"my wars are laid away..."

I went to the Marais district today. It's definitely a less touristy area as evidenced by the lack of people. It was downright silent in this neighborhood, and is equal parts pre-Revolution, medieval, and bohemian.

The Place de la Bastille is one of its markers:

Remember Nicholas Flamel from the first Harry Potter book? The real Nicholas Flamel lived in this area. As did Victor Hugo.

I got a bit lost, but ended up in this picturesque square with a bit of Place de Vosges (built by Henry IV) in the background:

A 14th-century building (it's got some reinforcements on the right side to keep it standing up):


A few places in the Jewish Quarter:



One hundred sixty-five Jewish children from this school were taken to concentration camps.

The head of the school, who was not Jewish, accompanied them, so he could look after and comfort them. Neither he nor the children survived the camps.

I saw two really neat rooms at the Musee Carnavalet, which contains a lot of pre-Revolution and Revolution-era art:

I thought I should have at least one fancy dinner while I' was in Paris, so I went to Le Bosquet, which is near my hotel. I had a goat cheese salad, salmon and basmati rice, and three-fruit sorbet. I think it was more a matter of the food being served all dressed up, rather than the food itself being fancy. It was all yummy nonetheless.

I walked down to the Eiffel Tower after dinner. There are lawns in front of it where people like to lounge and hang out and drink wine. As it gets darker, the Tower lights up:


And at 10, 11, and 12, it sparkles:

This shot, although out of focus, really shows all the lights flashing on the Tower: