More About Rue Mouffetard

Rue Mouffetard, or le Mouffe, where we lost our friends in the crush of the crowd the night of the music festival, is one of the oldest streets in Paris.  An old Roman road dating back to the 7th century, it's a narrow, rough, cobblestone street that runs south downhill from Place Contrescarpe.

We live a few blocks to the west.  The buildings here are old and full of character, some of them dating back to the 12th century.  The metal signs above the buildings or the frescoes or mosaic work announce what can be purchased inside.  There are ethnic and regional restaurants of every sort with a lively market at the lower half.

The mosaics on the facade of this bakery, even though faded, are intricate and beautiful.






The market is said to date back to 1350 and its vitality sparked by eager, shouting vendors gives it a medieval flavor.  Up and down the street, boutiques mix with meat and fish markets, artisanal bread sellers and cheese shops.  Mom was disappointed to see that the shop that sold goat cheese no longer had its stuffed goat out in front.  Most buildings date back to the 17th century and some even to the 12th century.  This wood sculpture of an old oak tree is a centuries old landmark.











 Rue Pot de Fer, which intersects with rue Mouffetard, is a narrow street lined with restaurants on either side whose tables spill out into the street, leaving only enough room for pedestrians to slowly make their way through, trying to read the menus over the tops of the diners' heads.

 This was one of our favorite restaurants, even though I was seated at the edge of the room - one wrong move on my chair and I would have been on the sidewalk.