• The Pantheon.
    Rhinoceros statue in front of Musee D'Orsay.The store front for Mirama Restaurant.My wonton noodle soup at Mirama.Approaching the Pantheon.Video of the area around the Pantheon.Street scenes from the Latin Quarter.Street scenes from the Latin Quarter.Street scenes from the Latin Quarter.Salvador Dali Sundial.Salvador Dali Sundial.A flea playing some kind of musical instrument, Latin Quarter.A church in the Latin Quarter.Atlas Obscura-listed Shakespeare and Company bookshop.A church in the Latin Quarter.A church in the Latin Quarter.A water fountain in the Latin Quarter.Street art in the Latin Quarter.St Michel, Latin Quarter.A fountain we saw en route to the Catacombs.Monument honoring Caventou and Pelletier, two pharmacists who invented quinine.

    Latin Quarter

    July 28, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    After the Louvre, we wandered over to the Latin Quarter, which is a maze of narrow streets with lots of shops and restaurants. Along the way, we spotted one Atlas Obscura site, which is a rhinoceros statue in front of the Musee D'Orsay. More here: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/rhinoceros

    Our first stop was lunch at Mirama, a well-established hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant that is almost an institution in Paris. I remember Mirama fondly from my prior visits to Paris in the 1990s, and little has changed, including the roasted poultry hanging on the shopfront. I ordered a shrimp wonton noodle soup and it was spot on in terms of taste and the requisite springy texture of the noodles.

    After eating, we started making our way to the Catacombs, which was a 45 minute walk away. Along the way, we stopped at the Parthenon, and we also stopped to view some fountains and statues at the southern edge of the Luxembourg Palace grounds.

    After the Catacombs, we ducked into the Denfort Rochereau Metro station and made our way back to the Latin Quarter because we missed a couple of Atlas Obscura sites. Exiting at St Michel station, we spotted a creperie and we stopped for a nutella and banana crepe. Sadly, we did not enjoy this spot as the staff weren't friendly with us, probably because we rebuffed their efforts to get us to order an alcoholic beverage. We quickly ate our crepe and left.

    Our first Atlas Obscura site turned out to be just next to Mirama: a sundial designed by Salvador Dali. We then wandered the area a little bit before hitting a second Atlas Obscura site: Shakespeare and Company, a bookstore. I was surprised to see people lined up outside, and I was happy to see a thriving independent bookstore because their counterparts in the US are struggling.
    https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/salvador-da…
    https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/shakespeare…
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