Rue Cler in Paris

[music playing] The rue Cler is a small pedestrian market street in Paris, France. It’s about 14 minutes east of the Eiffel Tower, on foot. Market streets in Paris usually have a good variety of food markets. Here on the rue Cler, Top Halles is one of the produce markets. It’s at the north end of the street. Food markets in Paris get the best of everything, in all seasons. The Franprix supermarket on the rue Cler has an organic produce market, too I’m not sure what makes organic produce special, but it’s there if you want it. The rue Cler is famous mostly because travel author Rick Steves promotes it. It’s not the biggest or busiest market street, but it’s typical of the genre. There are several restaurants, all with fixed-price menus available. The Asian menu at DZ included an appetizer, main dish, and drink for €8 on this day. Two stores on the street sell a large selection of wine and spirits. France has hundreds of cheeses, easily enough to justify a store dedicated to them. This is just a glimpse of the varieties available at this store on the rue Cler. Lots of stores are compressed into a small space, very typically Parisian. Ulysse en Gaule offers Greek food, catering … and crêpes made to order. It’s the only crêpe stand on the rue Cler. Many sweet and non-sweet varieties of crêpe are for sale, freshly made. Anzac Primeurs has strawberries, raspberries, bananas … … and choice tomatoes at $9.85 a pound on this particular day. There are clothing shops on the rue Cler, too, such as Satine, seen here. Literie Bellino sells household linens. A souvenir shop caters to the flood of American tourists on the street. Postcards, guide books, souvenir aprons, you name it. Plenty of brilliantly colored postcards showing every sight in Paris. Ear muffs, gloves … although it’s starting to warm up now, in April. Big bags that are both souvenirs and practical for carrying things. There’s one pharmacy on the street. Pharmacies are marked by a green cross. Not only medication, but sundries, diet aids, and general health goods. And on this street, English is spoken, given all the American tourists. There are several florists on the rue Cler, including Les Floralies. Florists seem more common in Paris than in the U.S., and more creative. Unfortunately I couldn’t smell the flowers because I had a cold. The rue Cler is quiet compared to most Parisian market streets. It would be quieter still if it weren’t for the American tourists. Of course, Parisians from the neighborhood come here to shop. Miel et Nature sells all sorts of honey, other beekeeping products. Davoli sells gourmet Italian foods. Les Quatre Saisons is another fresh produce market. They carry more fruits and veggies than I can name. But I’m not much of an expert in fruits and vegetables. Kiwi fruit, morels (mushrooms), green and white asparagus—am I right? Nicolas is another wine and spirits store, a popular chain in France. Some of their stores are huge. This one is average. The French are avid readers, and there are several bookstores here. They take more of an interest in politics than I do. The Café du Marché is a well-known restaurant on the rue Cler. The Café Central is right across the rue du Champ de Mars. Every market street has at least one bakery. The rue Cler has the Maison Auvray bakery, facing the Café Central. You can see the outdoor gas heaters that cafés use in winter here. The New Asian restaurant caters and has table service. And here again there’s a fixed-price menu at €6.90. À la Mère de Famille sells sweets. They had Easter chocolates in the window when I passed. This shoe store has a big selection of Mephisto shoes. They are supposed to be great for walking, but I haven’t tried them. You can buy eyeglasses on the rue Cler, too, if you need them. The Boucherie Roger has free-range, slow-roasted chickens on sale. This discount store obviously appeals mostly to the locals. As does this store, specializing in vacuum cleaners. This little coffee shop is named after the post office next door. Across the street, this store sells books, cards, and stationery. The sign on the post office says it all. I couldn’t include every shop on the street, sorry. Thank you for watching my video.