It is one of the arterial veins of the 6th arrondissement and – to me at least – one of those places that forces one into walk one’s spouse’s partners hand in theirs. It simply seems the only appropriate thing to do.
The history of the neighbouhood is not particularly romantic. It goes back to the days when the Catholic church was the main show in town and the source of the French states’ power. The area was, as such, dominated by religious orders and abbeys. You can still notice open spaces and buildings still dedicated to various orders as you walk through streets with a monastic like silence. The architecture in some instances gives the past away if you look closely to the uniformity and symbols. In more recent times it became something of an intellectual incubator and infact, it still is, given the location of several top academic institutions within its bounds.
After dark, on any given evening, regardless of its past, under its lunar street lamps and inviting quiet streets it becomes the perfect setting for a romantic stroll.
Anon's Paris 