The Latin Quarter

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We did a lot of walking today. After breakfast we took the metro (a very good system, once you figure it out) to the Latin quarter. A 10 minute walk across the Seine to the best nearby station, then a train to a central hub station, and a metro from there to our destination. All in one ticket.

Anyway, we got out of the Metro system at Saint Germain des Pres and walked towards the Saint Sulpice church. We went inside to warm up and enjoy the ambiance. There was a sculpture there of Joan of Arc, so I told her story as best as I remember it. Tamar also really liked the full-size organ there. We continued from there down Rue Ferou. I mention this because the right wall of the alley is covered in writing. An entire story is written on the wall, but our French being what it is, we don't know what it's about. The alley ends right across the street from the entrance to the Luxembourg gardens. We wandered around the gardens, imagining how fabulous they must be in Spring and Summer. We easily found the Statue of Liberty there. Actually a small replica.

We wandered across the gardens, saw the sculptures and statues, some classical, some modern. Abstract, animal scenes, queens and saints of France. Had a look at the French senate, which resides in the Palais de Luxembourg. Then we passed by the Odeon theater and into the narrow streets of the Latin quarter. The whole area of the Latin quarter is quite small. Lots of small, narrow streets with touristy restaurants and souvenirs. We walked past Eglise St-Severin, an old 15th century church, and down the beginning of the Huchette alley, one of the oldest streets in Paris, to the Le Chat Qui Peche, or 'The Cat that Fishes' alley. This is a 30-meter long, very narrow alley (1.80 meters wide at its widest) with several stories. The one I remember is that somewhere in the Middle Ages, a priest would use the alley regularly to get to and from the Seine. He was always accompanied by his cat. While everyone else went hungry, he and his cat would go to the Seine and come back with a basket of fish. Some young students of the Sorbonne followed him one day and saw that the cat fished in the river and the priest would just gather the fish. The students obviously concluded that there was witchcraft involved and caught and killed the cat. After that, the priest disappeared. But the name of the alley remained.

We crossed the Seine to Notre Damme cathedral. Very hard to miss it, it's huge! You can easily see that it wasn't built all at once, with various parts built in different styles. We thought to go inside, but one glace at the endless lines convinced us that it looks better on the outside. We walked around the cathedral, saw the gargoyles, the bronze statues, and the crazy steeples towering high above us.

We crossed the Seine back to the Latin quarter and through a nice little garden by the old Saint Julien le Pauvre church. Across the alley from the church is a tiny, green house, which apparently is the second smallest house in Paris. Soon after that, near the end of Rue Galande, is an old street sign; a relief carved in stone of a man on a ship.

By then we were really hungry, so we made our way to Chez Gladines Saint-Germain, a small, unassuming restaurant (don't expect tablecloths), that supposedly is one of the best places for escargot. Being in Paris, we had to try escargot, right? So we ordered our meals along with one escargot dish. What can I say, tastes like mussels with an added hint of bitterness. Nothing to write home about.

We left the restaurant with full bellies and defrosted fingers, and took the Metro to the catacombs. The line into the catacombs went all the way around the block! Gilat and I stood in line for a while, and Tamar and Ethan went to the entrance to ask how long the wait is. They were told that people had been waiting in line since 11 AM! 5 hours!

Still, we waited a bit longer, but the family in front of us sent mom to check, and she came back with good & bad news. Good news- they would get in. Bad news- it would be at 8:30. I heard that and we gave up.

We wandered around, doing a little shopping. Tamar found some stuff to buy, and we found a supermarket (cheeses!) Then we took the Metro back to the hotel.

We got back to our room in the evening, frozen nearly solid. Defrosted for a while, had showers and then went to the Champs Elysees christmas market for something to eat. We got German sausages (they were good last time), and we found a little cul de sac of stalls with some new stuff we hadn't seen yet. We got escargot in the shells and frog's legs from one stall, and the kids and I tried oysters at another. The escargot was served with garlic butter but still tasted like bitter mussels. Frog's legs were rubbery with a very delicate chicken flavor.

As for the oysters, well, you know when you're swimming in the sea and you accidentally swallow some water? Now imagine that with the consistency of snot. And before you ask, no, I did not feel any sexier afterwards.

We all agreed that if this is gourmet French cuisine then the French can learn a lot from any falafel stand in the shuk. So we got some chirros on the way back to the hotel for dessert.

Tomorrow it's to Le Marais.

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