The day began with making pilgrimage uphill to the top of the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, the historic hill of the Latin Quarter, to visit the magnificent Pantheon church.
And it ended with visiting the Grand Mosque known for its tallest minaret, (33m) which compensates for its location at the bottom of the Latin quarter
We kept visiting the synagogue for the upcoming high holiday…
The weather, though cool and cloudy, unexpectedly kept dry all day, and was most conducive for exploration walking.
A village called Lutetia-
The Latin Quarter- the oldest district in Paris, was Built by the Romans and under its Empire it was a village called Lutetia- part of French Gaul , where important intact Gallo-Roman sites can still be seen. Among the most important ancient Roman remains of a 1st-AD restored are the Roman Arena, and the Thermal bath structures at Cluny.
The Arene de Lutece, the ancient stadium of Lutetia,
was built to accommodate 17,000 spectators, and was used also as an amphitheatre to show gladiatorial combats. Now a days it is used by children who like to play soccer there. Victor Hugo fought hard to keep it protected from the Haussmann mid-19th c renovations of Paris of the. Hotel Monge https://www.hotelmonge.com/ abuts the ancient Roman stadium.
A whirl around the Rue Mouffetard area
Rue Mouffetard is both an outdoors market street, and a street market
Walking down the narrow, winding, cobblestone street full of cheeses, bakeries, vegetables, and meats stores, in between many attractive restaurants, was a celebration highlight for David.
On Sunday market stalls are added until 2:00pm
I got more excited by the Pastries and Chocolaterie places.
Those below captured my imagination
"Christian Constant" - Chocolatier
A tasty bistro for lunch
"La Maison fe Verlaine" - Rue de Descartes
A fantastic restaurant for both lunch and dinner
"Lilane Restaurant" - 8 Rue Gracieuse
Grande Mosquee of Paris - largest Islamic place of worship in Paris.
As we were walking on Friday night past the Grande Mosquee of Paris, a pour of only men exiting the mosque, clouded the nearby street. I felt a bit uncomfortable, but nothing stopped David from going in to spectate the insides of the building.
Its beautiful Hispano-Moorish style architecture and traditional decoration were inspired by the mosque al-Qaraouiyyin in Fez.
It is dominated by an impressive minaret, shaded patios gardens similar to those of the Alhambra in Granada, the hammam spa, and popular tearoom and restaurant all worth the visit.
Founded in 1926, the Grande Mosquée was a tribute to the Muslim soldiers from French colonies who died in battle during World War I. During World II the mosque was a secret refuge for Algerian and European Jews. Many escaped using Muslim birth certificates to guarantee them safe passage out of Nazi-occupied France.
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For the New Year a Store full of only Honey from Rue Mouffetard
To be continued...