We are by no means experts on Paris, and still need maps to navigate, but it is so pleasant to find familiar spots and memorable sights.
We had some shopping to do to start our day, so spent a little time at nearby Galeries Lafayette, with its gorgeous atrium.
For the main event of the day, we went back to Roman and medieval times to revisit the Cluny Museum, which is the Musée national du Moyen Âge, built over Roman thermal baths. The museum may be best known for its precious ‘Lady and the Unicorn’ tapestries, but there is much else here to impress one with the artistry of the middle ages and the remains of the Roman occupation.
In addition to having the capitals of four Roman columns that are the oldest man-made objects in Paris, this museum also holds the reliquary of the umbilical cord of Jesus. Very thoughtful of Mary to have kept it, but no claim is made as to whether its remains still reside in the container.
An altogether awe-inspiring collection.
We once stayed in a great apartment on Boulevard Saint-Germain. We walked by to pay homage to our own past on the Left Bank and continued to nearby Café Deux Magots. When we sat down, it was a beautiful sunny afternoon. Shortly after, a tornado-like rain whipped through and it started to hail. That did manage to clear the sidewalk café out a bit, but we were stalwart and stayed until the sun once more emerged. Nothing beats people-watching from Deux Magots. We did also walk by the front and back of Le Procope, which careful readers of this blog will recall is the oldest restaurant in France, founded in 1686.
We crossed the Seine over the Pont des Arts, which has those romantic locks all over it, and then crossed through the Louvre on our way back to our hotel.
Can anything beat the beauty of this city?