Sometimes you just really want a croissant, so it was off to NoGlu this morning for a tiny GF croissant. Still, worth the trip. After that a stroll back through the Marais and met John R. For lunch at the Thai place next door. Thai food in France does not have quite the oomph or spice that it does in Honolulu or Seattle. After lunch walked over to the Jardin des Plantes a nice stroll along the Seine and then the gardens have well curated beds organized by different types of plants. Also a large conservatory that houses orchids. From there, hopped the metro over to Opera for a walk through Pl. Vendome, the upscale area full of all the brands you don’t need to own and probably can’t afford anyway. Found a nice duck on Pl St. Catherine right near the apartment.
France Explorations 
The best thing about Place Vendome is the victory column in your picture. Atop it is, of course, France’s equivalent to Mussolini, Stalin, Hitler, and Putin, none other than Napoleon himself. What I didn’t realize when I was a student in Paris —–too busy with school & girl friend is my excuse—–is that the column itself, with its carved relief spiraling upward, is a copy of Hadrian’s victory column in Rome, depicting scenes from his conquest of Dacia, present day Romania.
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