Eglise Saint-Sulpice

This is the neighborhood that I lived in when I first arrived in Paris in 1981. I had no idea where I was then, but I soon found out how lucky I was to have landed in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés quarter, very close to this church (not to mention the church of St.-Germain-des-Prés). When I walked to school (which took about twenty minutes), my regular route took me through the place in front of St.-Sulpice with its amazing fountain in the center. It's the heart of the sixth arrondissement, full of activity and history (what part of Paris isn't?).

The Church of Saint-Sulpice and its fountain out front, seen from the top of the Tour Montparnasse. In the upper left corner is the old Samaritaine department store, now completely renovated. Digitized color slide, sometime in the 90s.

The program I had signed up with offered students a housing option in a pension de famille (boarding house) in that neighborhood and I, not really wanting to live outside the city or with a family as an au pair, decided that option was for me. The Résidence St.-Germain is now long gone, but I remember my window looking down on a tiny street called la rue des Ciseaux (Scissors Street). The first night I spent there, a balmy early September night, I remember the street below buzzing with the sound of people sitting out on the terrasses of small restaurants. I went out with a few of the other students for a quick drink in a nearby café on the Boulevard St.-Germain. Back at the room, I settled into bed and tuned my little radio until I found some typical French music. I was in Paris! As exhausted as I was from the trip, sleep was far away. I'll never forget that first night.