Merde!

Today I checked out some of the smelliest parts of Paris, beginning with the Fragonard Musée du Parfum, which is a free museum right across from the Charles Garnier Opera House. My friend Natalie from class met me there and we went looking through all sorts of interesting paraphernalia, from alien-like distilling machines to vintage soap labels. This toilette set was apparently meant to fit into a car:



And if you want a subtle case for your perfume, one that says "I'm studious" instead of "I'm stinky," this museum has just container for you!



There is even a sampling room where visitors can try to distinguish between all sorts of smells, including for different variations on rose. There are also a few ancient vessels from Egypt and Greece used to illustrate the history of perfume use.

After a morning of pleasantry, Natalie and I went, for contrast, to the
Musée des égouts de Paris -- a museum that shows off the Paris sewer system. The entrance is basically a small kiosk above a hole in the ground. We soon descended into the Paris underworld...



The museum is actually very interesting, and documents the history of sewage in Paris since the days of tossing the contents of your chamber pot out the window. Apparently, when not fighting battles, Napoleon was trying to deal with major public works issues! But the main display was the "Bruneseau Gallery," named for one of Victor Hugo's friends. (The museum made a very big deal out of Hugo's writing about the sewer system in Les Miserables.) It contains a "flushing machine" that, as the museum brochure puts it, "traps the solids found in wastewater. The solid material is removed by means of the dredger that you can see above the basin." I think I'll just leave it at that...



Throughout the rest of the museum, we walked on metal grates, above flowing water. It's a good thing they are very sturdy.



Probably the most awesome part of the museum, however, was the gift shop, where they sell stuffed rats, carafes advertising the Paris sewer system, and postcards featuring beleaguered-looking sewer employees in messy situations. I guess now I know what goes on beneath the City of Light!