Wanderlust

Charlie and I used our one free day this week (which wasn't completely free, thanks to homework) to wander around and see some new areas in Paris. We started out trying to get into Saint-Chapelle. Unfortunately, I have a cold this week and slept in late because of it, so we didn't get there until about 11:30. By then there was at least an hour-long wait to get in so we decided to can that idea for the day. Instead we walked across the large plaza that faces the entrance of the church and into the flower market at Place Louis-Lépine. We had visited this particular market before when I was in search of a pet chipmunk, but there were no animals that particular day. Today, however, there were plenty... still no chipmunks though. Mostly we saw birds and a variety of other rodents including rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs and mice. I didn't feel inspired enough by any of these animals to adopt a new pet, for which I'm sure Charlie is thankful.

After Louis-Lépine we walked around the block and found ourselves in front of Notre Dame. We crossed the Seine and made our way into the tight streets of the Latin Quarter. As far as we could tell, the Latin Quarter was just full of cool souvenir and art shops and potentially good restaurants offering a world of cuisines, but mainly Mediterranean and French. 

An unusual sculpture on the side of a building. Looks like a flea to me. Charlie was amused by it but I just thought it was gross.

As we explored the zig-zagging streets we happened upon Église Saint-Séverin, a small but impressive work of gothic architecture somehow squished into its own little corner of the quarter. We noticed a large tourist group coming out of the church and a few individuals going in, so we didn't think twice about barging into God's house on a Sunday. As soon as we walked in the sound of the organ poured into the vast dark space and a man began singing Kyrie Eleison. I cried.

Realizing we had just interrupted Mass, we quietly kept to the perimeter and didn't take any pictures. At one point, rather than just standing around like idiots, we scooted into a row of seats and stood with the congregation so that I could listen to the chanting. After our brief religious interference, we quietly slipped back out, enjoying the colorful and sometimes surprisingly modern works of stained glass as we found our way to the exit.

Having had our fill of the Holy Spirit, we found that there was still plenty of room left for lunch. We sought out a street that we had meandered down a little while before and stood facing a tempting French restaurant with a moderately priced lunch menu or an ultra-cheap kebab joint. There were two men standing at the door of the kebab joint bonjouring passersby -especially the young female sort- and attempting to usher people in. We opted for the kebabs and, although it cost a third of what a proper restaurant would have, I regretted it dearly as I reluctantly swallowed the most flavorless falafel pita I have ever encountered. In the meantime, Charlie happily scarfed down his roast lamb dish.

After lunch we resumed our trek and headed toward a greenish colored dome on a building off in the distance. We had no idea what it was but figured that it might be interesting or that at least getting there would be. Charlie had been looking for a place to smoke a cigar and, about halfway to our destination, we found what looked like the entrance to a park. We intruded through the gate and found ourselves en route to the National Medieval Museum, also known as the Cluny Museum. We didn't actually get to the museum, however, and looking at their website now I wish we had. We stopped when we found ourselves in the gardens behind the building that houses the museum (Cluny Abbey). 

Cluny Abbey overlooking the ménagier

A spiral (locked) staircase leads up to the steeple.

We walked through the lush enclosure, gloating to ourselves as we were able to identify several plants that we have had in our own garden the last few years. Charlie also found this to be the perfect place for a cigar.

Once I had had ample time to coo at the mice, we moved on and, after having forgotten all about it, eventually ran into the green-domed building that we had originally set out to see. Turns out it was the Sorbonne.

Brainiac central

For some unnatural reason we began walking uphill where we were attracted by what looked like small, quiet streets without anything in particular to be attracted to. We just wanted to see ordinary old Paris. Well, we failed. We turned a corner and there, at the apex of the hill, was the Panthéon, looking much like most of the State capital buildings in the U.S. Feeling obliged at this point, we schlepped the rest of the way up the hill to have a closer look.

Oh, and on the way up to it, we also passed by the magnificent looking Église Saint-Étienne-du-Mont.

We opted not to go in, having already interrupted the process of worship once today.

See what I meant about turning corners and being greeted by important monuments? This happens all the time in Paris and adds to the holyshitwe'reinparis effect constantly. We often find ourselves chanting the fact that we are in Paris as we move around and carry out our daily tasks, trying to somehow get our heads around it. It's still unbelievable for some reason. Maybe it's that we're not really integrated yet and still feel like tourists since I, for one, hardly speak the language, and neither of us know many French people. We are still discovering this city and I feel like we'll never see it all no matter how hard we try. It's saturated with opportunities for sightseeing and new experiences. Hopefully the fact that it seems infinitely interesting means that we'll never take it for granted.