[Time’s running out! Still lots of things to see and do. I think this was the first day we didn’t have breakfast before we got on the subway. We’re close to the subway stop near the Sorbonne here – and here Reetz documents the place we did have breakfast.]
[A little sidewalk shopping on the way. I know it says St. Germain, but we weren’t in St. Cloud! Note The Biddies are wearing their new French skirts. 😉 ]
[That’s where we’re going – though I think we had to walk all the way around the block for the entrance.]
[And here’s where we were . . . and breakfasted.]
[And now we’re at the entrance to the Musee de Cluny. This is old stuff.]
[Stained glass window display.]
[Really had to the look and feel of an old-time castle.]
[Torsos . . . and me.]
[It’s cool!]
[The swastika actually dates back to antiquity, though it does kind of jump out at you now because of its “recent” history.]
[Sarcophaguses (sarcophagi?) of folks I didn’t know and can’t recall.]
[A big room. Early racquetball courts?]
[Reetz and columns. Bonjour, madame, did you find my luggage yet?]
[Another big room. The super also checking “lost and found” for the missing luggage.]
[Now that’s a tapestry – with various statuary representations of the Virgin Mary.]
[No, it’s not a light sabre. It’s a narwhal tooth! 🙂 ]
[Back on the street again . . . and shopping. If you need a scarf, this is the place to be!]
[The University of Paris Sorbonne and following neighborhood . . . ]
[Now I think the Pantheon is that way . . . ]
[Yup, there it is – undergoing a 3-year renovation.]
[But right outside, and next to a University of Paris building, I found my soul mate! 😉 ]
[The supervisor points to a bumper sticker on his bum. She was afraid to try removing it.]
[OK, let’s go in.]
[Oh, looking back at the University of Paris as we approach the Pantheon entrance.]
[And the street from whence we came – with my big Soul Mate.]
[Inside (obviously).]
What I said on Facebook: I know thousands of you are eagerly awaiting the final blog posts on France. On our last full day in Paris, we visited the Pantheon which was undergoing renovation. The following AP story explains the following photos – it was great fun, I could have spent a lot of time there just photographing the best or funniest photos. We have Reetz for perspective, and the super actually laid down on the floor for hers.
(AP) The mausoleum that is the final resting place for 72 of France’s renowned men — and just one woman — will get a little more ‘egalite’ during two years of renovations.
Days after announcing that two women who fought with the French Resistance during World War II will be interred at the Pantheon, the government on Tuesday announced that the faces of thousands of ordinary people will be on show in a huge art installation there.
Anyone can upload a photo for inclusion and JR, a photographer known for his giant street-art portraits, is also traveling around France to find people who want a place in the building that houses the remains of Victor Hugo, Voltaire, and Marie Curie, among others.
The installation will begin April 22.
[And on the ceiling.]
[Now, the original stuff . . . ]
[Can you read French? 😉 ]
[Inside itself?]
[The super thought lying on the floor was not too high a price to pay for fame and glory!]
[Bye-bye Pantheon, hello Tower!]
[I think we go this way for our next destination, through the university . . .]
[And past my Big Bud . . . and we’ll get there in Part 2.]
I have not been able to discover whether there exists a precise French equivalent for the common Anglo-American expression ‘killing time.’ It’s a very crass and breezy expression, when you ponder it for a moment, considering that time, after all, is killing us. ~ Christopher Hitchens
Up next: Part 2, the last day in Paris?
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