On this blog, let's explore and discover the left bank of Seine River. I probably spent only about 3/4 of a day here before leaving for Eiffel Tower in late afternoon. So really, it is a quick look and see kind of exploration. Latin Quarter, Luxembourg Quarter and St. Germain are actually pretty small in size and so we were walking back and forth around these 3 areas.
As we cross over the Seine River from Ile de la Cite, we hit the Latin Quarter first.
Here in Latin Quarter, the one thing you will not missed is this Place St.Michel. Although small in size, this little 'monument' still demands attention. When you see this, you'll know you're in Latin Quarter.
Within walking distance we managed to hit St.Germain.
This area is well known for cafes and eateries. It boast of a feel of old Paris.
Le Procope for example, is apparently the world's first coffee house. It is founded in 1686! Can't believe that it is still here. So, who used to frequent this coffee house over the hundreds of years? Well that will include Benjamin Franklin, Voltaire and even Napolean. How do I know this? Well, I watched Samantha Brown's travel show.
Look at the cobblestone street in St.Germain. So beautiful but so painful for ladies like me who walks around Paris in a pair of 3-inch stiletto boots.
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| Cour du Commerce St-Andre |
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| Danton's statue (1889) |
St-Germain-des-Pres is the oldest church in Paris, originating back to 542. Not only that, it also houses some of the famous tombs such as Rene Descartes and the King of Poland.
Back to my Da Vinci fan mode, I search the Luxembourg Quarter upside down for St.Sulpice church. You know, the church that was made up to have been built on a site of a pagan temple, Temple of Isis and that it also sits on top of the Rose Line and associated with the Priory of Sion. Whatever the story is, St.Sulpice church is absolutely gorgeous and beautiful.
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| St.Sulpice front facade |
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| St. Sulpice partly covered by the Fountains of the Four Bishops |
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| Place St.Sulpice |
I don't know why, but having sat in this small square for about 15 minutes, I feel very peaceful and calm. This place is so quiet with occasional pigeons cooing.
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| St.Sulpice side facade |
Now a Paris exploration wouldn't been complete without its garden and palaces right? In the middle of the Luxembourg Quarter is the absolutely beautiful Palais du Luxembourg and Jardin du Luxembourg. Although I didn't get it translated formally, I do know by now that palais means palace and jardin means garden. Jardin du Luxembourg is like a green oasis in the heart of the Left Bank. Apparently this is the most popular park in the whole of Paris and I can see why. Maybe you can see why too from the pictures below.
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| Fontaine de Medicis |
Statues of various queens of France are dotted throughout the park.
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| Sainte Genevieve (1845), the patron saint of Paris |
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| The Monument to Delacroix (1890) |
Palais du Luxembourg, now is the home to the French Senate. This palace was built in 1631 for Marie de Medicis to remind her of her native home, Florence. But apparently she did not live to enjoy this palace.
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| Palais du Luxembourg from the Grand Bassin |
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The octagonal Lake or referred to as Grand Bassin.
When the sun comes out, so do Parisians! |
Coming out of the Jardin du Luxembourg, we managed a quick walk to the Pantheon.
To be very frank, I have no idea that it is a church. I thought it was a sort of institution of learning. It looks very intellectual instead of spiritual. Apparently it was built around 1700s by Louis XV after he recovered from an illness to honour St. Genevieve.
The fact that I mistook the Pantheon as a learning institution is because Latin Quarter somewhat feels like a campus town. There are famous colleges and libraries here and they looked absolutely brilliant.
Lastly we passed by St.Etienne-du-Mont church in Latin Quarter on the way to the Eiffel Tower. Didn't have the time to go in but of course managed to capture the front facade of the building. This church was built in the 16th century and is absolutely attention grabbing although small in size. I just couldn't help but stop in my track to take in the beautiful facade of the building.
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| St.Etienne-du-Mont |
Location : Luxembourg Quarter, Latin Quarter & St. Germain, Paris, France
Next,
From The Gates of Hell to The Tower of Glory
