You’ll Find Me By The Fountain

Another scorcher of a day today!

Our first morning out, this is what Chris and I found out:

01. There are like, no takeaway coffees in Paris unless you search out the not too common Starbucks.

02. Most stores outside of the Latin Quarter are closed on Sundays

03. There a serious lack of ATMs, so make sure to withdraw more cash than you would ordinarily carry.

This opens our morning with a croissant breakfast, on a bench in front of the Pigalle cinemas, after a trek to find morning coffee. How French movie scene can you get?

We took the metro to St Michel station to see the Musee National du Moyen Age aka National Museum of the Middle Ages, which is housed in what was once a Roman bath. The collection includes statues, busts, jewellery and swords, but the highlight belongs to The Lady with the Unicorn, six 15th century floor to ceiling tapestries. Each one depicting one of the 5 senses. The room you view them in is a cold stone room and dimly lit, as to preserve the integrity of the works and also so you can’t take one decent photograph.

Nearby the museum, is a fountain in St Michel. Talk about polluted. Instead of throwing pennies, there was garbage in the fountain. Gotta say, there was litter everywhere, despite the profusion of garbage cans all around. We took a minute to check out the world famous university, La Sorbonne, with its domed chapel, dominating the Latin Quarter.

The best thing that I saw today was the Jardin de Luxembourg, namely the Medici fountain. There is a pond that fronts the fountain, but its the statues depicting the myth of Polyphemus, Acis and Galatea that had me transfixed.

The myth goes like this:

Polyphemus was a cyclops and a son of Poseidon and was crazy for Galatea. However, he catches Acis and Galatea in a passionate embrace, and in his fury, told them they were having their last tryst. Galatea jumped into the sea to escape and Acis tried to run for it, but Polyphemus flung a huge rock at him and crushed him to death.

Looking at all the trees enclosing the fountain, you can’t entirely believe you’re not in some fairyland. This park is enchanting with its well manicured lawns and is a wonderful place to have your lunch break or just unwind. It makes you want to bring a baguette, cheese, butter and just picnic. It comes with its own palace too, the Palais du Luxembourg.

We had a superb lunch at Chez Calde in St Michel. I totally recommend this place for its food, laidback staff and reasonable prices. This place is a example of how small bistros should be run. We must’ve thought right too cuz a tour group of 6-7 stopped at front door with the tour guide rattling on about what why the Chez Calde is known.

Rejuvenated and satisfied, we crossed one of the many bridges over the Seine river, linking the Ile de la Cite with the left and right banks. We passed by the Conciergerie where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned before being sent to the guillotine.

We walked through the Forum des Halles which is an open park/underground mall with sunken courtyard. It used to have a down and out, rough bit of history, but is now a hang out for skater kids and some ‘illicit’ vendors.

Something a little bit more colourful is the Centre Pompidou or aka Musee National d’art Moderne aka Beaubourg. The appeal is really the exterior of the building. Bold, box-like, 6 story high and in your face, with plumbing, pipes and air vents forming the external facade.

But if you ask me, my first reaction to seeing it was that of a human version of hamster house, with its clear plastic tunnels. We did not have time to appreciate the modern art collection, so Chris and I and a hundred others parked ourselves on the inclined square in the front. Chris likened it to a city beach, with the Centre Pompidou as the surf, with a slight wind breezing through the square and people laying on their backs or propped on their elbows, taking it all in. Exactly like we were at the beach.

Adjacent, you’ll run into Igor Stravinsky’s mechanical fountain, but it’s no ordinary fountain. Rather Tim Burton-esque with slightly freaky and colourful skeletons, dragon, lips, fish and other outlandish creatures.

On the way back to the hotel, I stopped to take in the Hotel de Ville, which is the town hall. It’s a beautiful neo-Renassaince building, but what I know of the building was that it was the backdrop to one of my fave pics (and every chick’s too, i’m sure) – the iconic Kiss at the Hotel Deville by photographer Robert Doisneau. We’ve all either had the poster, postcard or fantasized about being the object of that passionate kiss.

Nearby was the beautiful 14th century Gothic cathedral, Notre Dame. More impression making were all the wonderfully grotesque gargoyles high on the very top of its spires and towers. Thoughts of Victor Hugo’s hunchback, Quasimodo, ringing the tower bell from childhood stories played out in my mind. Depending on how early we can wake up one morning, we may climb the 387 steps for a better look.

After unwinding at the hotel, we grabbed midnight pizza 2 for 1 dinner. Chris had explained that French aren’t snobbish when being spoken to in English. The truth is they may not have practice speaking and rather than look foolish saying the wrong thing, they don’t really attempt to at all. I know the feeling. I imagine, once I say something in French, that I’d invite conversation from someone and I’d be stuck telling them I don’t understand what they may be saying or that they talking too fast. So it does make me not say anything besides the basics.