But before we started our little tour, we stopped at the popular Shakespeare and Company bookstore so I could pick up a book. We visited this store when my parents were here, and I loved it so much that I felt the need to go back and get a book. It's got a super cozy interior and lots of little nooks so writers (or book readers) can spend some time in there.
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| Photo taken when we first visited |
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| Since Halloween is around the corner, I thought this would be fitting |
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| They'll even stamp your book! |
Afterwards, we walked over to the Pont des Arts, which is the most popular bridge for lovers to "lock" their love on the bridge and then throw the key in the Seine. Unfortunately all of the locks have been taken down due to the fact that the locks were jeopardizing the structural integrity of this old bridge. But people can still lock their love nearby or on other bridges!
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| What the bridge looks like without the locks |
Right in front (or behind?) the bridge is the Institut de France, which is a society made up of 5 different academies. The most popular is the Acadèmie Française, where they are dedicated to keep the French culture alive. If there is anything I've learned while being in France, is that the French DO NOT want their culture to fade away, and they work very hard to keep their traditions alive.
We then continued our walk to look at a statue of Voltaire, who we learned was quite a character. His outspokenness earned him 11 years in the Bastille, and he was even exiled from Paris for 40 years. Upon his return, he received a welcome so surprising that it killed him. Poor guy...
We also saw where Oscar Wilde died. Now instead of being exiled from Paris, he was actually exiled to Paris after his love affair with a lord made news. It was here at L'Hotel where Wilde came down with an ear infection and eventually passed away. Back then this place was pretty shabby, but today L'Hotel is now a 5-star hotel.
We kept on walking through and around the neighborhood, looking at popular stores and cafes, and also seeing where people like George Sand, Richard Wagner, and Eugene Delacroix lived. My parents stayed in this neighborhood while we were here, so we've seen and and eaten at lot of the places on the popular Rue de Buci (aka "the heart of the Left Bank"), but it was still fun to walk through and learn what made certain places popular. One in particular is Cafe Café le Procope. This brasserie is one of the oldest operating restaurants in the world, with it being founded in 1686. It was also one of Europe's first restaurants to serve coffee. Visitors like Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin, and Maximilien Robespierre drank cup after cup at this place. It's even rumored that Napoleon Bonaparte ran up a tab that he never paid.
We then made our way to peek inside Paris' oldest church: St. Germain-des-Prés, which dates from the 11th century.
Our walk then ended with the most delicious cup of hot chocolate we've ever had at the famous Le Café de Flore. Can I please have some more?!
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