The weather was perfect, in the high 70s and sunny but not glaringly so. We got a late start on the day, I am not on Seattle time but not quite on Paris time either. We left the apartment around noon planning to head to the Jardin des Plantes, the home to the National Natural History museum in Paris but we couldn't help but take a long scenic route.
We walked East towards the heart of the Le Marais neighborhood. The streets to the East are classic Paris. Wide boulevards with beautiful architecture, charming side streets including the St. Paul area which houses both art galleries and antique shops. Just walking around we passed the Hotel de Ville, this beautiful building that is currently used for city administration including the office of the Mayor.
Along the same boulevard we passed a small slice of home. A starbucks. Even 6000 miles and an ocean away, we can not escape it.
After a long meandering stroll along the right bank we arrived at the Jardin des Plantes.Much like Balboa Park in San Diego, this city park features several gallery museums and a zoo on beautifully landscaped grounds. The grounds are home to a botanical garden complete with 3 massive greenhouses, an outdoor butterfly garden and a rose garden with 150 year old roses.
Admission to all the attractions and gardens is 25 Euro but since we only wanted to see at most 2 attractions (7 Euro each), we decided to just walk the grounds for free and stop in at each of the two galleries. The first we visited was the Paleontology gallery. Once inside the sweltering building, it was clear from the ticket line that the gallery contained only skeletons of extinct animals in glass. It was crammed full but as far as you could see it was only bones. It reminded me of the scene from the movie Up where the explorer shows them his personal collection. We decided to pass on this gallery and head for the gallery of Evolution which was newly renovated and air conditioned. It was probably the best decision ever made. The gallery was amazing.
Evolution is a controversial subject in America much to the confusion of several foreign born professors I have had. Most 1st world countries teach evolution and it is nearly universally accepted. Most of the museum is in French, they have very few resources in English however I could easily recognize the various lessons being taught to a wide audience and it seems like most of the basics of my BIO354 class at UW and the entire first year college biology series is plainly written out on the walls by wonderfully executed visual exhibits. They have an entire floor that shows the relationship between all living groups of organisms. They show cladograms beside traditional stuffed animals and dried samples. They had two interactive computer kiosks that offered games for kids in English on how cladograms are made from understanding similar traits between species and one that taught about natural selection. Each of the 4 floors was studded with benches and inside the center of each bench was large informations cards that slid out of the bench to read written by professors on various subjects related to the nearby exhibits. Here you can take a break from standing but not from learning! The cards were written for adults and covered topics like hydrothermal vents, algae blooms of Brittany, and what are genes. 20% of the cards were written in English which was a treat. Overall, the facility was massive, state of the art, up to date (including information on genetic evolution) and absolutely gorgeous.
After spending several hours at the gallery of Evolution, we again found ourselves casually walking along the left bank now. This area is home to the Latin Quarter, Sarbonne (One of the oldest universities in the world), and St. Germaine. We walked along the areas, much of the shops were closed as it is Sunday but again the architecture alone is enough to take your breath away. You can hardly walk a few feet without running into yet another famous historical building.
We found ourselves at Jardin Luxembourg and much like our own Volunteer park on a sunny Sunday afternoon, it was packed. The gardens feature gravel walkways around landscapes areas, sculptures, and fountains. Littered every few feet are benches and chairs. The main fountain in the center of the garden is a busy toy sailboat fairway with many small children precariously leaning over the edge to operate these miniature remote controlled vessels. Sitting in the shade of a massive oak watching people stroll by, listening to the nearby fountain and taking in the scenery was a perfect ending to the afternoon.
We made our way back to Le Marais via the Pont Royal. A bridge that crosses the Seines linking the right and left bank directly at the Louvre. We walked across the courtyard of the Louvre past the glass pyramid and continued on to Le Marais. I had been to the Louvre before on a school trip to France when I was 13 but we were shuffled in and out of the museum by bus and I do not recall its dimensions. However walking through the center of the Louvre and around the East side of the former palace it is easy to see that the building extends about a quarter of a mile along the river. Some sleuthing on wikipedia revealed that this is because additions to the Louvre connected it to a former palace creating this massive 4 sided building that extends along the river. I am excited to return to the Louvre later this week!
We had planned on a quiet casual meal for dinner later in the evening (By the time we got home from wandering around it was already 7:30pm). Sean went to lay down with a headache and I waited up for him for dinner until about 10:45pm. Normally I would not eat a meal so late but having only head a croissant and a ice cream cone all day, I wanted to get a little something. I worried on a Sunday night it might be too late to grab a bite but boy was I wrong. Our street has about 10 food establishments, 8 or so of which were open on Sunday at all and when I went out at 10:45pm all 8 were still open! I was shocked. Back home, we live in a very urban vibrant neighborhood but on a Sunday night most places except bars are closed by 10. My sandwich was hot and fresh and really hit the spot.
Not sure what is planned for tomorrow. Given how busy we have been the last few days, we might just go to the shops and buy some French staples (wine, cheese, and bread) and look for a fish monger with some fresh catch and make dinner at home.
Also as a bonus for anyone who knows Sean and I play the mini coop game, this photo is of a unique set of "twinzies". Speaking of photos. If you get tired of reading my blog and just want to see pretty pictures of Paris, follow me on instagram: mrsgoofington or twitter: mrsgoofington. I am not posting every photo I take but I have been posting much of the same ones I have added to the blog.
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