I started my day by swinging by a café to grab an espresso, and a delicious croissant baked with nutella. This small cafe is becoming a bit of a favorite I’m mine, everything is delicious fairly affordable. As soon as we all meet up we start making our way to a guided tour of Les Halles. On the way there we were already making plans for going out and watching the game. France and Belgium were playing, and we all understood the hype.
When we got to Les Halles we met up with Mary Ellen, our guide. She was from Minnesota so everything was very clear. We began walking though this market as she pointed out the remnants of the original market that dates back to the Seventeen hundreds. It was extremely interesting thinking how old some of these things are. Mary Ellen pointed out the oldest bakery in France, Patisserie Stohrer which dates back to 1730. Looking back, I really wish I bought a pastry.
Throughout this stop I noticed the work of Invader throughout the city. This Anonymous artist is probably my favorite street artist, and it is so exciting to see his work. I’ve noticed his work earlier but I see a lot of it in this area. This is so exciting for some reason. It’s really making me look forward to the street art tour.
Our tour guide leads the tour to its final destination Saint Eustache. A marvelous cathedral that is an incredible showcase of architecture. These cathedrals have to be the most impactful things I have seen on this trip. It is hard to wrap my head around process of erecting such a thing. Something surprised me too was that the parish was featuring modern and contemporary works of art. I would consider going to church if I got to walk into that every Sunday.
Later that evening. A group of us went out in search of a place that had food, drink, and a tv to watch France and Belgium go head to head in the 2018 World Cup semifinals. It was incredible, everyone was feeding of each other’s energy. I wish I knew the French national anthem, for everyone in the restaurant sang it before the game, and after when France won. The response in the streets was madness. France is going to the final game. Allez les bleus!
