While I was sad to leave Beaune and Burgundy behind, the Missus was excited about returning to Paris. We were staying in the Latin Quarter at the Hotel Monge which I ended up really enjoying. I really enjoyed the area around the hotel; Arrondissements 4 and 5. Did you know there's a Roman amphitheatre in Paris? The Arènes de Lutèce is in the 5th arrondissement and was one of the first places we saw after arriving since it was basically right behind the hotel.
The Arènes de Lutèce was constructed during the 1st Century and could hold as many as 17,000 spectators. It was sacked in 280 AD and even though the area was still called les Arènes, the location was lost to time. Until the 1860's when it was rediscovered while building Rue Monge.
It kind of looks like a simple park. More on Arènes de Lutèce here.
After checking in, the Missus was ready to explore. As mentioned earlier; I really enjoyed the vibe of this area. It just seemed a bit more "real" to me, while still being very French.
The Missus was feeling a bit puckish, so we headed up Rue Monge to the branch of Maison Eric Kayser right up Rue Monge.
The place was doing good business. The Missus went for the Almond Croissant and we both had espresso.
And while the croissant looked beautiful; it was a bit too sweet, and the texture of the croissant wasn't to the Missus's liking.
Eric Kayser
14 Rue Monge
75005 Paris, France
We actually enjoyed the croissants and especially the gougères from this nearby corner bakery more….sorry, no photos this time around….
Bolstered by the espresso we headed off; the Missus wanted to see the Pantheon, so we headed up Rue du Cardinal Lemoine, turning on Rue Clovis, passing Église Saint-Étienne-du-Mont.
And then hitting the crowds around the corner at the Panthéon.
Where many famous French citizens such as Victor Hugo, Marie Curie, and Voltaire are interred.
There are quite a few impressive structures nearby; like this one, the Mairie du 5e arrondissement de Paris.
Which is the town hall.
A few blocks away is Jardin du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Garden), the wonderful green space of Luxembourg Palace, where the French Senate meets. This being a laid back Sunday afternoon, it was a great place to relax for a bit and people watch.
Like I've said many times….folks in Europe really know how to relax and enjoy a leisure day……
From the Gardens, we headed toward the Seine, passing Église Saint-Sulpice.
The church's distinctive round towers reaching to the sky. It's interesting to note that the South Tower, the one on the right in the photo above is actually unfinished. I was told that the an event; one might have heard of, called the French Revolution interrupted the construction and the tower is left unfinished.
From here we wandered the back streets, passing places like Le Deux Magots (The Two Chinamen) Café.
Where folks like Hemingway, Camus, Picasso, and even Jim Morrison used to hang out.
There's quite a bit to see around here; the Hotel where Oscar Wilde died, places where George Sand and Richard Wagner lived…..and even a statue of Voltaire.
There's more than enough history to go around……
That's the view across the Seine from the Pont des Arts.
We decided to head on back to the Hotel Monge and take a short break before dinner. Place Saint Michel was bustling. There were quite a few soldiers patrolling the streets in this area, as crowds gathered around the Fontaine Saint Michel.
There was something happening on every corner it seemed.
After a nice break we headed out to dinner. The place I chose was Terroir Parisien which had been highly recommended.
Strangely, we fond the menu and preparation to be nothing special and very pedestrian. Also, the service was on the brusque side. Terroir Parisien was touted as being a chef driven locavorian (is there such a word?) bistro. For some reason, we weren't particularly drawn to the food here. Since Terroir Parisien has since closed, perhaps others shared our opinion?
Anyway, here's what we had.
Perhaps we'd been eating so well on this trip that we'd become jaded? I'm not quite sure, but everything except the oeufs au plat, lard de Paris (basically two eggs and bacon) was really underwhelming.
Terroir Parisien (Closed)
20 rue Saint Victor
75005 Paris, France
Still, we were enjoying the liveliness of Paris.
And tomorrow was going to be our last in the City of Lights. We intended to make the best of it!