This is the fountain in front of St. Sulpice church. This church is neo classical modeled on St Paul's in London. There are three Delacroix murals inside the church. Sunday mass was being held when we walked in, so we sat down and enjoyed.
The church is known for their awesome organ. The organist played during the service, and also after the service had ended. For you "DaVinci Code" fans, this is the church that played an important role in the book, although there is a sign saying that the story was fiction.
We left St. Sulpice and walked across the plaza for lunch. There is a cute little place, Cafe de la Mairie. We had omelettes and caffe creme (like a latte). The seating inside was nice, and you can see that they had an extensive outside seating area also.
Just a short walk down rue St. Sulpice, and a left on rue de Seine, we found Gerard Mulot's pastery shop. I wrote a seperate blog entry on this fabulous place because it was so awesome.
I had a chocolate macaroon (for Coco!) and it was sooo good. It is not coconut, like the macaroons in the USA. This is two cake like halves with filling in the middle. I nearly forgot to take a photo once I took a bite!
We walked west on rue St. Germain-des-Pres until we came to...(guess) St. Germain-des-Pres. The red coloring in the front of the church is an ivy covering. Big applause for the Fall colors!
St. Germain-des-Pres is the oldest church in Paris, from the 11th century. The restored interior is painted in the medieval manner. The church is in the Romanesque style with round, not pointed, arches over the nave. (Description Credit: Rick Steves Paris)
Per Rick Steves, "the square outside is one of Paris' great gather spots on warm evenings". Well, it was a fun gathering spot on a sunny midday Sunday. A "jazz originale" band was playing on the corner. Hot stuff!
We returned to rue St. Germain-des-Pres and walked past the Odeon theatres to Boulevard de Saint Michel (We call it "Boule Miche", because we think that we are locals now!!) On the corner we found the Cluny Museum with medieval exhibits. The heads from the 24 guys in front of Notre Dame are in here (a little beat up, but who would look good after being buried for 200 years?). The Roman baths were closed. I was more fascinated with the door and matching flower.
Per Rick Steves, "the square outside is one of Paris' great gather spots on warm evenings". Well, it was a fun gathering spot on a sunny midday Sunday. A "jazz originale" band was playing on the corner. Hot stuff!
We returned to rue St. Germain-des-Pres and walked past the Odeon theatres to Boulevard de Saint Michel (We call it "Boule Miche", because we think that we are locals now!!) On the corner we found the Cluny Museum with medieval exhibits. The heads from the 24 guys in front of Notre Dame are in here (a little beat up, but who would look good after being buried for 200 years?). The Roman baths were closed. I was more fascinated with the door and matching flower.
The day was delightful. We walked north on Boule Miche until we came to the Metro, then jumped on a train to Les Halles and the neighberhood. We had dinner at Cafe de Etienne Marcel next door to the apartment and had yummy french fries (the fries looked so good that we just ordered whatever came with the fries...heee heee), a cup of Mariage Frere "Marco Polo" tea for my sister Ginan, and finished with a cappucino. Oh, and a little wine because, after all, it is Paris.
Sounds like a great day! I was there in spirit when you drank the Marco Polo tea - one of my favorites!
ReplyDeleteGinan