Rest of the Left Bank

Continuing on the Left Bank tour, 

Church of St. Sulpice is the 2nd largest church in Paris. It has a neoclassical facade with 2 round, half-finished towers. Inside there are 3 murals by Delacroix and a display on the Shroud of Turin.

In St. Sulpice, there is a gnomon (Egyptian-style obelisk), which is part of a sundial. In the south transept window, there is a small opening with a lens. At noon on the winter solstice (12/21), a ray of light touches the brass line on the obelisk and at noon on the equinoxes (3/21 & 9/21), the ray touches an oval plate of copper in the floor. What happens if it's a cloudy day?

Next stop was Luxembourg Garden—Paris’ most beautiful park. The 60-acre garden is the property of the French Senate, which meets in the palace. The Luxembourg Palace was created by Marie de Medici, who fashioned it after the Pitti Palace because she was homesick for Florence. Apparently, there's a whole secret underground complex as well. 

In the nearby pond in the summer, children can rent toy sailboats.

2015 02 05