Dans le coeur de Paris!/In the heart of Paris!

So today was a busy day!  I saw a lot, all really in the center of Paris, along the Seine.  I started, of course, here in the 10th arrondissement, by taking the metro to Place de la Bastille, in the 4th arrondissement.  Unfortunately the prison is no longer standing, but that's okay because it was just a point of departure for me!

The monument marking the former site of the Bastille, a prison with lots of significance for the French Revolution (1789).

From there I followed Blvd. Henri IV to the Seine, crossing on the bridge of the same name (I believe), which took me to le rive gauche (the left bank) via l'île St-Louis.  And there was some foliage here!!

I saw this (very strange) sculpture along Blvd. Henri IV...  One of the things I love about Paris: art everywhere!

Foliage!  Île St-Louis to the left, 4th arrondissement to the right.

A smidgen of foliage an a lovely view of the back of Notre Dame!

On the left bank, I entered into the 5th arrondissement (a.k.a. The Latin Quarter), and proceeded to L'institut du monde arabe, The Arab Institute, where I met up with a friend from class, Anna, who is actually from Siberia!  Anyway, we enjoyed the Arab Institute, which has a very interesting museum and a 10th floor balcony with a great view!

L'institut du monde arabe

the entrance...

neat window art on the side

View from the top!  Note Notre Dame in the background.

Then we wandered along Blvd. St-Germain and eventually took a side street back to the Seine (it's only a block away) near Notre Dame, where we sat along the bank and chatted for a while.  But Anna had work to do, so we parted ways for the time being, and I decided to occupy the rest of my afternoon seeing some parts of Paris that I haven't really visited yet.  And as I was already along the Seine, I figured I'd keep following it, because I've really only spent time on the parts right near St-Michel and Notre Dame.  So I headed west into the 6th arrondissement (Blvd. St-Michel marks the border between the 5th and the 6th), still following the Seine.  There were, of course, the little book stalls all along the banks here, but it's also a super touristy area, and it was a zoo!  So I didn't linger too long, and once I got away from that main area (about half way through the 6th) my walk became much more pleasant!  There are lots of beautiful buildings in this part of town, and the views of the river and the trees are of course very scenic as well, so it was a visual feast of sorts!

Parisian tradition: newlyweds put locks on the bridges to symbolize the eternal nature of their love.

An example of the ample eye candy along the Left Bank.

I gave in to temptation and bought this bag along the Seine!  I've often needed a mid-sized bag in addition to my purse here, and this is just so much less tacky than the plastic bags I've been using!

Eventually I made it into the 7th arrondissement, where I walked past le musée d'Orsay, which also seemed fairly crowded (I'm going to try to go this Wednesday afternoon, when it will be less busy, I hope).  So I continued on until I reached L'assemblée nationale (the National Assembly, which I believe is their Parliament building...).

Fun fact: le musée d'orsay used to be a train station.

Now it houses impressionist art!

L'assemblée nationale is also an important French Revolution site...

The lighting wasn't optimal, but you might recognize good old T.J.! (Thomas Jefferson, our third president, was also an ambassador to France, and of course part of the American Revolution, which at least partly inspired the ideals of the French one.)

Then I turned north onto the Pont de la Concorde, which brought me back to the right bank (1st arrondissement) and la Place de la Concorde, at the opposite end of les Champs Éysées from l'Arc de triomphe, which I visited a few weekends ago.  Anyway, la Place de la Concorde also borders le Jardin des Tuileries, which I hadn't yet visited, so I wandered there for a while, heading back east along the Seine, and the other end of that park lets out on the Louvre, but I've been there twice, and it was also a zoo, so I kept walking east along the right bank, eventually making it back to the 4th arrondissement at Notre Dame.

It wouldn't be a day in Paris without la tour Eiffel!

These lamp posts at Concorde reminded me forcibly of saguaros, although I doubt that was the intended effect.

Heads will roll!  Place de la Concorde was also an important French Revolution site--Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were beheaded here, publicly.

one of many statues in le Jardin des Tuileries

There were loads of seagulls here!  I don't know why; we're not near the ocean.

Part of the garden, with part of he Louve in the background.

That's l'obelisk de Concorde and l'Arc de triomphe in the background.

I'm not sure what this arch is commemorating, but it was right outside the Louvre and looked imposing.  The Parisians seem to be big on arches...

The evening was yet young, so I decided to cross the river again and wander around some of the streets in the 6th arrondissement, roughly between the metro stops for St-Michel and Odéon, because that's an interesting area, not technically the Latin Quarter I believe but very similar with a nice mix of big boulevards and little winding streets with lots of good window shopping partout.  Finally, my feet were getting tired and I decided it was about time for dinner...  But I couldn't make up my mind what to eat or where, and the metro was out of service just where I wanted to take it (unusual--it's normally quite dependable) so I wandered back towards St-Michel, back across the river, until I found a little pizza place that was near a stop for the 38 bus and that also featured an interesting decor involving metal cutouts of cats on the walls (the restaurant was too small and too deserted for me to take a photo of it, but the cats were very interesting).  Then there was a long wait for the 38 bus (but they have electronic signs telling you how long until the next bus), but the 49 bus comes to the same stop and follows the same route between there and the apartment, so I hopped on and made it home!  And I have been enjoying a relaxing evening since, munching on some candy corn and reading a really good French young adult novel...  All in all, an excellent day!