France 2026—May 22nd, Paris

May 22nd Paris, Day 2

The weather today is already 80F (26.6C) at 2PM. The prediction is for 90-94 (32-34) over the next five days so we'll be adjusting our walking plans. 

Today we walked from our apartment over to Les Halles (a ridiculously huge ground and underground  mall), down Rambuteau to the Pompidou Center, and then made our way back to our apartment, stopping at the flower market to look and smell the beautiful displays.

We're thankful that our apartment is on a narrow medieval lane and that this building has thick 14th century walls, because we're plenty cool with just a fan.

At 11AM we crossed Pont des Arts and noticed this art display over Pont Neuf. We'll check it out tomorrow or the next day or the day after that, but definitely before flying home.

It's difficult to see here, but it's definitely the Alps on the Seine

Pompidou Square is a joy. Whenever we're in
Paris we like spending a little  time here watching
everyone's reaction to the Salvadore Dali inspired
fountain. This tour group was also taken with it.

This mural of Dali covers the side of this four 

story apartment building.

 

The whimsical Pompidou Center fountain.

This one covers the side of this building adjacent to the Dali mural.

We walked through the Flower Market on the way back to our apartment.

The Conciergerie

The Conciergerie is a former courthouse and prison in Paris, France located on the west of the Île de la Cité below the Palais de Justice. It was originally part of the former royal palace, the Palais de la Cité, which also included the Sainte-Chapelle. During the French Revolution, 2,781 prisoners, including Marie Antoinette, were imprisoned, tried and sentenced at the Conciergerie then sent to different sites to be executed by the guillotine. It’s now a national monument and museum. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conciergerie)

Pont des Arts is shrouded in this cool Alps display.

On Monday, May 25th, we're taking a night Seine River cruise.

We took another walk after we cooled down in our apartment, just a stroll around the St. Germain neighborhood actually. It was 84F (29C) so we tried to stay on the shady side of the streets we explored.  By the time we were about a block from our apartment we stopped at The Great Canadian pub and sat at a table where we caught cool breezes. Today we only walked 5 miles, but we had to divide it up to avoid the heat. Tomorrow 88F (31C) is predicted, and it only gets hotter with an average of 93F (34C) over the next six days.