The Thinker

The Rodin Museum in Paris is housed in a beautiful airy old home with enormous windows letting in natural light. The collection is both inside the house as well as scattered around the lovely gardens. It feels welcoming and peaceful and relaxing to visit there. Rodin's work is earthy and sensuous, based in reality but taking on dream like qualities as the figures emerge from the stone.

The dome of Les Invalides (Napoleon's burial spot) rises nearby and if it looks familiar to San Franciscans that is because the dome on SF's City Hall is a replica. 

As I walked from there to St Germain, I passed by a bunch of French police man or guards with automatic rifles. The lovely street was only about 10 feet  wide with one way traffic and lined with the typical cream colored stone buildings on both sides housing government offices. It seems like a strange place to need that kind of security but there must be important people and business happening behind the tranquil walls.

The St Germain district is chock full of cafés, fun and trendy shops and restaurants. Bakeries famous for their macaroons such as Laduree and Paul are located there. A lot of intellectuals such as Sartre used to hang out at two cafés there, Les Deux Magots and Cafe de Flore. Espresso starts at almost $5 at the outside cafe tables there but the people watching is great.