canal

Really, the best way to see anything at all is to walk, and a walk by the canal is a leisurely Sunday thing to do. Get off the metro at Port d'Orleans- change at Gare d'Est, the streets are narrow and paved in cobblestones along both sides of a canal that goes through Paris. Spotted a small group of musos including a guitars, ukelele, flute and singer practising folk songs.

It is possible to rent a houseboat and travel all the way down. They stop as this one did at each lock to wait while the water drains out and then the next gate opens when the waterlevel meets the other side. There were bicycles and kids onboard as well as women sunbaking in bikinis while pedestrians watched from the bridge overhead. What a way to go.

Le Cafe

Yes, it's a cliche, but Paris abounds with cliches, they are mostly true to some extent. French cafes are great places to sit and do a spot of people watching (outside chairs are usually facing the street), read, write, meet, or just sit and smoke. Yup, le smoking is still in fashion here big time. The beauty of the cafe is that everyone goes to them, doesn't matter if you are old, young, alone, in a crowd, it's really relaxed, you can sit forever -no one will hassle you- and there is one every 10 metres. The French make great coffee, and it's cheap, but don't go asking for a soy decaf. There is no such thing.

Metro

First thing you need to do when you arrive in Paris is to work out how to use the metro, which is a fabulous way to get around. But get ready for the stairs! They seem to leave every few minutes and the underground stations are easy walking distance from just about everywhere you want to go. There are maps on the walls of the station and the ticket machines have English translations. The best thing to do for a stay of a few days is to buy a 'carnet' of 10 tickets or a single ticket you can use for the whole time. Make your life simpler by travelling outside the peak times (going to and from work) and be aware that on the weekends everyone and their dog (really!) uses the metro and it gets very up close and personal, something I haven't experienced since Tokyo. You can turn this to your advantage by making a beeline for someone cute looking and when I was there I saw quite a few model looking types, particularly near the groovy districts-Odeon, Bastille, etc.