A day in the 5th

Dear Everyone,

Had a lovely day today with Martine in the Vè arrondissement, starting out at the Grande Mosquée de Paris (haven't been there for a good year). Our idea to lunch there fell by the wayside, for it was packed to the gills, so instead we popped round the corner to take a guided tour of the mosque. A first for me - I normally go with Francine for a cous-cous and a wonderful mint and cardomon tea - have never been into the courtyards of the mosque itself. And I have never been for what is rumoured to be the most fabulous massages and hammam either - for next time!

We waited half an hour for the guide to show up, and when he finally did, he ended up being a bit of a propaganda merchant, telling all kinds of totally futile stories with no connection to the history of the mosque and forcing home the difference between arabs, muslims and Islamists, like we were too stupid to know. After a while, we got fed up and broke away from the group, just walking around the lovely courtyards by ourselves. It was easy to imagine we were in Fez. Paris seemed light years away.

Built in 1920 and vastly funded by the French, the three architects Heubès, Fournez and Mantout hired some 450 craftsmen from Tunisia, Mrocco and Algeria. Materials were also shipped from N.Africa and traditional mosque architecture is prefectly respected. It is a haven of peace and tranquility. Beautiful azelujos, superbly sculpted doors in cedar wood, marble floors, green hexagonal tiling (the colour of Islam) and superb gardens of fountains, basins, palm trees and exotic vegetation give such a sense of quiet that one is loathe to leave. It even seems much larger than it actually is. So many levels, so much light and the impression that one courtyard is entirely of water but in fact isn't at all - ingenius workmanship and a lovely place to spend a day. Its library also is a treasure trove and I am so sorry we couldn't visit it without the guide and his blurb...

Next stop was to the Jardin des Plantes in search of a much unexplored rock garden described as a sanctuary in the heart of Paris by my book 'Unexplored Paris'  by Trouilleux. We weren't surprised it was unexplored as we couldn't find it either! Never mind though. We walked from Hilaire to Austerlitz and back getting plenty of exercise, even if we couldn't locate the whole reason for being there in the first place! Sunflowers, roses, pansies and sleepy susans smiled in the heat of the day (actually, that's just poetic license - it wasn't that hot...24° maybe with a greying sky and rapidly appearing perilous clouds!).

We made our way to the exit at Jussieu by the cabinet de l'histoire, climbed the street to rue Monge and followed it to Cardinal-Lemoine. Now, there was a monument I had wanted to visit for ages and yet never got around to doing so - les Arènes de Lutece. These arenas, nearly nineteen centuries old have never really been forgotten. They were talked about in the Middle Ages and continued to be until the site was leveled off. In 1869 they were rediscovered, but despite active efforts by the Society for the Arenas, the area was filled in and a depot established there for a transport company. Sacrelege!!

In 1883, Victor Hugo led a very energetic campaign along with Victor Duruy for the last remains to be uncovered. They were finally restored in 1917-18.

The amphitheatre and stage were built on the slope of Montagne Sainte Genevieve at the beginning of the 2nd century. As one mounts the slope to sit in the tiers built into the hillside itself, one is overwhelmed by the incredible sense of history beneath one's feet...and all those who had walked there before. Easy to imagine the entertainment one could see as a gladiator-fan (!!) from such a vantage point: circuses, mimes, drama and of course far nastier stuff too, we were sure. Sadly, performing for us today was a pianist (lovely grand piano - wonder how he got it there!) and a dancer. Well, I say dancer - I guess she was. She was 'performing' with a mirror, a huge one. Very acrobatical act and a bit beyond most of us, i think, judging by the general glazed expressions on peoples faces around us. The piano accompaniment was very modern - Boulez and Schoenberg would have loved it. We sat there for a while trying to make some sense of it all and decided that we, along with the rest of the audience, were far too stupid to get the point. Like a red spot on a big white canvas, we just couldn't see the art in it - and the music (such as it was) chipped away at the sense of peace we had been wallowing in since our day had begun! Time to move on.

A pitstop at a café for hydration purposes, up rue des Ecoles and a visit to the Roumanian church in rue Jean de Beauvais because it was open for once. No Pere Iulian at home today and no sign of his cat Bella, either. But never mind. Time to sit and be quiet for a moment. It's such a beautiful church. If I close my eyes, I am transported to the country of my heart for a flash second - enough to make me smile and my heart skip a beat.

We separated outside the church - Martine towards Luxembourg and me to the metro at Maubert Mutualité. Such a lovely day! Next exploration, we have decided, will be the Jewish area around St Paul - and anyway, it's an excellent excuse to have bagels at Finkelsteins!