Day 4 - In Search Of A Prison

The Latin Quarter sleeps in on Sundays. About 1030 I poked my head out of the window to just a few uninspired pedstrians and intermittent traffic below in a space a few hours earlier that was awash in bar-hoppers, sight-seers and street performers.

Within a half-hour I hit the street in search of Le Conciergerie. In French, Concierge means keeper. Le Conciergerie translates to "the Keeper's place". Here the keeper kept track of the Kings things - food, building supplies, servants, soldiers and the assorted stuff needed to run a castle. But I'm interested in another item belonging to the King that's on The Keepers List - Prisoners. Le Conciergerie also served as a prison. More like a detention center for people about to be brought before the court to hear their fate. More than 2000 were sentenced to die. The process was simple and swift. The court made their decision and the prisoner was killed the next day. A quick stop at Notre Dame across the street for a final blessing then down a few blocks to the public square where they were hanged, guillontined, shot or pulled apart limb from limb.

I don't know why I'm drawn to such a macabre place but I am. The problem is I can't find it. I know it's close to my hotel and on the Right Bank of the Seine. The tourist map they gave me at the Hotel has all of the sights clearly marked. Unfortunately, they made every building look enourmous in contrast to the street. The map makes every notable attraction in Paris look like a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Float suspended above 5th Avenue. Look there's Underdog and a giant Turkey. My problem is I'm looking for an 18th century prison. Unfortunately, on this map it covers about 6 city blocks.

I wander for at least an hour, but it's well worth it. I eventually make it back to the Louvre and get to enjoy the courtyards and take pictures. I couldnt on my first trip because it was raining. I also stumble across a few neighborhoods tucked behind the main road where I see Parisians enjoying their Sunday. In a small park I see a grandmother who watches her 2 grandsons kick a tennis ball back and forth and a woman playing innocently with her Black Lab. And then the dog sees the rolling tennis ball and sprints across the park scaring the crap out of the 2 kids. The lab meant no harm. He scooped up the ball and just wanted to play keep away. None-the-less, I think 2 little French boys peed their pants.

Eventually I found Le Conciergerie. It's camouflaged because it's still connected to a functioning police station. I walked past it 2 or 3 times, but there were policemen everywhere around it and I never thought that would be the place.

I stayed for a couple of hours and it was eerie. To see the cells, hear stories of how hundreds of people, men and women together, were just thrown into rooms like cattle with no beds or bathrooms and just hay on the floor. I also saw the cell of Marie Antoinette which of course was private and had furniture and a bed. But what made the biggest impression was just knowing I was standing where men waited to die and seeing the door they walked through on the way to their execution.

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It's Monday night and this is all I have time for now. I'm leaving in the morning and will complete my blog upon arrival to the US. I'll post my pictures, tell more about the places I visited and opine on people I met, French food, the attractiveness of the women, funny scenarios I encountered and render my Final Impression on Paris. So if you wish check back through the end of the week and as I'll be making daily entries.