www.DavidPAdams.com/Paris2007.html

My first full day in Paris I took the Metro to the Left Bank and was wandering around the St-Germain quarter as lunchtime approached. 

I had lunch at the little table by the bottom of the stairs.

This trip I didn't go to museums as much as you might think, but I made a point of visiting the Orangerie in a corner of the Tuileries Gardens.  I had reopened after extensive renovations such that Monet's fabulous huge waterlily canvases are now upstairs and in good light.  But don't miss downstairs the grand once-private collection of early 20th-century paintings. 

Then I took a long stroll through the gardens -the picture is the end of one wing of the Louvre - and eventually back to my friend Eric's apartment.  The Tuileries were a mix of autumn leaves and almost-springlike blooms.  I assume the French extensively replant the large gardens, but it is always a surprise to me how much is in bloom in what is clearly autumn here in New England.  The Paris climate is surprisingly temperate, given how far north it is. 

The Luxemburg Gardens and Palace on a seeming spring day.

I always spend a lot of time on the Left Bank near the Seine.  I stroll along Boulevard St-Germain and the nearby streets, gazing at the fancy shops and all sorts of tempting restaurants.  I take lunch there, as I do feel that good food is part of the reason to travel, but ultimately I leave.  I head for the nearly Latin Quarter.  I know the area from years ago as a student.  Nowadays it's more a tourist destination than a student quarter, but at least the old Tunisian pastry shop is still there!  It's the picture below, and above is a typical street sign attached to the front of an overlooked church.