Today was my class field trip around the oldest part of Paris, the 5th arrondissement also called the Latin quarter. As always this is the part of the city that we have been studying and presenting all week.
We started at l'Institut du Monde Arabe which is what I did my presentation on in class. The building is amazing. Built in 1987 by architect Jean Nouvel, the entire southern facade is made of aluminum diaphragms which contract and form different geometrical shapes based on the sunlight hitting them. This was meant to regulate the temperature but it really didn't work and now it just changes with the time. The view from the top of the building was absolutely beautiful, we could see Notre Dame, la Seine, le Sacre Coeur, and the Eiffel Tower.
We then went to a gothic monk college from the 13th century which had an amazing hallway but that's all we really saw of it.
Next we arrived at the Arenes (arenas) of Lutece. Lutece is what Paris was called when it was a Gaulois/Roman city. The arena used to hold so many people who would watch gladiator matches and stuff in the 1st century BC but now it's mostly destroyed except for one little part which is just like ruins. Apparently when people were building their houses in the Latin quarter they would use stones from the arena without even knowing it. When we were there though we saw some pompiers (firefighters) setting up for a Firefighter's Ball for Bastille.
We then visited le Jardin des Plantes which is a garden, natural history museum, exotic greenhouse, and zoo. It was beautiful and so interesting. There was just so much to see and so much to do there.
We ended our trip at la Grande Mosquee de Paris which is Paris's biggest mosque and it is beautiful. Covered in geometric and floral designs it looks like a Paradise inside. We went in the restaurant because the mosque is closed on Fridays and had a mint tea and Baklawa (sugar wrapped in a flaky crust). The whole mosque was absolutely beautiful and stunning.
Lucy and I then wandered around Belleville which is a GIANT street market that sells everything from fish to fruit to underwear and makeup. After that we wandered to this great little cafe called l'Horlage (french for clock) where we had great quiches and apple pie. We then stumbled upon a used book store which was so cool and cheap. I was able to pick up a bunch of books for cheap and even a DVD of Troy for 4 euro but the best purchase from the bookstore was this copy of Gulliver's Travels (written in 1726, not the Jack Black movie) from 1948 for 2 euro. It was such a great find.
Tonight I think we will go to the Latin Quarter and visit our favorite little bar l'Antidote to celebrate the birthday of one of my comrades and we might even return to the carnival in the jardin des tuileries.
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