Scenes from Paris 2

I took this photo looking west from the Pont de la Tournelle. Towering in the distance you can see, of course, the apse and spire of Notre Dame de Paris. On the left side of the Seine you can see some of Paris' famed riverside promenades. This particular one, a favorite of mine, used to be a port, and there's even a hundreds-of-years-old customs house nestled right behind the trees. If it weren't for the steamboats carrying obnoxious hordes of drunk 20-something Americans, this would be the most serene and beautiful Parisian spot.



Walk south from the Pont de la Tournelle and take a left on the Quai de la Tournelle which borders the Seine, then hang a 90-degree right at Place Mohammed V onto Rue des Fossés St. Bernard. It's from this street that I took this picture, which looks south down Rue du Cardinal Lemoine. In the foreground is a veiled woman, no doubt observing the tenets of Islam. Not surprisingly, this quartier is actually home to lively and teeming Arab/Muslim neighborhood in the fifth arrondissement. Just behind you and to the left is the Institut du Monde Arabe, a dazzling postmodern structure which houses the Arab world's official dissemination of Arab and Muslim cultural values. Behind you and to your right are also plenty of Arab bookshops, art galleries, and schools.



Now turn ninety degrees to your left and head down Rue Jussieu until you reach a T-section at Rue Cuvier which borders the massively extravagant Jardin des Plantes, a public park commissioned by some King back when I-don't-know-when. Take a right on Rue Cuvier and then a left on Rue Linné R. Geoffroy, and walk barely fifty meters until you reach on your right La Grande Mosqueé de Paris (pictured above). This is the largest and most beautiful mosque in Paris, which also hosts the largest congregation in the city as well. Following the Parisian tradition of honoring alliances and bravery through grands projets, this mosque was built shortly after World War I in thanks to the French colonial Muslims who fight successfully against Germany.



To complete the tour, keep walking straight on Rue Linné Geoffroy and you'll see the facade of the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle on your left, which also serves as an entrance to the Jardin des Plantes. Now take a right on Rue Censier, and then a quick left onto Rue Santeuil. Enter the courtyard of Université Paris III-Censier and, if you can't stand gazing at its notoriously failed attempt at futuristic architecture, ascend the stairs to the second floor. Where is everyone? Good question. The university, as previously mentioned in another blog, has been blocked by the students since February. I know what you're thinking, because I did too. "Blocked" must be metaphorical. Behold the picture above and you'll realize it's not, because the library is literally barricaded with two chairs. If you were paying attention before ascending the stairs, you might've caught a glance at the student "blockers" whose job it is to disallow any persons from entering the building. I had to suffer their begrudging glances and inquisitive stares before snapping this shot.