters held only a few customers but inside the café area of the bakery was filled with locals.  I ordered “The Parisen” and awaited my petit-déjeuner.

Here in the heart of Paris, where one is apt to hear complaints about how expensive it is to eat, I had breakfast for a mere 5 euros. My warm baguette and steaming hot tea were just perfect.

Trivia for the day: Across the street at #12, there is a flaming star on the building indicating that it was once a Masonic lodge. More specifically, this was the location of the first Masonic lodge in France.

Rue de Buci is one of my favorite streets in Paris and I looked forward to wandering it. However, as I was so close to the Eugene Delacroix Museum, I headed there first. Being the first Sunday of the month, museum entry was free as are many other museums here in Paris.

Delacroix Museum and other Delights on rue Furstemburg

The museum is in Delacroix’s apartment and studio. Due to ill health he moved here while completing the paintings in Église Saint-Sulpice. His studio opens on to the  garden and I could just imagine Delacroix sitting under the shade of the trees. This site has an informative biography.

Stepping through the entry from Place Furstemburg, the entrance to the Delacroix museum is in the courtyard.

The peaceful Delacroix Museum garden

View from the top of the stairs as you descend to the garden below

Located on rue Furstemburg, the Delacroix Museum is opposite this delightful shop of spices and peppers at #7. The smell is enticing and the spices come in small little canisters perfect for tucking into empty corners of my suitcase!

Compagnie Française des Poivres et des Epices

Place Furstemburg is itself quite lovely and the perfect destination for any peaceful walk!

Back on rue de Buci, I quickly realized that Paris was finally awake on this Sunday morning! What had been a quiet little street with only a handful of people when I headed to the museum had turned in to a bustle of humanity. This café was fairly humming with people.

Maison Sauvage

Café tip: If you are in the 6th arrondissement, you will be spoilt for choice in terms of cafés along rue de Buci and the streets that extend off of it.

Cours de Commerce Saint-André

Crossing rue Mazarine, the street name changes to rue Saint-André des Arts. Just past The Mazet, a British pub, is a rather unprepossessing entry to Cours de Commerce Saint-André. On the right, is an image of the “main entrance” at the other end.

The “grand entry” is at the opposite end of this galerie/passage. This galerie is definitely worth exploring ! It is lovely and has two well-know restaurants: La Procope and Le Relais Odeon. La Procope can also be accessed from rue de l’Ancienne Comédie.  The original cobbled streets lend charm to this passage even if they do make for difficult walking!

Cours de Commerce Saint-André

Le Relais Odéon

Cour de Rohan is a private passage that opens into Cour du Commerce. The grill/gate is rarely open to the public these days.  I must be content with a view over the top of the grill.

Below the wrought iron grill is a solid metal fence that was about 6 feet high.

Where to next: Bouquinistes and Passage Dauphine

This lovely spring ramble in Paris just wouldn’t be complete without a walk along the Seine, perusing the bouquinistes which I explored in a previous post. 

However, walking back toward the Seine, I came across Passage Dauphine. The last time I was in this neighborhood, the gate was closed.  I assumed it was locked and accessible only by residents. Clearly ,that is not the case as tucked back in a corner is a tea salon.

L’Heure Gourmande tea salon complete with a blanket for this chilly spring morning

I thoroughly enjoyed browsing all the book stalls along the Seine!

These views of Pont Neuf and the boats in the Seine proved to be the perfect finale to my  walk!

Square du Vert-Galant and Pont Neuf

My only regret, is not visiting Notre-Dame on this wonderfully peaceful walk. As I headed back to the apartment, I told myself that Notre-Dame would be waiting for me on  the next visit. Little did I know the devastation that would occur a mere one week later. In this photo, her spire still proudly reaches tower the sky.

This image and others of Paris can be purchased as a print or gift product.