Getting settled

Our apartment is near the Marché des Enfants Rouges, one of the oldest markets in Paris, named after the orphans who lived in the area centuries ago, who wore red clothing to identify themselves. It re-opened a few years ago after having been closed for many years and the selection of food is wonderful. It's a bit difficult to find it from the street, but once inside, there are greengrocers, butchers, wine merchants, cheese sellers and lots of prepared food stands, including Italian, Japanese and others. The Moroccan traiteur in particular is very tempting and I'm sure we'll be bringing in dinner from this stand at least once.
After cruising the market we needed to be outdoors to fight the hovering jet lag and decided to head to the Marais, about 20 minutes walk away. It was Saturday and we thought it might be quiet there since it's a traditionally Jewish area. Well, not exactly.

The streets were jammed with young people, tourists, families, gay men and women. The character of the neighborhood has changed completely in the last decade or so and it's a major hangout with trendy cafes, bars, and shops.

After a late lunch on rue Vieille du Temple we dropped in to the Swiss Cultural Center to see an exhibit and headed home.
Dinner was around the corner at Fil des Saisons which Clotilde recommended. The menu was on a chalkboard and quite extensive so when the woman came to take our order I mentioned it was difficult to decide. "It's like school," she replied. "It's difficult but you have to do it." "I'm sure it's better than school though," I said. "No," she said, "it's just like school. If you don't finish what's on your plate you'll be punished."

Luckily it was delicious. We ate it all.