One of the joys of living in France is that you are never more than a train ride away from Paris. From our TGV station in Orthez, you can leave in the morning and be in Paris in time for a lunch reservation. A few weeks ago, we took advantage of the great French train system (and our Cartes Senior Advantage, which give fat discounts for voyagers over 60…not everything about getting old sucks!) to spend a couple nights in Paris with the goal of seeing a couple interesting museum exhibitions and, of course, dining.
Before lunch one day, we stopped for an apéro at Bistrot Vivienne in the Galerie Vivienne, one of the storied passages that dot central Paris. The fantastic Belle Époque ambiance is included with he cost of the drinks, as are the olives. This galerie is also home to one my favorite Paris bookshops, Librairie Jousseaume, which has been in this location since 1826. Jousseaume specializes in rare and antique books, so I rarely find anything in my price range. But the shop is such a voyage back in time that I like to brows and maybe take home a few old postcards or a bookmark.