These steps are where we started the day, going to the country without even leaving Paris. Following the suggestions in an article from Travel and Leisure, we took the Metro to Place de la Porte de Bagnolet in the 20th and found the village called La Campagne a Paris, a group of turn-of-the-century houses set up on a ridge. There were actually four different sets of stairs linking the houses to the streets below, and climbing them made me think of the Filbert Steps in San Francisco, where you can also get glimpses into little slices of yards as you pass by. Each house on the circle was unique and well-cared for in the Nantucket tradition, with every flower pot and door knocker perfectly chosen for overall effect. And how completely different it was from the busy and touristy, though beautiful, area of the apartment. Heading down from the village, we located the medieval church, shown to the right at the top of the street, and more importantly, the recommended old-fashioned boulangerie where we had the recommended chocolate eclair, and truly a truly delicious one at that. Then our long walk took us back along the edge of Pere Lachaise Cemetery though we were too late to go in, along Boulevard Menilmontant and rue Oberkampf, through the Bastille along rue de Charonne and finally to the Place des Vosges, where we rested our tired feet in the most tranquil of settings. My new walking sandals already have more miles than I ever would have thought possible.