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Introduction

Let's start at the Pantheon-Sorbonne

Arenes de Lutece Contrescarpe-rue Mouffetard

Rue de la Huchette Saint Severin-Saint Julien le Pauvre Musee de Cluny

Walk old Quartier Latin-Cour de Rohan-Commerce Saint Andre-Cafe Procope

Booksellers along the Seine-Institut du Monde Arabe

Paris-5th arrondissement-Walk through old Quartier Latin-Cour de Rohan-Commerce Saint Andre-Cafe Procope

Paris dining world!!!!

It’s a short and animate walk from the Thermes de Cluny to the place Saint-Michel. Forget the zillion of tourist trap cafes and restaurants and prepare for a nice little walk, leading you through the district of "l'Ilot Saint-Andre-des-Arts". This is a walk where you will be able to admire several houses with a corner-turret, low doors and portals, wrought iron.

Flowers-flowers....

The place Saint-Michel, created during the great Haussman works in the second half of the 19th century is dominated by a large fountain, the “fontaine Davioud” (1860) with a Saint-Michel slaying the dragon. It is a perfect entrance for our walk, the “Saint-André-des-Arts”. It’s indeed the junction between the student Quartier Latin with its bookstores, its clothes boutiques and ambulant salesmen on one side, and Saint-Germain on the other side. You will spot immediately a large square, just behind the fountain, the place Saint-André-des-Arts, looking like an immense noisy café terrace as soon as the sunny days set in.

Let’s take the rue Saint-André-des-Arts. Beautiful facades line the street, take the rue Git-le-Coeur, rue Seguier that kept a provincial charm, return rue Saint-André-des-Arts and loiter further. Cinemas, libraries, restaurants, street vendors but also boutiques “chics”. Notice a few beautiful facades at no.47 and 49, the splendid hotel du Tillet de la Bussière at no.52 with it’s remarkable balcony, door, staircase…Take the rue de l’Eperon and make a right into rue du Jardinet to enter " COUR DE ROHAN".  A must see! A lot of visitors miss this charming suite of three small yards lined with elegant bourgeois homes dating from the 16th century. A pity to miss that!! Quiet and retired, this spot is one of the most engaging of Paris, especially during the nice seasons, with its flowers and wild-grape. The whole place has a strange country charm. The second courtyard shows the façade of the “palais des Evêques” and an extremely rare “pas de mule”, sort of metal piece used to lift oneself upon a horse.  The third courtyard leads us to the COUR DU COMMERCE SAINT-ANDRE, created in 1776, offering us an interesting image of old Paris. At no.8 Marat printed his paper “L’Ami du Peuple” and at no.9 doctor Guillotin experimented his “machine” on sheep. Continue to the right and at the rue Saint-André-des-Arts make a left. Left again at you enter the rue de l’Ancienne Comédie. 

It's hard to be a waiter!

We are really at the border of the 6th arrondissement, if not already inside…. At no.13, the “Café Procope” dating 1689 was for centuries the meeting place of all what was important in Paris. The philosophers who created the “Encyclopedie” with d’Alembert and Diderot, Beaumarchais awaited here the verdict of his plays going on premiere, The head butchers of the French revolution, Danton, Marat, Camille Desmoulins took a lot of decisions here that would affect the course of France’s history. In the 19th century it was the favourite café of the romantic writers: Musset, Sand, Balzac, Verlaine and a lot of others. Unfortunately, the “Procope”s cuisine today is a mockery of what it must have been in those days. Personally I had the most despicable and indigent “tourist” food I ever had in Paris. So much for the gastronomy!…But the place is very well kept in its original state and admiring the different dining rooms is very romantic (but beware of sitting down and ordering some food;-). A drink should be ok.

Bibliography: Vie et histoire des arrondissements de Paris, ed.Hervas, 1985-1988, 20 volumes—Nouvelle Histoire de Paris, ed.Hachette (20 vol.since 1971), Le piéton de Paris, by L.P. Fargue, ed.Gallimard 1997—Paris, 2000 ans d'histoire by J.Favier ed.Fayard 1997---Rive Gauche, une expérience unique, by Cl.Evrard, ed.Albin 1991--- Guide du Routard 1998-99.