Le Marais: The 4th Arrondissement

Yesterday, we went to the Luxembourg gardens, in the 6th Arrondissement, with our French class. The day was lovely, but I really didn't take many photos, since we just sat and chatted under the linden and chestnut trees. After class, Rebecca R (we've got 3 Rebeccas in our group!) and I walked (because we haven't walked enough yet!) to the Botanical Gardens. Nothing really spectacular there, and it was surprisingly overgrown. Here are a few photos, before we move to today's walk in Le Marais:

Me at Jardin du Luxembourg

The Jardin des Plantes (in the 5th Arrondissement).

. . .Moving on to Le Marais (the 4th)

Pierre Etienne, our professor (here and at COC), grew up in France and spent most of his tween and teen years right here. His grandparents lived in an apartment on the Place des Vosges for over 60 years (during WWII, his mom was a teenager here, under Nazi occupation). Below is the path Pierre would take to go home to his grandmother's apartment from high school every day. He told us that he was studying so hard for the Bac (the French college entrance exams) that he really didn't notice how beautiful it was!

Saul (in blue) and Pierre (in black).

#11 - Pierre's grandmother's old apartment. She lived there until the 1990s, unfortunately we couldn't go in since the family no longer lives there. It is right in the Place des Vosges, which is a beautiful square of red brick and stone, arcades (covered walkways) all around the square, and a lovely park in the center.

Pierre's mother worked as a waitress in this café when she was young.

Victor Hugo lived just around the corner. This is where he wrote some of Les Misérables. (these guys are plugging their ears because an alarm had just gone off).

Three of the guys in our class having fun: Saul, Eloy and Tristan 

aaaaaand we ended the tour at what Pierre swears is the best fallafel place in Paris, where all eleven of us students decided to have lunch. It was so yummy!