Paris Passages - Part II

The Passage Vendome, built in 1827, was close to my apartment—I accidentally discovered it one day while taking a new way to the Republique Metro. (It was weeks before I figured out I could cut through this little alleyway and get to the Metro much faster!) When built, it made it possible to connect the Temple (more about this below) and a convent created in 1704 for repented girls. It currently contains a shoe-repair and key maker, a language school, a restaurant, an internet café, and doesn’t look like it’s been renovated. It's pretty shabby, actually. (Clefs Tampons, by the way, means "key pads").

The Temple, which today is just a square (a couple blocks from my apartment), was where an ancient fortress was built starting in 1240 by the Knights Templar during Saint Louis’ reign. It later became a prison and was notorious for being the French royal family’s jail at the time of the Revolution. Among others, King Louis XVI was taken from here to be guillotined; Marie Antoinette was taken from here to the Conciergerie (see 2/27/07 blog) from where she was also eventually taken to the guillotine.As Napoleon ordered, the fortress was destroyed around 1860 because it had become a place of pilgrimage for royalists. But the heavy doors of the medieval tower still exist and are kept at the Chateau de Vincennes outside of Paris. The Temple Metro station, which sits in a square near where the old Temple stood, was also close to my apartment.

Paris Markets - Part IV - Marche Richard-Lenoir

The open markets in Paris have been in existence since the Middle Ages and, as previously posted, are a necessity for the locals. There are over 70 in the city and many of the stall owners drive many miles to come to the market with their food and wares. It's to the markets you go to find fresh fish, cheeses, breads, freshly-picked fruit and vegetables, meat, etc. And because food controls are very strict in France, shoppers are assured of their quality and preparation.

This photo was taken at the Marche Richard-Lenoir, which is held every Thursday and Sunday beginning at 7:00 AM on Boulevard Richard-Lenoir between rue Amelot and rue Saint-Sabin. (Hmm, according to the sign in the picture, the Saturday market opens at 10:00. These may be the winter hours.) The market stretches for blocks along the tree-lined boulevard that separates the Marias from the Bastille. (Actually, I think the walkway down the middle of Boulevard Richard-Lenoir is above where the Canal Saint Martin goes underground.)

I walked down there one Thursday after my language lesson (about 15 minutes from my apartment) and was overwhelmed by all the stalls, vendors, and crowds plus the traffic navigating its way on the roundabout at place de la Bastille. As well as all kinds of food, you can find clothing, shoes, scarves, linens—even North African and other international fare.

Neighborhood Squares

Squares like this (Square Georges Cain located between rue du Parc Royal and rue des Francs Bourgeois) are one of those small, intimate “breaks” to a busy day. They are scattered all over the city and provide everyone with a quiet respite, especially on a sunny day as this one was. I like this photo because it reminds me of the beauty of “everyday”—art in the middle of a park and city workers preparing for spring while others stroll by, lost in their own thoughts. Georges Cain, a French painter and writer, was the conservator of the Carnavelet, a museum featuring the Revolutionary years, from 1897-1914. (I blogged about my visit to this museum on 1/3/07.) The bronze sculpture is called Aurore and was done in the 17th century by Laurent Magnier. He was one of the French sculptors during the reign of Louis XIV; and some of his sculptures are found in the gardens of Versailles.

The other photo is taken in Square Leopold Achille (named after a former city council man), which is just a few steps from Square Georges Cain. Some of the statues in this small garden were salvaged from sections of the old Tuileries Palais and the original Hotel de Ville façade, both which were destroyed during the Paris Commune in 1871.

Both squares are in the Marias quartier and are ideal resting places for before and after visiting the Carnavelet and/or the Picasso museums.

Paris Markets - Part III - Rue Cler

Neighborhood markets are one of the fun diversions for tourists—one of the staples of life in Europe that is so different from our lives in America. And because of this, they make such an impression on us—we wander through them with lots of curiosity. I may have mentioned this before but since apartments, kitchens, refrigerators are so small, daily shopping at street markets is a necessary part of life here. It is also part of social life.

Rue Cler, a little pedestrian street (since 1984) close to the Eiffel Tower, has always been a popular and interesting neighborhood market where locals are all business collecting their meat from the boucherie, the baguettes from the boulangerie, their cheese from the fromagerie, and catching up with the fish merchant’s family. There are even chic boutiques and less expensive "general" stores. Visitors stroll through watching the interchange between the locals, peeking in the windows, and soaking up the ambiance (and the smells!). You can spend less money on other market streets but this street has its own little magic. I stayed very close to rue Cler for a week in 2003 (also a few nights in 2000) and always cut through on my way to the day’s destination or on my way home. It’s a fun place to sit at a local café and watch the world go by, plus there’s a post office at the end of the street.

Paris Churches - Part VII - Saint-Germain des Pres

A church has existed on this site in the Latin Quarter since 452 AD but that first church was destroyed by the Vikings in the 885-886 siege. This church, Saint-Germain des Pres, bears witness to a prestigious abbey founded in the 6th century; and the tall bell tower is the original entrance dating from the year 1000. The oldest church in Paris, this is what remains of a once sprawling and high-ranking monastery. Built in the fields (pres) just beyond the outskirts of medieval Paris (and outside the Philippe Auguste wall), you can still find some traces of the connection between the church and the rest of the Abbey. One Abbey building remains, the Abbot's red brick residence, which you can see from place de Furstenberg. The church, which was the burial place of Merovingian kings (those graves were later plundered), was built in the Romanesque style. This means it has round (not pointed) arches above the aisles; and the interior is still painted in the medieval manner, as were Notre-Dame and others. The murals were done in the 19th century by the French painter Flandrin and you can still see some original stained glass windows. You can find the tombs of, among others, Descartes and John Casimir (Jan Kazimierz), a Polish king--only their hearts are here now.Saint-Germain des Pres sits in its own square and and gave its name to the lively Saint-Germain-des-Pres area that developed around the abbey. It faces the famous café, les Deux Magots, where many authors and intellects have hung out for decades (Hemingway, de Beauvoir, Sartre, Picasso, etc.) By the way, the word magots means Chinese commercial agents and there are two (deux) statues of the agents hanging on the wall in the café.

Le Café de Flore sits next door to les Deux Magots and across the street from Brasserie Lipp, the café where Hemingway wrote much of “A Farewell to Arms.” The church and the cafes sitting on the Boulevard Saint-Germain make this a very lively corner on the Left Bank.

Notice the interesting sculpture rising out of the square across from the church.

Ballet Shoes Anyone?

This ballet shop, founded by the mother (Rose Repetto) of famous French choreographer, Roland Petit, has been outfitting dancers performing at Paris’ l’Opera since 1947. Now dancers from all over the world choose her dancing shoes and apparel. Madame Repetto designed a pair of shoes for Bridgitte Bardot in 1956 which she wore in the movie, “And God Created Women.” Today, these shoes have become the symbol of Repetto and are tres expensive! I ventured into this shop a couple of times thinking I might buy something for our new little dancer, Karlee. I was not only very intimidated by the ballet-sized shop clerks and Parisian shoppers but also intimidated by the prices. I decided that Karlee was too young at this time to appreciate the significance of an item purchased at this shop—maybe in ten years...

Paris Passages - Part I

In the early 19th century, Paris boasted 140 passages crossing the Grands Boulevards from North to South, often fitted with glass roofs and charming architecture that gave them a unique brightness. Originally, these shopping passages were designed to protect pedestrians from the weather and splashes from passing buggies and vehicles. Parisians would come to the passages to be seen, to promenade, and to seek entertainment. The first photo is taken at the Passage des Princes. Over the years, the passage of time took its toll on the arcades; but many have been recently renovated and restored to something close to their former splendor. The occupants include cafes and chic boutiques as well as shops selling precious books, toys, unframed prints, gifts, antiques, rare coins, and maps. Many of the shops tucked into the passages are not your normal magasins—you may even find a shop that still carries an 18th century permit to sell only gloves and fragrances. I discovered that shops selling gloves also sold perfume in order to cover up the smell of tanning leather. (This explains why some French women put perfume between their fingers…)

The entrances to the various arcades are easy to miss and upon entering and browsing through the passages, you may be surprised about where you emerge at the other end. Surprised and lost!

Although there is only a handful left today (about 20), they continue to capture the charm of another era.

I mentioned one of the most elegant and luxurious ones, Galerie Vivienne, on 1/14/07 and 2/15/07. This passage was built in 1823 thanks to money coming from stock exchange speculations in real estate. Its flamboyant beauty and obvious grandeur is enhanced by the Grecian décor and the marine embellishments. Some of the entrances lead to walkways that appear to be renovated; however, notice the worn flooring at this entrance (above), which I loved.

Passage des Panoramas, built in 1799 by the American James Thayer, was a great success with the Parisians who flocked to admire its painted frescos (panoramas). It was here that the first Parisian gas lamps were installed in 1817.

In spite of the disappearance of these panoramas when the passage was destroyed in 1831, the arcade was replaced in 1834 and remained one of the favorite places for Parisians to stroll. It connects the Grands Boulevards and the Stock Exchange or the Bourse district . One of the original shops, Stern Graveur (engraver), still exists today.