Only a couple of kilometers east of Notre Dame is an area called Bastille and this is where the old fortress stood. It's not there now of course. It was stormed and trashed during the revolution and never rebuilt. Now there is a column there in memory of the brave citizenry who took part in that historic event. In fact many public buildings even today are inscribed with the motto of that period. Liberte, Fraternite, Egalite.
Bastille is also a good starting point for exploring the Marais.
This is one of the oldest and certainly one of the wealthiest areas in Paris. This is readily seen in the buildings and attendant park lands, the shops and the galleries. There are also some impressive medieval churches in the area and some VERY impressive synagogues. This is definitely the Jewish quarter of Paris.
It seems a characteristic feature of the architecture here that there is an entry courtyard behind some heavy large doors opening onto the street.
