We've decided to visit the Bastille, and the Le Marias district for some traditional Paris culture. We were going to visit the Eiffel Tower, but figured that we would save that for future trips to Paris.
Unfortunately, we didn't realize that the Bastille had been demolished in 1789... so we are only about 230 years late to see the fort!!! We were able to gain some history of the Bastille through monuments erected around the former site.
The former location of the fort is currently called the Place de la Bastille. It is home to the Opéra Bastille. The large ditch (fossé) behind the fort has been transformed into a marina for pleasure boats, the Bassin de l'Arsenal, to the south, and a covered canal, the Canal Saint Martin, extending north from the marina beneath the vehicular roundabout that borders the location of the fort.
Some undemolished remains of one tower of the fort were discovered during excavation for the Métro (rail mass-transit system) in 1899, and were moved to a park (the Square Henri-Galli) a few hundred meters away, where they are displayed today. The original outline of the fort is also marked on the pavement of streets and sidewalks that pass over its former location, in the form of special paving stones. A cafe and some other businesses largely occupy the location of the fort, and the rue Saint Antoine passes directly over it as it opens onto the roundabout of the Bastille.
We then walked to the Le Marias district and followed a guided tour. Although we didn't pay for the tour, we tried to be inconspicuous as we followed a group around for about an hour. We could overhear some of the guide's explanations about sites along the way. After a bit, Alison saw a boutique that she wanted to shop at. While the rest of us waited for about 45 minutes on a bench that was located in the street, she emerged with her Paris fashion piece, a nice dress that she planned on wearing back in the states. Of course, this dress set us back 250 euros, which we didn't find out until we were leaving Paris on the train....
Sites we visited along the tour can be found at this link: http://goparis.about.com/od/sightsattractions/ss/MaraisTour.htm
We managed to find a wonderful cafe to have a hearty meal of assorted cuts of meat and fresh baked breads. The owners were more than happy to refill our bellies, and even packed us to go bags with some nice sandwiches and pastries for our enjoyment later. We tipped them well, since they were so hospitable!! Total cost of the meal was 150 euros.
by: Ben
Funds spent today: 400 Euros
Remaining Budget: $89821.28
Cash in Euros: 1653.90
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