Dead People and Churches

We spent part of the morning in Montparnasse Cemetary where a lot famous people are buried—Camille Saints-Sain, Jean-Paul Sarte, Samuel Beckett and Susan Sontag (that was a surpise). A lot of the headstones are quite interesting and should make for some interesting photos.

I had to visit Saint Sulpice church because I’ve never been there and it is significant in The Da Vinci Code. Oddly enough there was a Davinci Code tour taking place when we arrived. The British tour guide was quite amusing and pointed out a lot of “factual errors” in the novel. Apparently the church hasn’t been too happy with people wandering around the church, tapping away at the floor, attempting to find hidden messages.

We wandered through the Lating Quarter which is full of interesting narrow streets. The disappointing thing is that these streets are filled with tourist traps and lousy restaurants. The most interesting stop here was the Shakespeare and Company bookstore. I forgot that part of “Before Sunset” was filmed here last year.

Next was Notre Dame cathedral followed by some shopping on Isle St. Louis. We went to a French Provincial store and picked up a few things. Lissa was so impressed until she realized that there are two of these stores in Toronto and one in Vancouver. C’est la vie.

More walking along the Seine, watching the boats go by, enjoying the weather and thinking about where to go next.

I found another Starbuck near our hotel and decided to get a cappucino. This time it was perfect. It costs the same as going to a café but takes half the time. Getting the bill in a restaurant or café takes a lot of patience here. Nobody really seems to be in a rush. I guess I have to learn to relax a little more.

Posted in Travel at 4:04 PM