Paris ... Paris ... Part 4

Thur 13 Apr

Metro to the Bastille street markets; these operate twice a week and offer a huge selection of fresh food (fish, meat, fruit, vegetables, honey, fois gras, cheese). Yes we have renewed our pursuit of the 246 varieties. We found a Lebanese food outlet selling the most delicious wraps with felafel, tabouli, spinach, feta and hummus. This was our late breakfast.

Some of the products on sale at the Bastille markets

We then made our way down past the Bastille monument to walk along the Viaduct des Arts. This is the Parisian version of the New York highline. The elevated path and gardens can take you about 4 km to the Bois de Vincennes, but we only walked the first 1.5 km to a large planned garden with a park and children's playground. We descended here and walked back to Bastille alongside the ateliers under the Viaduct.

Some of the sights along the Viaduct des Arts

We then took the Metro to the Musée Cluny, also called the Museum of the Middle Ages. This was particularly to see the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries that were out on loan last time we visited. These 6 tapestries are stunning, not only by their size, but also by the detail that is included in each.

Just one of the six "Lady and the Unicorn" tapestries

Next was a quick visit to the Panthéon - formerly a church but now used as a memorial to significant people from the Republic who are now buried in the crypt there. These include Hugo, Braille and many more; though not many women. Also here is a copy of Foucault's Pendulum swinging from the high dome inside. This pendulum demonstrates the Earth's rotation. Another copy in the Musée des Arts et Métiers snapped in 2010 causing irreparable damage to the pendulum and the marble floor. Our late lunch was eaten in the Jardin du Luxembourg while we watched children, and parents, playing with sailing boats in the pond.

Inside the Panthéon

Pond and flowers in the Jardin du Luxembourg

A couple of recuperative wines were required at "Les Vieille Vignes" by evening.