Day 5 in Paris: From St Germain to Champs Elysees

Early in the morning, we walked towards the St Germain area. Here, you will find churches like the St Germain church and St Sulpice Church (thronged by the Da Vinci Code fans). Nearby is also one of Paris' most famous gardens, Jardin du Luxembourg. Despite the cold weather, the tennis courts here were fully booked and we rested our feet here while watching an ongoing match.

From Jardin du Luxembourg, we then headed to the Latin Quarter. Here you will find yourself on the streets where the Universities of Paris began. You can visit the Sorbonne Square and also visit the Pantheon where many famous Parisiens are buried, including Curie. Nearby the Pantheon, we came across a photo exhibition of Paris years ago.

When we felt hungry, we walked to Rue Mouffetard where there are lots of restaurants and cafes to choose from. Various cuisines can be found here from French to Italian to Japanese. If you are looking for something light, you can also get crepes! Our original plan was to visit the Arena of Lutece (Arenes de Lutece). However, when we reached the entrance, there was a notice informing us that the place was closed for renovation. Too bad! So, we took the metro to the Champs Elysees area.

On Monday, we had visited Avenue des Champs Elysees previously. However, the Petit Palais is closed on Monday. Hence, today we finally had the chance to visit this museum. Do note that although entry to the permanent collections are free, you will still need to head to the ticketing counter first to get a ticket. The museum consists of two levels. At the time of our visit, there was a special exhibition on women who had helped to change or influence India. Very inspiring indeed!

After appreciating the amazing collection at the Petit Palais for about 2 hours, we exited the museum and walked along the Champs Elysees again. By this time, it was already dark outside. It does indeed gives off a different feel, in the day and in the night. Despite being night time, the area was brightly lit and decorated with Christmas lights. The Christmas market was also still going strong with many stalls selling snacks, hot chocolate and so on. As the weather was great, we continued our stroll till the very end where the Arc de Triomphe stands tall. Again, it looked even better at night than when we first saw it in the day. After satisfying ourselves with the night view of Paris, it was time to rest our feet for the day.