I'll always have Paris ...

Now that 2011 is winding down, it's time for me to tidy up some loose ends. That includes filing some posts that I have post-poned (so to speak) due to more pressing events. Thanks to all of you who have nagged about the missing photos from my most recent travels abroad. Without further adieu, I present evidence that Donna and I really did enjoy time in Paris!

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Cole Porter was right. So were Stein, Hemingway, Picasso, and the rest. There is something eternally beautiful about Paris. I could spend my entire life there and still not experience it all. So, even though I walked the streets for a day in July, I was more than happy to join Donna on a longer journey in October.

We began each day with a walk in a park.  Our hotel was in the Bercy district (the one-time wine warehouse area of the city), so the first morning we wandered about nearby Parc de Bercy and the adjacent Jardin de Yitzack Rabin. Among other things, the area included a demo community garden, landscaped overpasses that went over a highway, and several classical garden "rooms".

A beautiful pedestrian overpass/footbridge took us across the Seine and to the grounds of the lack-lustre national library (the large building to the right in the photo below - the whole complex looks not unlike an upside-down table with the four towers of the facility standing in for the upright table legs). The bridge afforded a wonderful view of the river, commercial traffic such as barges, and the various other boats that ply the city's waterways. I was especially taken by the Piscine Josephine Baker which, at first glance, looked like so many of the boats-cum-restaurants that line the banks of the Seine.

On another day, the morning garden of choice was an old rail bed that had been converted into an elevated pedestrian walkway. Apparently the Promenade des Plantes, as it is known, was the inspiration for the High Line walkway that we enjoyed in New York. The Parisian elevated landscape provided a welcome oasis in the midst of a bustling neighbourhood (we entered near the intersection of Rue Diderot and Ave Daumesnil) with a backdrop of upper floors of elegant apartment buildings.

Visits to gardens weren't restricted to the earlier hours of the day, however. Spent time in and around Place des Vosges, a sweet well-used park enlivened by the strains of a cellist practicing in an arcade at one end of the square while a harpist played under another arcade at the far side. Managed to locate a lovely haberdashery tucked in a small courtyard on Rue des Francs-Bourgeois - bought some cotton ribbon printed with "mange moi" (I'll use it to try bags of goodies I plan to hand out at Christmas and other occasions).

An afternoon's pause in the Latin Quarter's famed Jardin du Luxembourg provided a chance to soak up the urban vibe while enjoying the pleasant weather. 

Of course, behind every sunny day lurks a menacing cloud. In my case, it presented itself next to the garden's stunning Medici Fountain.

The cloud came in the form of a flock of winged vermin that delivered its own unique souvenir from the Luxembourg Gardens. Donna tried to put a happy face on the situation by echoing my mother's insistence that a bird bomb = good luck. I am not convinced. It seems many Paris visitors and residents feel the same way about the pigeons that litter, literally, the city as does this statue near the Place de la Concorde.

Thankfully, the injuries suffered during my previous travels to Europe had healed, and I could once more walk without effort or pain. A folding cane had been packed as a precaution, but it was only brought out on the last afternoon of our stay in Paris. We only took a couple of subway rides, and only one taxi. Otherwise, shank's mare transported us the entire time. What better way to see the sights? And what sights we saw!


Since I had recently spent a whole day at the Musee d'Orsay, I had little interest in gallery and museum hopping. Neither did Donna. Besides, the weather was far too nice to spend much time indoors. That said, we did try to get in to the Musee des Arts Decoratifs (located at the Jardin des Tulliaries end of the Louve complex), but alas it was closed. I did venture into the Grand Palais where a wonderful exhibition of Gertrude Stein's family's art collection was on show, but after seeing the length of the queue opted to fight my way instead to the bookshop where I purchased a exhibition catalogue for a friend. It took a full two hours to get to the bookstore what with security and all. Imagine if I had wanted to see the exhibition! Mon Dieu! Certainly pays to buy exhibition tickets in advance.

This is not to say that we ignored the visual arts. Far from it. Paris is packed with lots of wonderful outdoor art ranging from classic statues and memorials to the whimsy that is the Stravinsky Fountain (located beside the Pompidou Centre.

Also came across a series of very large photographs of famous people in showers or bathtubs (e.g. Brigit Bardot clad only in bubbles, Janet Leigh in "Psycho", etc.) while walking along the Boulevard de la Bastille (which skirts its own body of water, a canal called the Port de Plaisance de Paris Arsenal). Saw some interesting graffiti, too. And while we didn't spend time in any of the major galleries, we did stumble upon a couple of amateur art shows/sales - one an outdoor art/craft fair and the other a student event in a rented storefront. Managed to pick up small original artworks (abstract watercolours and a little print) for under five Euros each. 

 
We tried to take a different route from our hotel each day (which proved especially challenging on a couple of days due to the G20 meeting a block away at the Ministere de l"Economie et Ministrere des Finances) and exploring as many sectors of the city as we could comfortably manage.

Of course, no visit to Paris would be complete without an obligatory stop at the Tour Eiffel. And while the engineering marvel still appeals, there were other attractions nearby that added to the memory of the trip.

An informal gathering of steampunk enthusiasts (above) had me yearning for a Jules Verne novel, while a gorgeous Art Nouveau residence (built in 1907 for a politician) reminded me of Brussels.

Near the Musee du Quai Branly we had a rare wildlife sighting (above), and spotted a Christmas present for Phil that could easily fit inside my suitcase (sorry, Phil, the airline lost that suitcase).

Crossed many of the city's more famous bridges including Pont de Sully, Pont St Louis, Pont Notre Dame, and Pont Alexandre III (below).

Pont Neuf provided a couple of special memories this visit. Not only were les bouquinistes (the bookstalls) open, but it was near the east end of that bridge that I enjoyed one of my first glimpses of Paris after dark. It is amazing how far the search lights at the top the Eiffel Tower can be seen! One look at the photo below and it's clear why Paris has long been called the City of Light - it really does come alive after dark.

Took some time for quiet contemplation at some of the city's beautiful churches, including:
St-Ettiene du Mont, located near the Pantheon

St-Eustache:

Notre Dame at night (inside they were showing a movie about the church's history, so didn't stay as it was too dark to view the building interior and the film won't start for another 1/2hr. I wasn't too disappointed as I saw the interior on a previous trip to Paris):

On the way back to the hotel, after seeing Notre Dame's illuminated exterior, we passed by St-Louis-en-L'Ile. We were attracted to the building by the tuneful sounds of an organ recital. Poked our heads inside, but no seats available and the recital was well underway (according to a poster on the church door), so we continued our walk toward the hotel.


We did do some shopping, although tended to seek out "common" French items in grocery stores and department stores rather than typical tourist tack. Marveled at the practicality of small-scale European appliances, and oogled a lot of European-styled furniture. Sniffed several types of soap and other good-smelling stuff. Donna managed to find a lovely toilet paper roll holder for her up-coming bathroom reno. We both brought home French face cloths aka rectangular terry mittens. Window shopped amid the couture shops of Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore, and checked out the wares on offer at several of the old passages/arcades.

Also came across some unique food stores that provided unusual gifts for family and friends.

Our hotel provided a tasty all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet, and we packed a pastry or two and some fruit to eat throughout the day. These goodies were supplemented by other eats we discovered along the way. I couldn't sample the beautiful macaroons due to the almond flour in the recipes, but Donna tells me they were excellent. At my pity party I consoled myself by gorging on marshmallows flavoured with coconut, mango, and green tea. Yum!

Rue Mouffetard (one shop front pictured below) boasts a famous market street overflowing with food stalls, fruit stands, and cookware shops.

Across town, near the Madelaine (not far from the Maille store), we popped into centuries-old food emporiums such as Fauchon and nearby Hediard which both resembled the food floors of Harrod's or Fortnum & Mason in London. Mariage Freres was a beautiful shop specializing in all things tea - worth visiting for the scent of the tea alone.


Had a couple of cheap dinners at a fabulous falafel stand, but did take time to enjoy onion soup and an omelette at a quintessential cafe near the Bastille. Also took in a leisurely cafe au lait at the famed Cafe Beauborg, situated across the square from the Pompideu Centre. Donna was eager to see the interior as it was an early effort by designer Phillipe Stark.

I think it might have looked marginally better when the shelf-lined walls were stocked with books. In any case, the menu was over-priced tourist trap fare but the view of the buskers entertaining crowds on the concrete "lawn" in front of the Pompideu made the cost of the coffee worth the price.


If we had access to cooking facilities, I would have gladly sampled some of the seafood on offer at stands outside a number of shops and restaurants.

One food-related event that did not take place was a lunch/dinner rendezvous with Don and Gerald. For some reason our respective hotels and other communications options conspired against us. No matter. When I last saw the pair in Vancouver, Don staged a photo of the event as it might have been. Yes, Virginia, that is pomegranate juice in the glasses - it was only 7am, after all, when the photo was taken. Doesn't Gerald look perky given the hour?

Some other sights seen about the city:

A copy of Foucault's pendulum at the Pantheon - The original was on display at the Musee des Arts et Metiers. However, on April 6, 2010, the cable suspending the bob snapped causing irreparable damage to the pendulum and to the marble flooring of the museum. So if yer really yearning to know more about the rotation of the earth, suggest you settle for viewing the replica. (Guilty confession: I didn't pay to enter the Pantheon. Went in just to buy Momzy a postcard and was surprised to see the pendulum so close to the shop. The shopkeeper told me I could take a photo, so I did. Saved 7 Euros!)

Hotel de Ville - the crowd in front of the building is assembling as part of the world-wide "Occupy Wall Street" movement. Donna and I received an invite to join the throng while relaxing next to the Stravinsky Fountain a short walk away. Fortunately we passed by the city hall a good two hours before the event was to get underway. Didn't want to get caught in any civil unrest in a foreign country. Given that two fire trucks were unfurling their hoses in front of me as I took this photo, we had little doubt the authorities weren't going to stand for any nonsense. The evening TV news reported that the protest was peaceful, thank goodness.

One of the more attractive modern renos of classic architecture could be seen in Francis Soler's treatment of the French Ministry of Culture and Communications. The architect unified two existing buildings which each came with a different architectural style by wrapping them in a continuous mesh of steel lace.

There were so many other things that we did and saw, but not enough room here to record it all.

One last note: About that "lucky" bird bomb - the following evening, after dining at our favourite falafel stand, Donna and I found a kitchenware shop that was open very late. It was here that I bought a madelaine pan. Delighted with my purchase, I was peeking into the bag to glance at it once more when - WHAM - I walked into the security gate covering the entrance door! Seems the clerk wanted to ensure no further customers that night, so decided to lower the gate part way across the door while he was ringing in my purchase. I didn't notice the gate until it made contact with my forehead. Amazingly, although the gate made a terrific noise when we connected, I barely felt a thing. And despite the suddenly pale store clerk's expression, no harm was done to my person. Donna pointed out that things might have been much worse had it not been for the "lucky" bird bomb of the previous day. Personally, I think it had more to do with the impenetrable nature of my noggin!