Martine in Paris - Promenades 

• We are now walking along the Square Albert Tournaire, without any children or strollers, despite the presence of two benches and a few trees. After all, it's not an ideal place. At the end of the public garden, the red bricks of the forensic institute give off a sinister vibe.
• Let's rather quickly move on to the Pont d'Austerlitz. Remember, this bridge, crowned by huge tricoloured clouds, was the Olympic games' starting point for the boats of thousands of athletes.

Luca Bruno / AP

• Let's enter the Jardin des Plantes, created in 1626 for the study and culture of medicinal plants.

• The statue of the great Buffon, seated in an armchair, is along the main path on the left, facing the Great Gallery of Evolution. He managed the site for almost fifty years, developing it from a simple garden into a scientific centre and natural history museum. He also worked with the greatest scientists of his time, including the naturalists Lamarck and Daubenton and the agronomist Thouin. As a great naturalist himself, he left a monumental encyclopaedia devoted to natural history, describing birds, mammals and minerals in great detail.  

• Let's take the path on the right towards the large greenhouse, and head for the exit on rue Cuvier. As we walk, note the oldest French cedar of Lebanon, planted in 1734 by Jussieu.

• Let's cross the rue Linné and take the rue Lacépède opposite, which will take us to the Place de la Contrescarpe, lined with café terraces.

• Let's continue along rue Blainville to place Emmanuel Lévinas.

• We now arrive at the Place de l'Estrapade, so charming that it is hard to figure out where it got its name, which was nothing less than a horrible torture. The once peaceful square is now a hotspot for fans of Emily in Paris, taking pictures at No. 1, thus causing another torment for the locals and a real blessing for the bakery... 

  With a bit of fun, the bookshop La Libre Pensée at 10 rue des Fossés Saint-Jacques suggests books Emily could read to develop her sense of criticism!  I cannot resist extending the proposal to my website for another side to Paris ... 

The future is a door, the past is the key - Victor Hugo

• After the rue des Fossés Saint-Jacques, continue along the rue Malebranche and turn right into the rue Le Goff. You will then come to the rue Soufflot, where you turn left towards the Jardin du Luxembourg.

I enjoy everything here. I'm feeling good as I walk along the Boulevard Mich along the Luxembourg Gardens in the late afternoon, light-hearted like the joyful fauna.

I'm feeling particularly lucky. I arrive at square Chance, 7 squares after Boulevard Saint-Michel. 

But going towards the 14th seems like a premonition. Wasn't the boulevard Saint-Michel at this point once called rue d'Enfer (Hell Road)? I've been charged with a lot of cheating on these Monopoly walks. In my defence, I conscientiously followed all the streets in the game, simply optimising my moves! 

But the verdict is in. I must go straight to prison! 

• Then, let's continue along the Boulevard Saint-Michel.
  Through the chestnut trees of the Observatory alleys, I can see the graceful figures of the Four Parts of the World supporting the celestial sphere.

• Let's continue along the Avenue de l'Observatoire, which runs right alongside the Méridien de Paris.

• Then we turn left onto Boulevard de Port-Royal. This runs along the back of the Val de Grâce.

• Let's turn right into rue de la Santé. I can't help it, I could buy here. There are some beautiful buildings, some with artists' studios.

• But when I reach Boulevard Arago and see the prison, any desire to buy here disappears...

• On the right, facing the prison wall, is the last public urinal in Paris. Also known as vespasienne, it is not used any more. I cannot see it without remembering its awful smell.
  They disappeared in the 1980s, replaced by odourless sanisettes accessible to all, gents and ladies... But why this name of ‘vespasienne’? Why not a rambuteau, as they were introduced by the prefect Rambuteau? The man was certainly more cautious than Poubelle, who introduced the waste bins still known today as poubelles. The man had also a fine education and chose the name after the Roman emperor Vespasian, who imposed a tax on urine, then used as a fixing agent for dyes.