Along and around the Rue Mouffetard

They say we should never go back. And yes, sometimes when we visit old half-remembered haunts we can be disappointed. They may have changed, and we almost certainly have done so. How pleasing when instead of disappointment we find delight!

On a sunny morning on our recent visit to Paris we decided to revisit an area of which we both had happy memories. Chris had lived there for some time during a post-university stint in France, and we had both enjoyed evenings out in the area when in Paris for our honeymoon. Both those events were very many years ago. Would the Rue Mouffetard have changed beyond all recognition, or would we like it just as much as before?

On the rue de la Montaigne Sainte Genevieve

Saint Étienne-du-Mont

We started with a walk along the Rue de la Montaigne Sainte Genevieve. This led us to the church Saint Étienne-du-Mont, opposite the Pantheon. We had never visited this particular church, so we decided to take a look inside and we were very pleased to have done so.

Inside we found some striking architecture, a beautifully carved wooden pulpit and some ancient (mainly 15th century) stained glass in the old cloisters. We also saw the tomb of Ste Genevieve herself, patron Saint of Paris, although she is no longer entombed there, her bones having been burned and the ashes thrown into the Seine during the French Revolution.

Saint Étienne-du-Mont

To the Place de la Contrescarpe

After our church visit we continued in the same direction, on what was now the Rue Descartes, to the Place de la Contrescarpe. We sat there for a while over coffees, enjoying the great Parisian pastime of people watching!

On the Rue Descartes

In the Place De La Contrescarpe

On the Rue Mouffetard

As I mentioned, this had been a favourite area for eating out when in Paris for our honeymoon, and a few years before that Chris had lived for a while on nearby Rue Mouffetard. So after our coffees we carried on down that latter road. We popped into a few shops (I bought a birthday card for a friend and a present for my sister) and took lots of photos. There was so much to see, it more than lived up to our memories of the area!

On the Rue Mouffetard

Lunchtime found us at the end of the road in the Square Saint Médard, where we had some great salads and a beer each.

In the Square Saint Médard

We then turned along the Rue Daubenton and past the Grande Mosquée de Paris, pausing briefly for a few photos.

Grande Mosquée de Paris

Jardins des Plantes

From here we entered the Jardins des Plantes. A stroll through here took us down to the Seine where we sat for a while enjoying the view. There is a permanent open air sculpture museum here in the Jardin Tino Rossi.

In the Jardin des Plantes

By the Seine in the Jardin Tino Rossi

We followed the path along the river and crossed the Pont Sully on to the Île Saint Louis, one of my favourite parts of Paris, where we treated ourselves to ice creams at the iconic Berthillon. I hope that ices will prove an acceptable alternative to cake for Jo on this Monday Walk.

On the Île Saint Louis

I last visited Paris in September 2024, when all these photos were taken