104 capital’s hustle and bustle. Built in 1612 at the request of king Henri IV, it was inaugurated to celebrate We now turn our backs on the architectural rigor of Place des Vosges to continue our walk in Rue de Turenne and Rue de Poitou. It is time for a spot of lunch in the Marché des Enfants Rouges. Its Japanese restaurant is the best in Paris. The Far East in the city’s oldest market. Opened in 1615, the small market was created to supply the Marais. Henri IV envisioned creating a “Place de France”, a semi-circular space from which radiated streets that would bear the names of the country’s different provinces. The project was carried out; but some of the streets names still bear testimony to the plans: see Rue de Bretagne, Poitou, Saintonge, Perche? Le Petit Marché, set in a wooden market hall and equipped with a well and stables, proved a great success.
property of the city of Paris. It was inscribed on the inventory of historical monuments in 1982. Five centuries later after its founding, the market is still the neighbourhood’s beating heart. Locals call it the “village square”. Here, what feels like an entirely new quarter opens up. The streets vibrate with energy and enthusiasm. The surroundings are steeped in creativity visible in shop windows and on faces. We have sneaked into Paris’ Bobo (bourgeois bohemian) inner sanctum.
Its time to walk across Place de la République and onto Chez Prune’s terrace for a large cheese plate. Along Canal Saint Martin, our jaunt reaches its crescendo. Bystanders and canals flow along the same urban path. What used to be Paris’ docks has been transformed into an area of luxurious lofts and artists’ studios. It is a joy to live along this canal that connects Bassin de la Villette with Canal de l’Ourcq, further along. Inaugurated in 1825, The Marché des Enfants Rouges name is, it is bordered by Quai de Valmy and Quai de too, steeped in history. When the authorities Jemmape near which stands the celebrated decided to close the orphanage built there by Hotel du Nord made famous by Marcel CarMarguerite de Navarre in 1534, the Marais resi- né’s 1938 eponymous film. It is here that we dents dedicated the market’s new name to the end our promenade. Following in Arlety’s, we memory of its young residents who wore little will have a well-earned dinner at the recently red habits: the colour of charity. In 1912, the restored Hotel du Nord, in a warm and intimate hall, clad in red velvet and cloaked in soft light. Marché des Enfants Rouges became the