A Left-Bank Thunderstorm, Then Sunny Montmartre
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A wild day of 80-degree heat punctuated by thunderstorms so vicious it felt like the heavens had plumbing problems and were trying everything rather than call the helpline. My wanderings of yesterday were all on the Right Bank of the Seine ("Whose right, though?" became my favorite Mind-Bending Question For A Parisian. "If you turn 180-degrees, it's on your left, no?"). Today I headed to the Left Bank. I imagined this as an artsy area full of twiggy revolutionaries dressed like sexy waitresses (gender irrelevant) who somehow manage to combine a smoke-ring and a quote by Simone de Beauvoir in one. In reality, you can't do that with a smoke-ring, and there's rather more to the Left Bank than that, I discovered.
The Panthéon, an 18th-century mausoleum with a colonnaded facade, viewed sidelong from Rue Valette. This was about five minutes before the first vicious thunderstorm. 75005 Paris. Lexia Snowe, 2020
Another sidelong shot of the Panthéon, now from the Place du Panthéon. I loved the juxtaposition of the motorbike, and all the yeehah leathery freedom it represents, and the tricolor-touting classicism in the background. 75005 Paris. Lexia Snowe, 2020
A note here about teddy bears of the Gobelins. Here's what Wikipedia has to say on the subject. In short: they're big stuffed bears, lent out to other businesses and public institutions in Paris by a book store owner in the Gobelins neighbourhood of the 13th arrondissement. The bears are arranged in human poses to bring joy to passers-by. You might think only kids would dig it, but you'd be wrong.
Teddy bears of the Gobelins at the Le Choupinet restaurant by the Jardin du Luxembourg. Their human poses here were unfortunate -- waving and snickering at me from their place of shelter while I get drenched tits-deep in the thunderstorm. Whatever, furballs. You might be cute, but at least I wear underwear. Place Edmond Rostand, 75006 Paris. Lexia Snowe, 2020
The Hôtel des Invalides, viewed from Avenue de Tourville. The tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte is housed inside, among other war heroes. 75007 Paris. Lexia Snowe, 2020
The Eiffel Tower, viewed through a rain-streaked public viewing station on Avenue Duquesne. 75007 Paris. Lexia Snowe, 2020
The Eiffel Tower, viewed from the Champ de Mars park, with the sky slow to move on from the surliness of the recent thunderstorm. Allée Adrienne Lecouvreur, 75007 Paris. Lexia Snowe, 2020
The Eiffel Tower, viewed from its foot. Also known as: how Mad Max might build power structures. Avenue Anatole France, 75007 Paris. Lexia Snowe, 2020
The Sacré-Cœur Basilica, a Roman Catholic church on a hilltop in Montmartre, viewed from about halfway up the hill. Rue du Chevalier de la Barre, 75018 Paris. Lexia Snowe, 2020
The Paris skyline, viewed from the summit of the Montmartre hilltop and over the love-locked railing of the Sacré-Cœur. Lexia Snowe, 2020
A note on the vaguely heart-shaped padlocks in the image above. Know that these are available for two Euros from the lock-festooned vendors chinking back and forth by the railing, one of whom confirmed, on my wry inquiry, that he could provide a Sharpie too. I mentioned that this meant a declaration of undying love unremovable by the government could be had for less than the cost of a trip to the Laundromat. Love should be cheap, he said. After a beat, and on that note, we parted.
The Sacré-Cœur Basilica, up close. Lexia Snowe, 2020