Our second day out, it was pretty cold and gloomy (again). My mom and I started walking towards the Seine River and detoured towards Place des Vosges. But first, a second detour for coffee and croissants.
Place des Vosges was nice. It’s basically a big square with a park in the middle, and closed off by buildings housing various art galleries and cafes. The park in the center is quite charming, with rows of trees and benches, and the surrounding art galleries are interesting to visit. Oh, and Victor Hugo’s house is here as well. To be honest, it was just too cold for me to enjoy much of anything this morning!
Braving the cold, we finally made it to the river and beyond. We visited the Pantheon (well, we visited the outside) as the sun peeked out for two minutes.
After a pit stop at a public toilet (more complicated than it sounds), we explored the Latin Quarter. I was glad to have more time to walk around this area since I didn’t explore it that well the first time (despite our hotel being located in this neighborhood).
Our goal was to head towards Saint-Germain-des-Prés, but on the way we made impromptu stops at two other churches.
Saint-Séverin was cozily situated in the Latin Quarter, its walls forming part of the narrow pathways into the neighborhood. Inside, the main attraction were these very modern stained-glass windows designed by some contemporary artist. But I have to admit, I prefer the old-school, traditional stained-glass windows. Although it was an interesting concept to juxtapose that old church with its modern windows.
At this point, it started to rain again and it was quite cold and windy. I couldn’t take it anymore!
We gave up and headed back to the room for a nap under the warm covers. As much as we didn’t want to leave the room and head back into the rain, a girl’s gotta eat.
After laying in bed for an hour reading about recommended restaurants, we just went to a random cafe across the street, Cafe du Temple. The decor was….interesting. The cafe was decorated in animal prints, feather boas and Marilyn Monroe plates. However, the hostess was super nice and the food was really good – it ended up being an Italian spot.
I had this delicious spinach and sheep’s milk pasta/canoli thing. And a little chocolate mousse for dessert. In addition to our red wine, the hostess even hooked us up with some post-dining, nutty liquor. Altogether, a very satisfying meal!
Update based on a comment from my mom: “Restaurant was Italian-Sardinian, the liquor was chesnut schnapps, the best ever, and remember, the mousse was served from a pot, you could just dig in and take as much as you wanted. I want to go back!”
Multiple Destinations 