Monsieur Felix and his bicycle tricks

Here's an entertainment tip if you're in the vicinity of Notre-Dame Cathedral. Go to the back of the church and find the Pont St. Louis, a pedestrian bridge that connects the Ile de la Cite to the medieval Ile St. Louis, one of the most exclusive residential areas of Paris.

It's here that you'll find some of the best buskers in the city.

The performer doing bike antics in this picture calls himself Monsieur Felix. He sets out little plastic chairs for the kids, and performs here most Saturdays and Sundays for whatever donation anyone cares to drop into his hat.

There was also a bagpiper the day I passed by, and a swing group that had people dancing on the bridge to its rendition of Sweet Georgia Brown.

You'll know when you're in the right spot when you look across to the other side and see the lines forming under the green awnings. That's Berthillon, a family-owned Paris business that some think makes the best ice cream in the world.

At $3.50 for a small scoop, it's an affordable splurge. I tried caramel with butter and salt, and ate it while exploring the rue St. Louis-en-I'lle, a charming street lined on both sides with shops selling only cheese, or foise gras or one-of-a-kind kitchen utensils.

It's here that you'll find l'Epicerie where the housemade mustard comes in flavors such as wasabi, cassis, rose and even olive. At $6.50 a jar, I like to pick up several to bring back as gifts or to save for summer barbecues.