Timeless Paris

So, choose a sunny morning and begin your walk with a stroll along the quays of the Ile de la Cité, stopping off to take a look at the “bouquinistes” (book sellers) near Notre-Dame and then on to the flower and bird market in front of the Sainte-Chapelle. Here, amidst rows of geraniums, palm trees, cheeping budgerigars and the animated conversation of robed barristers from the nearby Palais de Justice, pause to look up at the skyline…Impressive, symbolically historic buildings stretch around the near horizon: the bell-towers of Notre-Dame and the towers of the Conciergerie, then farther off, the roofs of the Sorbonne and the cupola of the Pantheon… The paving stones and monuments still echo with the dramatic events of the past, evoking memories of torture and executions, uprisings and revolutions. Higher up on the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, the Panthéon, the church of Saint-Etienne-du-Mont and the bustling area around the rue Mouffetard are waiting to be explored. Further down, make your way back towards the Seine and the Institut du Monde Arabe, and to explore the world of natural sciences, head for the Jardin des Plantes and the Natural History Museum.