Return to the Mouff, a cruise on the Seine and the new Samaritaine

 6 June 2022.

After coffee and breakfast we headed off for one of our favorite destinations, at least in this part of Paris, the rue Mouffetard. Known affectionately as simply "the Mouff," it is a long narrow street that winds down from Place Contrescarpe in the Latin Quarter and ends in a maze of streets next to Saint Medard church and becomes Av. des Gobelins leading up to Place d'Italie. Lots of funky shops and food venues, both sit down as well as street vendors. We've been coming here since 2006 and it never disappoints.

Even though today was the tail end of a five-day religious holiday here in Paris (Pentecost weekend), a number of places were open for business. Naturally the Franprix grocery was one of those and we popped in to pick up a few basic necessities for home. 

Leaving the Mouff we headed back home. After stopping at a Nicolas for wines for the week we also picked up a baguette and Paris-Brest pastry at the boulangerie Maison Landemaine, both located at the junction of rue Monge, rue Mouffetard and rue du Fer da Moulin.

along our way home, the French have a way with the news

You will note the teddy bears -- this particular style of TB has found its way into many of the shops and businesses in Paris. In fact, we came across a man walking down a street near our apartment in the 13th holding one of these waving at everyone with one its paws. Naturally we waved back. I asked one restaurant worker why they had several seated at tables visible from the street and was told "to make people smile." Pretty good reason.

Once the groceries were put away it was time to head back out into the sunshine. Our main objective was to test out our newly charged Navigo public transport passes on our way to the Pont Neuf where we hoped to catch a river cruise. The passes are good for any public transport in zones 1-5.

(It should be noted that we still had our updated Navigo passes from four years ago that we were able to recharge this go around; our original versions were first used by us in 2006-07!)

So with our passes in hand we headed for the no. 7 line at Les Gobelins station. From there we rode the Metro to the Pont Neuf. Exiting up the stairs we found ourselves back in that magical maze of tourists pointing their phones in every direction trying to capture just that right moment of being in Paris.

Crossing the Pont Neuf, in fact the oldest bridge in Paris, we made our way to the Isle de la Cité and down to the Square du Vert Galant where we found our the ticket office for Vedettes du Pont Neuf. 

At a little before 15:00 (3pm) we boarded the boat and joined in the fun game of scrambling for the seats. Truth be told we thought this boat's seating configuration to be strangely dumb. Clearly the business hoped to maximize profits while trading away any consideration for the comfort of the passengers.

Once packed in off we went for a short, sunny tour of Paris as seen from the water. . . So many people out enjoying being close to the river. In some ways human nature hasn't changed in millennia.

Square du Vert Galant, tip of the Isle de la Cité

on the Isle Saint-Louis, note the roof garden with trees

the tango class is still on the left bank after all these years

Note the dancers in the center of the frame right along the embankment . . . I first saw them dancing in this same place some years ago.

passing around the tip of the Isle Saint-Louis

the Conciergerie, where Marie Antoinette was held prisoner before her execution

lots of greenery on the boats along the quai

this is where our river adventure began

the Musée d'Orsay

we could actually see the people climbing the stairs

turning around

the Zouave, how the locals check the floodwaters of the Seine

more boat gardens

a very small part of the Louvre

looking at the newly refurbished Samaritaine

yes, there are still working barges on the river

If you haven't seen enough and would like a brief video tour of our 50-minute trip (in about 10 minutes) check out the video:

Once off the boat we peeked down the long green stretch of the Square du Vert Galant toward the tip of the Isle de la Cité before climbing the stairs back up to street level.

You'll note all the wooden boards affixed to the railings. Over the years Paris has struggled with tourists and locals alike placing their "locks of love" on nearby bridge railings as well as anyplace they could gain access. It was decided to place clear plastic windows inside the metal frames where necessary and in others, like this place, to use wooden boards. Not attractive but apparently effective.

looking over to the left bank and to Place Dauphine

statue dedicated to Henry IV, keeping an eye on the Isle de la Cité 

We walked back to the right bank and headed for the newly remodeled Samaritaine where we planned to have an aperitif before heading home.

the Samaritaine far left

rue de la Monniae to the left and rue du Pont Neuf to the right

between the two streets

While the store is architecturally stunning and its painted murals and open atrium breathtaking, it is a space dedicated to obscene ostentation and  conspicuous consumption. In fact, this building is but an indoor mall of overpriced and overrated designer brands (Prada, Gucci, etc.).

We did break down and stop at the cafe on the 5th floor to have a drink, a concoction of strawberry puree and champagne. It was very good. 

Eventually it was time to leave and make our way back to metro and home for the evening.