May 23rd, Day 4
Oh man, it's going to be 89 today, but it feels like it will get hotter. I'm basing this on our walk this morning to Jardin des Plantes (Botanical Garden), around and a peek inside the Grand Mosque, and back to our apartment. By 11AM it was 80F (26.6C) and we were happy to be inside where it was cool. Marie turned on the fan and I mixed a liquid IV packet in her water bottle. We've only walked 3.2 miles, but walking on the black tarmac in the heat feels longer.
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| On our way to the Botanical Garden. |
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| Gotta love the architecture here. This apartment is across the street from Madame Currie Medical School and about a block from the gardens. |
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, A CENTER FOR EDUCATION
Heir to a heritage unique in the world and a major scientific authority, the National Museum of Natural History also houses a Master's program and a doctoral school. Its educational offerings are based on the richness of its collections and the dynamism of its multidisciplinary research. It fosters synergies between the natural, human, and social sciences.
Its ambition is to support, in initial training, continuing education, or returning studies, students, doctoral candidates, teachers, and professionals facing contemporary environmental, heritage, and societal challenges.
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| Ya, this is a kangaroo. It's part of the menagerie section. |
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| Just chillin. |
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| This wallaby was hungry. |
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| We walked around the garden, staying in the shade as much as we could. |
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| There was a lot of work going on so some of the gardens were blocked off, but we visited the Flower Market yesterday and saw tons of flowers. |
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| This historical plaque is translated below. |
History of Paris: The Mosque
Its origins lie in the creation in 1920 of the Muslim Institute, directed by Si Kaddour ben Ghabrit, president of the Society of Habous of the Holy Places of Islam, under the auspices of France, which contributed to the financing. The project to build a mosque was added to this. The City of Paris offered the land of the former Pitié Hospital (75,000 m²). The Habous Society chose the architects Robert Fournez and Maurice Mantout, but it was Moroccan, Algerian, and Tunisian artisans who created the marble cladding, polychrome earthenware, stucco work, porphyry fountains, and cedar doors.
The mosque, built thanks to the generosity of Arab countries, was inaugurated in 1926. Its minaret rises to 26 meters.
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| The Grand Mosque takes up an entire block. This doorway leads into its tea shop. |
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| I don't know what this says, but the calligraphy is pretty. Maybe it says "Grand Mosque entrance is to the left, 100 meters". |
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| We're making our way back to our apartment and I'm keeping us in the shade as much as possible, because it's 80F (26.6) at 11AM. |
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| This guy and his cat play opposite Shakespeare & Co. Bookstore. |
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| Cooling off in our living/dining room and kitchen. |
I'm posting this now (2:15PM Paris time) and will continue the blog later today.
We walked down the street and across Place St. Michel and over to The Great Canadian, a pub that has traditional pub grub. We had a beer and cider and an order of nachos for linner (lunch/dinner).
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| The view from our table. |
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| Our neighbors, Ken and Cyndi, came by and we had a nice visit. |
Ya, our neighbors on Bainbridge were in Paris too!
