Day 4 - Wandering around the 4th & 5th Arrondissements; 11,250 Steps

Supposedly there was some sort of national strike today, but I saw no evidence of it.  The river cruise I had booked for today to go down river into Normandy was cancelled allegedly due to the strike; however, the local Seine cruise boats were running, although there were some signs I couldn't really understand that appeared to have something to do with the suburban trains (RER).  Well, it didn't interfere with what I decided to do today, anyway.

I didn't wake up until after 9.  I slept really good from about 10:30 to 12:30, then woke up and, unable to go back to sleep, I read for a couple of hours before finally going back to sleep - all part of jetlag.  It was nearly noon before I left the apartment.

Before leaving home, I read a book called "Lost Paris," which compared what is seen in Paris today to what was once here before "urban renewal."  Much of the book was about the Marais, which is the area where I am staying.  Originally, it was a swampy area that tended to flood before the river was diked.  In the 17th Century, Henri IV developed the area which is now called the Place des Vosges.  The buildings that are there now housed the aristocracy, and many other "hotel particulares," or mansions, were built by the wealthy. But over the years, the area fell into decay and the elegant houses around the Place des Vosges were broken up into smaller apartments, and even used as factories and to house munitions during the war.  Now the buildings have been converted to individual flats with high-priced shops and cafes under the arcades, and the square itself is a popular gathering place for locals as well as tourists.

At one time, there was a high rate of TB in the area, and it was believed that the buildings themselves harbored the disease, so they figured that if the buildings were demolished, it would eliminate TB. In the 1970s buildings closer to the river, including what is now Village St. Paul, were tagged for demolition.  Fortunately, someone woke up and stopped the carnage, so many of the buildings were saved and have been renovated.  Anyway, the area I walked through today was the area covered in the book.

I started out by visiting the Church of St. Paul and St. Louis.  The neighborhood where I am and its Metro station is called "St. Paul" because of the church.  Then I found the only two remaining medieval half-timbered buildings left in Paris - there are some other half-timbered buildings, but these are the oldest.  Next up was the Church of St. Gervais.  There is a pedestrian only cobbled street behind it with some shops and cafes.  One shop window was full of what I assume are glove molds, but what attracted my attention was the hand-lettered sign above them making note of Boeing's 100th anniversary -- seems a little odd here, and I have to wonder about it.

I crossed the river over to Ile St. Louis - the small island east of Ile de la Cite.  I walked a short way down the main street doing some window shopping, or as the French call it "window licking."  Then, crossed over to the Ile de la Cite behind Notre Dame and took a short rest at Place Jean XXIII.  This my favorite perspective of Notre Dame because you can see the flying buttresses.  There were lots of people there, most taking selfies, and even a segway tour group came through.  I crossed over to the Left Bank via Pont de l'Archeveche, and couldn't help but notice that ALL of the darn "love locks" are gone!  The bridge is back to its original condition.  The City of Paris has spent a lot of money removing those locks, which were weighing down the bridges to the point that the panels were falling off into the river.  Don't worry, I did see some locks at another spot, though not on a bridge, and I noted that some of the bouquinistes (booksellers on the quais) are still selling padlocks.  

I decided to have lunch at Le Petit Chatelet, which is one of my favorite restaurants.  It has a very nice terrace, which would have a great view of Notre Dame if they would trim down the trees.  I had a starter (entree) of chevre in puff pastry with greens and pesto, and my main plate was a skewer of lamb cooked in their wood-fired oven with some yummy potatoes.  I am having my main meal at noon and a light dinner at the apartment - this allows me to sample the local fare without breaking the bank. The restaurant is right next door to Shakespeare & Company, the famous English bookstore.  There were bunches of tourists in front of it taking pictures and selfies.  I don't know how many actually went in and bought something.  I went in once, but it is so crowded that it isn't a very satisfying experience.  They have recently opened a cafe next door.

After lunch I walked up Rue St. Julien where there are some old buildings, including the church St. Julien le Pauvre, which is one of, if not the, oldest churches in Paris.  I don't think it is still an active parish church, but they do hold concerts there.  I then visited St. Severin church, which is also old and has some interesting modern stained glass windows, as well as some old ones.  The pillars holding up the vaulting look like palm trees.  I mingled with the tourists for awhile on Rue St. Severin and Rue Hachette.  Both streets are full of cheap eateries and souvenir shops.  I crossed back to Ile de la Cite and walked closer to Notre Dame.  I sat and watched some people feeding pigeons - I don't know how people can let those birds sit on them. I debated about going into the cathedral, but there was a long line and while it seemed to be moving quickly, I decided I didn't want to go in with a crowd.

I walked through the flower market, which just isn't what it used to be.  Maybe it is because the summer flower season is about over, but it just seemed to be a shadow of its former glory.  By then I was getting tired, so walked back over to the Right Bank and took a bus back to the St. Paul bus stop, and back to the apartment.

The weather was variable today.  It rained pretty hard for a short time while I was at lunch - under cover - and it rained again once I got back to the apartment.  In between, it was either partly sunny or partly cloudy, and still a little cool.

By the way, many of the French names and words I use need some accent marks, but I can't figure out how to access them on this Chromebook, so please bear with me.  I do try to check the spelling.