xoxo

OK, that’s probably about enough already! Have fun!

It could be nice to go for a stroll along the canal St. Martin, and it can be a good spot for a picnic too. I think picnics might be your a good bet since you’re vegan. I live here and am vegetarian and so I find that because of that I end up only eating out very rarely… also because restaurants are expensive here! But if you stop into a bakery you can always grab a baguette. The baguettes which are called ‘tradition’ have to strictly adhere to French law about what should be in a baguette and I’m pretty sure you can rely on those to always be vegan. They are slightly more expensive, but only maybe 20c or something. There is a lot of very good quality jam for cheap in France (I like Bonne Mamman brand… you can try one called châtaigne which is chestnut and is good on ice cream (soy based for you, of course). Oh, and the canal St. Martin is nicest on sunny, warm days, otherwise it can be kind of sad and lifeless. The bars along it will sell you carry away beer for picnics and things… but you’d be better off bringing wine!

Another nice place to walk around is the Promenade Plantée which is an old railway line converted into a raised garden walkway. It goes from Bastille to almost the parc de Vincennes which is nice too, with an old castle to visit. The part of the promenade next to Bastille is nice too because it is on top of the Viaduc des Arts.. so there are little galleries and studios underneath which you can look into if you like.

I’d second the Sainte-Chappelle… and I think it may be free to visit on the first Sunday of every month (actually a lot of the museums are). Another nice church, is the big Russian Orthodox St. Alexandre Nevski… though there’s not too much immediately nearby, it’s by the Place des Ternes, which isn’t far from the Arc du Triomphe. There are a lot of nice churches in Paris though!

The Hotel de Cluny, which is the medieval art museum is nice. Mariages Frères, a tea shop in the Marais is a cute place to by some really fancy tea to bring home with you, but it’s a bit expensive. There’s a really good Ethiopian restaurant called Menelik, it has vegetarian things, but I’m not sure about if it has vegan things or not… you could call ahead, their info is here: http://www.menelikrestaurant.com/
I’ve heard of a Buddhist vegetarian restaurant where they make every kind of ‘meat’ or ‘fish’ you could want but it’s all soy based, I think it’s in the 13th… I haven’t been, but maybe your friends will have heard of it too. I know that in Toronto (where I’m from) there is a restaurant like this which is amazing beyond belief. There are lots of couscous places, which could probably be a good option too.

Anyway, have a great trip, and send me an email if you want more info.. I’ll do what I can!

i would definitely recommend visiting montmartre, oscar wilde’s grave, and the philosopher’s walk. well, those are things i would do if i were going this march! i was there when i was quite young and only have foggy smelly memories of my mother covering my eyes when we accidentally wandered into the area where sex workers were propositioning my father.

how perfect: i’m just listening to the radio right now and ta-dah! it is a lovely special about paris and eroticism. here is the podcast if you’d like to hear it: http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/features/pleasures-flesh/index.html

there is some very interesting food for thought so far, and i’m 30 minutes in.