The Latin Quarter
The Pantheon is now a secular building in the Latin Quarter, and in its crypt lies Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Rousseau, and Marie Curie.
After spending the afternoon in the Louvre, we decided to explore the Latin Quarter on the Left Bank. Toward that end, we wanted to explore some of the promenades along the banks of the Seine and our timing was perfect. The sun was on its way down and people were coming out for one last glimpse of the day. The right bank of the river was lined with people, many of whom had a bottle of wine in their hand.
Sunset is a popular time to sit along the banks of the Seine and drink some wine.
Pont des Arts is a pedestrian bridge that links up with the Palais du Louvre, which was once called Palais des Arts in the mid 19th century. This is where people leave their padlocks, hoping one day to return.
We were targeting a restaurant on the Left Bank in the Lonely Planet guide (I trust them implicitly for food recommendations) called Le Petit Pontoise. We opened with a glass of champagne, grilled shrimp on a bed of greens with dill dressing, escargot in a delicious basil sauce, and a bottle of Pouilly-Fumé. Mains were a whole sea bass for me and lamb chops for Mel. Topped with dessert and a glass of cognac. It was an epic meal.
One of our best meals on the Left Bank. Mel's lamb chops.
My meal, sea bass. One of the better restaurants we encountered while in Paris.
After a meal of that magnitude, we needed to walk a bit. We headed into the heart of the Latin Quarter, so called because this neighborhood is home to several universities which, back in the day, communicated in Latin. It remains home of the Sorbonne, one of the oldest universities in Europe (circa 1100s), so you might expect that the neighborhood has a lively nightlife. And, by nightlife I mean discussions in cafés and bars, rather then nightclubs and partying.
The Latin Quarter is also home to the Pantheon of Paris, once a church but now more of a secular mausoleum for distinguished French citizens. Interred here are Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Louis Braille, the Curies, and many others. Next time we will come back when it’s open.
The Saint-Étienne-du-Mont church in the Latin Quarter was built between 1492 and the 1650s.
Tomorrow is our last day. What’s top on the list? Too many sites to choose from.