Paris 4- Travelling back to the Hotel

After we left Notre Dame we carried on walking along the side of the Seine but this time we walked along the road side, sheltering under the trees until we reached La Samaritaine.
 It was still closed, and may be closed for ever even though there was hopes of opening as a Hotel so that all the Art Deco fittings could be kept.

I was getting tired by now so we found a cafe and settled down with a Croque Madame and a Coffee, or a glass of wine.  We sat there for some time, even managed to eat a Apple Crumble!
We carried on walking along the Rue de Rivoli, knowing that it would eventually finish at the Bastille.


Along the way we passed a building with some humongous statues outside .... we stopped for a better look but what they were supposed to represent I do not know.


A lady to the left and a man to the right, not very happy looking but very biiiig!!
Amazing!



We trudged on, stopping at another little cafe for a coffee and then, when we had walked some distance, window shopping and people watching, we saw this building.....



Magnificent!

C'est La Hotel de Ville.  
What a superb building and when you read about its history ....


The decoration is as good as Notre Dame ....

so beautiful ....

we spent some time just looking at it ...

Such beauty ....

We continued to walk, seeing such wonderful sights, how I love Paris!  The old buildings mingle with the new buildings, and as we walk along, loving the atmosphere, amid the rush hour, people just passing by on their way home and here we were, just strolling and we saw but they didn't.  I suppose if you live with something it becomes invisible.
When we reached the Bastille we strolled around just on our own - a group of teens were gathered together and  ..... trying out some spring loaded 'shoes'.
We stood and watched them for a while .... last time we were here there were skateboarders - grown ups -  roller bladers - grown ups.  We even saw some men with those little scooters!

Ah! Paris!

Eventually we arrived back at Le Viaduct des Arts - this time at Boulevard level.
As we walked along, I remembered that M had told me of an embroidery shop along here so I dawdled a bit...... there it was .... Le Bonheur des Dames.

Stepping inside I was transported into beauty....

I wandered around trying to find something to buy .....

.... then I found some scissors!

yes! yes!  I know I have lots of them but a girl can't have too many pairs of scissors

...... no, I can't!

..... and they are red!!

We walked back to the square and met up with M who took us to her local Chinese restaurant where we stayed most of the evening ......