Most of Paris sleeps in on Sunday, but not the Marais district. This is market day, and a one-mile stretch from the Bastille fills with vendors selling fish, meat, sausage, bread, cheese, clothing, cooking utensils and beautiful vegetables. We bought three sausages, two cheeses, a bottle of wine, some raspberries, and, with a baguette left from breakfast, headed to Place des Vosges, the oldest park in Paris, surrounded by 17th century royal residences. We had a lovely picnic while we watched children playing in the fountain. All this is within a few blocks of our apartment.
Jerry and I headed out later for some ice cream. Many of the streets were closed to traffic and they were full of people. We heard drums and followed the sound. We were surprised to find a parade. We found out later that this is Carnaval Tropical de Paris, full of exotic costumes and pounding rhythms. This is the wrong time of year for Mardi Gras, so we don’t know what they are celebrating, but we enjoyed it. Yesterday there had been a big gay pride parade. Will there be a parade tomorrow?