Institute of the Arab World - Oops! No! The Mosque and Yet Another Church

Our plan for today was to see the Arab World Museum. However, we didn't leave the house until nearly noon. After a brief look at the Paris mosque, we realized that if we were going to eat lunch we had to do so soon because it can be difficult to find a meal between 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. This has caused problems in the past.

We were near Rue Mouffetard, a market street, and found a restaurant there where I got veal in a cream sauce and the co-diner had fish. Dessert, as shown in the photo, was tarte tatin (a caramelized apple tart) and cherry tart. After some exploration (and cheese shopping) on Rue Mouffetard, we realized that it was really to late to do a museum, so the Institute of the Arab World will have to wait until later in our trip.

Instead we went to St. Etienne-du-Mont, which has a mixture of architectural styles and the oldest organ in Paris. Someone was playing it while we were there. It also contains the tomb of St. Genivieve and some of her relics.

Finished Object: Braided Cable Socks

Pattern: Braided Cable Socks by Lynne Wardrop

Yarn: Artyarns Ultramerino 4 in Sky Green

Needles: Size 2

Day 28: Left Bank Walk

Today, our 28th day in Paris, we took the tour of the Left Bank recommended in Rick Steve's travel guide. We passed by the hotel where Oscar Wilde died ("Either this wallpaper goes or I do."). We also passed the famous cafes Les Deux Magots and Cafe Flore.

St. Germain-des-Pres is the oldest church in Paris, and is still painted in the medieval manner. The church of St. Sulpice plays an important role in Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code, and they make a point of refuting the notion that the church stands on the site of a pagan temple and that the "S" and "P" in the transept windows stand for "Priory of Sion." The church has a very nice Delacrox painting of Jacob Wrestling the Angel.

Lunch was duck breast and grilled vegetables for me and Salade Nicoise for the co-diner.

Day 26: Parc de la Villette and Parc Monceau

Both Parc de la Villette and Parc Monceau are very urban parks. However, that is all they have in common. Parc de la Villette was completed in 1991 and the park designer had input from deconstructionist philospher Jacques Derrida. It contains 10 themed gardens, sculpture by Claes Oldenburg, and several music and film venues. Parc Monceau, on the other hand, is located in a very well-to-do section of Paris and strives to be a very old-fashioned park with faux classic ruins.

Day 25: Crisscrossing Paris

We spent the day crisscrossing Paris, mostly on foot. The Orangerie is where several of Monet's water lily paintings are displayed in two galleries designed precisely for the paintings. They are absolutely beautiful. In addition to the Monets there is a first rate collection from the estate of dealer and collector Paul Guillaume. Picasso, Renoir, Modigliani, Cezanne, and others are represented.

We walked to Place Vendome, an exclusive shopping area where the Ritz Hotel is surrounded by expensive jewelry shops. From there we walked to the Garden of the Royal Palace - not too impressive, actually. Then it was on to Rue Montorgueil, the only remnant remaining of the traditional Les Halles market area. It has been moved out to the suburbs.

We stopped for an afternoon snack at a tea salon and then proceeded to Gallery Lafayette. David Lynch has decorated their windows this month and they are very Lynch-ean. We bought some prepared food at Gallery Lafayette for dinner and then hopped on the Metro for the ride home.

Canal St. Martin and Dinner at Yolande's

We were fortunate enough to be invited to dinner at the apartment of our French teacher's mother, Yolande. She lives near Canal St. Martin and we saw a boat go through the turning bridge. Dinner was lovely, an appetizer of spicy red bell peppers, a main course of lamb and haricots verts, a cheese course served with an endive salad, and a plate of pastries.

Le Chat Noire - Past and Present

One of my faithful readers has requested a photo of Le Chat Noir. Le Chat Noir was a cabaret established in 1881 in Montmartre. It was originally located on Boulevard Rochechouart. Today there is a "History of Paris" sign marking the site. That sign is almost covered up by the bags at the souvenir shop next door. The club later moved to Rue Victor Masse. There is a plaque at that address today. It closed in 1897. Today there is a cafe called Le Chat Noir on Boulevard de Clichy, not too far from the two cabaret locations. There is also a boutique hotel called Le Chat Noir. The poster for the cabaret, by Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen, is ubiquitous in souvenir shops in Montmartre and elsewhere in Paris.