Praise the Lord for new friends! I recently met a girl from my church who is also newly an ex-pat in Paris (her husband's job brought her here, as well), and she and I have decided to explore the city together. We've bought a book full of suggested walks in the city and another book with 20 recommended day trips from Paris. Our goal is to complete as many as possible before Mr. Baby arrives... We'll see. Although some of these places were review for both of us, we dutifully followed each instruction to see and learn as much of the city as possible... And we have had a blast in the meantime!
Our first walk was through one of the oldest parts of the city, known as the Latin Quarter. Paris was originally founded on the islands in the middle of the Seine River and spread quickly south across the river to the Left Bank and the Latin Quarter. In fact, many of the streets in this area are narrow, windy, medieval pedestrian lanes because not much has been changed for almost a thousand years.
A great highlight of the Latin Quarter and, for English-speaking ex-pats and visitors, of all of Paris is Shakespeare and Co., the English bookstore on the left bank of the Seine that was formerly a haunt of famous ex-pats such as Hemmingway and James.
Not only is it eclectic and impressively thorough in its selection, it's the kind of place where a book lover can feel invigorated simply breathing the air. Downstairs is packed full of books for sale, the stairs themselves acting as additional shelves.
Upstairs, however, is mostly their permanent collection, for on-site use only. Also upstairs are some fabulous reading nooks and old-fashioned typewriters free for "creative" use. Not to mention this super cool reading desk where Keeley was a good enough sport to pose for a goofy picture - talk about a real friend...
In addition to the vibrant (and, alas, rather tourist-driven) Rue de la Huchette, complete with Pita Grec (quality food for 4.50 euro, if you ask me) and a variety of crepe masters, the Latin Quarter is home to a beautiful Gothic church, Saint Severin. Similar to Notre Dame, St. Severin is a Gothic church, though it is much smaller than the famous cathedral, and it is known as "flamboyant" Gothic, due to the flame-like design on much of the stone work (which, unfortunately, we did not really capture in these pictures). Although much less awe-inspiring than the giant Gothic cathedrals, this smaller church allows you to see the actual stone work and craftsmanship much better than the cavernous ceilings of Notre Dame.
The Latin Quarter actually received its name because it has been the area of scholars and students in Paris for centuries, and therefore, Latin was often spoken. Even now, it is home to the famous Parisian university La Sorbonne.
Our official tour of the Latin Quarter ended with a visit to the Pantheon, a neoclassical church built in the 18th century and later converted into a secular temple in honor of great men and women of the arts, literature, and science. Buried here are Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Marie Curie, and Rousseau, among others. Chris actually knows a Frenchman who claims that when he needs inspiration, he looks out his office window at the dome of the Pantheon and it drives him to strive harder for success... Interesting, no?
In the shadow of the Pantheon is a beautiful little church named Saint Etienne du Mont.
And down the street from the Pantheon is the Jardin du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Gardens), a beautiful public park where thousands of Parisians satisfy their need for outdoor green space. The Jardin includes a fabulous fountain atop a duck pond and a grand old mansion.
That was our Latin Quarter walk day... A total of about 3 miles probably, and a very good day. I promise to try to stay more up-to-date with our explorations (since we have since done three more walks that I still have not posted yet... I'm working on them!). But if you ever come to Paris, I have lots of recommendations. :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment