Laduree, a popular tea shop in Paris, has its windows ready for Valentine’s Day. At least that is my guess.

This year they are using lavender for the main color.

I wouldn’t mind getting one of these on Valentine’s Day.

Or one of these.

They have candles and fragrance this year too. Smart marketing for women.

You see a lot of these pastries for sale for Christmas and long into January. They are filled with an almond paste and quite yummy. If you get the little favre left in the cake, you get to wear a crown. They are called Galettes de Roi.

A couple of months ago I received an email from a lady who had read a posting on my blog and asking about what an object was called she had seen in one of my photos and where could she buy one. I wasn’t in Paris when I received her email and didn’t have access to any information that she needed. Alas, I can’t find her email and was hoping to send her the information so hopefully she will see this posting and have her questions answered. I remembered all of this today while strolling along some streets in the Left Bank, specifically rue Bonaparte. There are several stores here selling books and what she was looking for, book marks. The are just called Page Marks in French although I was told they also just call them Book Marks and also signet. At least this was what they told me in the shop.

A couple, ahem, marking a page.

They aren’t cheap but aren’t they cute? I might buy one if I wasn’t sure I’d immediately lose it.

Some more traditional looking bookmarks.

I saw the best selection in a shop called Librairie Pinault at 36 rue Bonaparte. They have an email address: abbaye-pinault@wanadoo.fr. Phone: 01 46 33 04 24.

I was going to title this Marais Meanderings but I feel like I’m repeating myself which I tend to do a lot of anyway. The Marais is a part of Paris that if full of history, even more than usual for Paris, with lots of interesting corners and streets.

It’s not often that you find a castle in a residential area.

The back alley into a church.

They sell great Falafal on rue des Rosiers.

Some fashionable grafitti. The Marais is loaded with shops-I see new ones all of the time-so maybe that’s the reason for this grafitti.

This morning I was rushing around, getting dressed, making the bed when I opened the curtains in our bedroom I noticed a pink light coming in the window. It has warmed up a bit here, thank goodness, and some rain has entered France which gives some clouds in the sky to catch the color of the sun as it comes up. It was such a pleasant surprise to lean out my window and see:

Some brilliantly lit clouds if I looked left and,

a rainbow if I looked right.

Excuse the blur, but I like this picture because it shows the reflection of pink light on the pavement.

The last time I was up on the hill of Montmartre the sun was shining and the sky was blue. It’s too chilly today, and has been for over a week, to venture there. There was actually a dusting of snow on the ground on the morning I wrote this-not a good thing when trying to make your way up and down streets and steps.

Some of the steps on Montmartre for that aerobic workout.

Sacre Coeur looks so great against a blue sky.

There aren’t many artists in Montmartre when it gets cold but always a few.

A street curving up the hill.

Ornate is just one word of many that you can use to describe the bridge in Paris crossing the Seine at Invalides. You could also say flamboyant and over the top.

A section in the middle.

A river goddess with a view of the Eiffel Tower.

A happy little guy on the bridge.

There’s even a crab or two along with some fish.

A sweet little foot.