21. Poor Old Julien

So many Paris stories could begin with the same words ‘look up’ and this is no different so come with me and let’s find out more about a little bit of medieval history hidden in plain sight. At, no 42 rue Galande in the 5th arrondissement just above the entrance and slightly to the left if you look carefully  you will see a rather discreet little stone rectangle carefully stuck onto the facade of the building. This discreet little sculpture, so small and worn that you might not give it another thought is intact Paris’ oldest standard and dates back to the 14the century and made mentioned of as early as 1380. Although carefully preserved it is understandably overlooked.