Paris Has the Endless Types of Shops
It’s a rainy afternoon in Paris, or perhaps I should say, it’s a dumping cats and dogs afternoon in Paris. After what has been a series of comedy of errors for the first half of the day, I am taking a bit of a reprieve. I am sitting here enjoying a cup of tea and doing some blogging. It just seemed like the wise thing to do here.
Knowing we would be heading to Lyon tomorrow, we wanted to get our train tickets today, so they didn’t sell out at the time we want to depart, or whatever else. We took the subway to Gare de Lyon, which is the train station that has the trains that depart south toward Lyon and further, into Provence. The kiosks are in theory user friendly, although one is forced to claim they are a cardholder or not, what type of cardholder, and please prove it, etc. Needless to say, after futzing around for 20 minutes and we couldn’t get the tickets had me a bit restless. I suggested we stand in line and deal with a human but Dan suggested we try another kiosk. We faced the same issue- I was pissed!! Although three or four more tries (and another twenty minutes), and out popped our tickets.
Since we were on the east side of Paris, we decided to explore around there for a bit. There is an aqueduct that was originally built to bring coal into Paris in the 1800’s via freight train. Today, the arches have been enclosed and are a mixture of stores, art workshops, and storage areas (almost like peering into a small warehouse) and the industrial infrastructure has been converted into the Viaduc des Artes. The scene was a bit anti-climactic and could be more than it is, but it was pretty neat and a wonderful example of repurposing. Although we didn’t take the stroll, there are stairs leading to the level of the original rail bed where there is a 4.5 km strolling park that stretches across this part of Paris. I could only infer that the Highline in NYC got its inspiration from this.
The Repurposed Viaduct
The rain was really coming down at this point and we opted for a cab to explore the Belleville neighborhood. I had read about a wonderful Marche in Belleville, and while we saw the kilometers of booth structures set up on the center isle in Belleville Blvd, we discovered it is only open Tuesday and Saturdays. We missed it. We get out at a random point and started walking. This is a fascinating neighborhood. It is very ethnically diverse and a mixture of African, Middle Eastern, and Asians. This was reflected in the types of restaurants and shops. Very few white people. Honestly, I felt like I was walking through parts of Brooklyn or Queens. We even hit a section that looked like Chinatown. Dan mentioned he learned in school that at least in the European cities, the affluent parts of the cities are west (think, Versailles), and the less affluent and possibly impoverished parts of the city are east. This is because the winds blow from west to east, carry pollution, and degrade the quality of life to the east.
Working Class Belleville
Our meanderings led us through Belleville and we headed west to stop at a fromagerie that had caught our eye. La Fromagerie Goncourt was started by a man who left his career in banking to become a cheese aficionado. He quit his job and toured around France by bicycle for two months tasting and immersing himself in the world of cheese. His shop has some rare varieties of cheese and, if they were discovered on his bike trip, this is connoted by a bike symbol near it. Our mouths were watering with anticipation. We arrive, only to discover, it is not open on Mondays. We are really batting 1000 for misses!!
I had really wanted to climb the Arc de Triomphe and with it being on the other side of the city, we took the subway. What was very, very cool – cooler than the jazz band I heard last night in the subway when we were late for Jean-Louis’, was an entire ensemble of musicians set up playing their hearts out. This was no blues singer or Bob Dylan. This was an eight piece Ukrainian band. Trombone player, trumpet player, bass layer and even a couple of accordion players. Now I have been in the train stations in NYC many, many times, and I have yet to see such a thing. It was truly incredible. We were in no particular rush and hung out grooving for a few songs. Loving every second of it and smiling from ear to ear about the creativity we were bearing witness to.
Ukrainian Band Doing Their Thing in the Metro Tunnel
On our way riding to the Arc de Triomphe, we commented about being hungry (it was a bit after 2pm, time for lunch) and simultaneously proposed getting a quick bite to eat before our climb. I found a Senegalese restaurant (sometimes there’s African music there) in the Lonely Planet guide that is listed in the same section as Champs-Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe. Google maps says it’s two miles away and, attempting to save time, we hailed a cab. Not sure what happened, but it was more like four miles away and add to the mix that the traffic is congested something fierce, we arrive at the restaurant at 2:58. It closes at 3pm, but it actually looks like maybe it wasn’t even open today anyway. We did peer in, it looked super cool, and full of character and very authentic, but clearly, we wouldn’t get to confirm this or otherwise. An Indian restaurant was on the same block, so for the sake of simplicity, we dined there. The Indian’s do spices so well, they can make anything taste great.
While we were eating, I commented that it just didn’t make sense to schlep all the way back west and that with the rain, we wouldn’t get much of a view from atop the Arc anyway. So maybe we could find something fun to do somewhere between where we are and home. The Salvador Dali museum looked coo – but it was only open for 90 minutes and we still had to get there. The Photography Museum in the Marais was intriguing – but it was closed Mondays. We were just blocks from the Grevin Museum and it was open — we were in luck. Then realizing it was a wax museum, which would feature Marilyn Monroe shooting the shit with Charles de Gaulle and Spiderman, Dan threw out the best idea of the day – let’s go home and work on our blog. I whole heartedly agreed.
We got off the subway at Hotel de Ville and with me wanting to feel like I actually got something accomplished today, we went inside to see the art exhibit. I loved the premise on which the art was based. All the artists were city workers. How cool is that? This showing gives them an outlet to express themselves, when truth be known, most of them are leading a pretty bureaucratic life and probably need this type of outlet – stunning photographs, painting, sculptures, fiber arts. And what a venue. The Hotel de Ville is another old, gorgeous building with fine stone carvings and even the tiled floors were something to take note of.
Feeling not completely unproductive, we mosey on back home and listen to the rain fall, while sipping tea and cracking down on blogging.
Hotel de Ville Makes for a Natural Venue as an Art Gallery