Paris in the Rain

Paris is a great city for strolling and enjoying the splendid vistas offered by the River, the axis of the Louvre – Place de la Concorde – Champs Elysees – Arc de Triomphe and the Arch of the Defense; or the panorama offered from Montmartre. But when it rains everyone heads for the art galleries and museums, which can be become clogged – and the queues to get into places like Musee d’Orsay get longer and entail queuing in the rain!!
So another strategy, which admittedly may involve a few sprints between destinations, would be to head for the arcades and galleries which offer great window shopping under cover. Places such as the Galerie Vivienne (rue Vivienne, Paris 2) – see photo above – with its marble floors is an elegant 19th century equivalent to s modern shopping mall -there are others between the rue St Marc and thre Bouilevard Montmartre.
A little less protected from the elements are the arcades around places such as the Jardin du Palais Royal, the Place des Vosges along the rue de Rivoli.
But the Parisiens have the best solution – head for a cafe/bar/brasserie, get a window seat and order a Chocolat Chaud (hot chocolate) and just watch the world go by with all the theatre and variety that Paris can offer.

For more info see www.galerie-vivienne.com/

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