Is Rentrée Really Just French for Autumn?

Well the end of August has finally arrived. And so, by some strange coincidence, have some chilly overnight temperatures and a certain freshness in today’s breeze, which leads me to wonder if the inevitable end of summer and the change of season is nearly upon us too.

After a morning in the studio, my afternoon errands took me on a lovely walk along the banks of the Seine to Gare d’Austerlitz and through a very tranquil Jardins des Plantes to collect some images of the recently restored Grands Serres (glass greenhouses) for my research.

(Actually the structure of gare itself looked very interesting, but way too many military police with sub-machine guns patrolling the area made me a bit nervous about whipping out my camera with my recent touristy abandon).

The Australasian House lacks the sweaty rainforest experience of the much grander Kew Gardens’ greenhouse, but it was encouraging to see local people so engrossed in familiar Australian flora. (Once upon a time, a visit to Kew was usually a much-needed green dose of home!)

There is also a zoo at the Jardins des Plantes, which I have declined to visit, though from all accounts conditions for the animals are vastly improved on what they once were. Instead, I have included my own menagerie of animals I have recently snapped in the vicinity.

Of course, in a curious pattern that has happened nearly every one of the long evenings since I arrived in Paris, the clouds cleared, the temperature warmed a little and the late afternoon was the best and sunniest part of the day. Do hope there’s an Indian Summer (I wonder if that’s l’été indien in French?) in store for us in Paris.

Sculpture on a Sunday - Musée Rodin

Weekend Workout

Just a few of the things I saw today on my way to and from the 7-ième (some illustrated, some not):

- A Vespa with a Virgin

- Knights in full armour balancing precariously on the façade of the Hôtel de Ville

- Postmen and women delivering the Saturday morning mail on their bright yellow bikes (with stabilisers!)

- A bride and groom pretending to run across the Pont des Invalides for their wedding photographer (just between you and me, not very convincingly)

- An optimistic 2CV hoping to fit into an already occupied parking space

- An unsettling Army of One on Rue St Dominique

- A football team having a kick-about beside a Jeux de Ballon Interdits (No Ballgames) sign on the grassy median strip of the Esplanade des Invalides (http://www.artofthestate.co.uk/

banksy/banksy_no_ball_games.htm)

-The wedding cake spires of the Basilique St Clotilde on Rue Las Cases

- Visitors predictably pondering the meaning of life beside the famous thinker in the garden at the Musèe de Rodin (but that’s a whole other story)

- A guy riding his bicycle in a hurry along the Quai Georges Pompidou, with a single long-stemmed rose strapped to his back.

(Hope he made it to his date on time !)

The Walking Tour Continues...

Today the photos are all taken around the St Paul area where Rue de Rivoli becomes Rue de St Antoine.

The Hôtel Sully is a grand, neo-classical building on Rue de St Antoine, with two rather busty sphinxes guarding the entrance to a courtyard and a particularly lush and pleasant orangerie. The building houses the Caisse Nationale des Monuments Historiques et des Sites (like the National Trust or Historic Houses Trust) and is, apparently, not be confused with the rather sleazy and down-at-heel tourist Hôtel Sully next door, which a friend had the memorable misfortune of staying in once on a previous visit.

Loved the company car, covered in logos from the various and instantly-recognisable historic sites around France.

Have enjoyed a few quieter days in the studio this week, which means I haven’t been very far afield collecting images. It doesn’t seem to matter, though - even the most familiar streets of my neighbourhood (i.e. the ones en route to the supermarché – mais oui, life in Paris is so glamorous!) are still filled with new things to photograph every day.

Feeling somewhat despairing about the very slow progress I seem to be making with my French over these last few weeks and without a TV or radio to listen to, I was delighted to find that - in a desperate attempt to get French viewers hooked on the programme like English and Australian audiences before them - TV1 are streaming whole episodes of French Masterchef on their website!

I wonder if it will help me communicate more meaningfully with the check-out girls at aforementioned Franprix and G24? (I’d hate to end up parodied in a tome such as "Les Tribulations d'une Caissiere" or “Life on the Tills” in English http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/4029292/French-check-out-girl-becomes-best-selling-author.html)

A post devoted entirely to food is definitely overdue and on its way, but meanwhile I shall be back to this little boutique, apparently devoted entirely to produce from Corsica, (including, I hope, the cheese advertised above, brebis or ewe’s milk cheese being a particular favourite of mine).

These fabulous discarded limbs in a shop window are just two of the reasons I do love my quartier and yes, of course I would ramasse, if I had a dog (wish a few more dog-owners felt the same)!

Some Meditations on Being in an Unfamiliar Place (An Occasional Series)

The great thing about being a tourist is being able to unashamedly not know everyday stuff – like which way you are going, what someone is saying to you, where the bus stop is, how to use a ticket machine, how to walk in a straight line from A to B, why it might be dangerous to jump on and off the bus as the doors open and close in order to take photos of the Eiffel Tower etc.

The beauty of it is that when you don’t know stuff, you really have to pay attention and look instead.

Here are some of the things I looked at today in and around the Marais. (By the way, it wasn’t me jumping on and off the bus).

Opening Doors

Did lots of walking today as a friend who lives here in Paris took me on a walking tour of some of the galleries hidden behind the grand gates in the back streets of the Marais – it’s really useful to be told about these places as you’d have to look very carefully indeed to even realize they existed. (Of course I have trodden the Rue Vieille du Temple and adjacent streets quite a few times since I arrived, but on at least one occasion we were in search of a cocktails not culture).

The huge wooden street doors open up onto unexpected courtyards – this is the elegant staircase of Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin on Rue de Turenne. Did I mention that none of the galleries were open – you guessed it (altogether now) fermée pour le congés.

September’s shaping up to be a busy month!

Photographed lots of great street art today, which will no doubt make its way onto the blog at some point. Love this one of Stewart’s – I recognise that sentiment, though I did manage to buy my first pair of boots in years this winter!

And finally, after pounding the pavement all afternoon, is it any wonder my attention was drawn to alternative modes of transport – both of these quite eco-friendly in their different ways.

Beautiful bouquets of flowers have been springing up all over the city today. This one in Rue de Geoffrey L'Asnier marks the 66^th Anniversary of the Liberation of Paris today.

More Sunday Snaps

Here are some more photos from my lovely walk on a sunny Sunday around the Jardins de Luxembourg: enjoy!

The Petit Luxembourg Palace, which of course begs the question: if this is only the petite palace, how much bigger is the main house?

A stylish moped on Quai d’Orléans on the Ile de St Louis.

The spire of St Germain des Prés, peeking out from behind the ivy-covered parapets.

Can’t be too careful out there in the wilds - evidently the weather could change at any time!

The local wildlife obviously keeps a low profile on a busy day in the park and who could blame them really, as this unfortunate fellow's last encounter with humans was clearly not a very happy one. (Gotta hand it to those Parisians though, they're are so damned stylish - a casual twist of a scarf here, a beret at a jaunty angle there...)

Girl Power!

Started the week with wild and stormy weather this morning, so it was definitely a good day for hunkering down and working in the studio – but a poor day for outdoor photography.

I momentarily contemplated posting some more images from yesterday’s stroll around the Jardins de Luxembourg (of which I have dozens, it is a sumptuous subject for photo-taking). However my very first selection decided the theme for today’s post – all the great female imagery I’ve noticed around town. And I’ve yet to even snap any of the myriad likenesses of Marianne, the great symbol of the Triumph of the Republic (she might get a whole post to herself)!

The central parterre in front of the Petit Palace in the Jardins de Luxembourg is encircled by dozens of wonderful statues of the various Queens and accomplished women of France.

(Wondered if this is where Anselm Kiefer got his inspiration for Die Frauen at the French Academy in Rome (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh5MzxgKn3c)

This radiant Madonna was a stained-glass fragment taken from a Paris church and on display the Musée Carnavalet.

And, as we know that women hold up more than half the world, it was no surprise to find this classic caryatid supporting the doorway to a municipal building on Boulevard St Germain.

On a slightly less reverent note, can’t wait for the Mères et Filles Restaurant in Rue Paul to open again after the congée – can imagine a very feisty Madame rules the roost at that bistrot (where mothers and daughters who come along together have their photos taken and put up on the restaurant wall).

Perhaps the daughters of the establishment are captured here in a stylish black and white moment!

Meanwhile, if I need any Raccoucir, Rallonger or Service Cuir taken care of I have no doubt that the Les Quatre Filles will be my first stop (I have no idea what any of these mean, though there is some Leather Service mentioned, so I do hope that this a laundry after all!)

Pelouse Keep Off the Grass

I thought I had discovered the basic difference between the French and those of us of English descent today as I explored the vibrant Jardins de Luxembourg - what a superb park (I am going to completely run out of superlatives for these places by the end of three months, I’m warning you now!), luxuriantly planted and manicured, dotted with statues and fountains and balustrades and staircases. Breathtaking.

But, the difference is our relationship to the humble garden lawn.

No matter how quaint and practical the ubiquitous green metal chairs, on such a brilliant late summer’s day, what one really wants to do is to sprawl inelegantly on the soft ground with a backpack for a pillow, wiggle one’s toes in the coolness of nature’s best picnic blanket and quite possibly just fall asleep amongst a bunch of strangers, all doing the same thing. (A nice bottle of wine and a baguette with fromage would complete the picture nicely, but I wasn’t that organised).

It seemed obvious to me that the crowds that gather on the cobblestone steps outside the Pompidou are clearly just crying out for some grass to sit on after all that sightseeing and even in the Tuileries and here in this beautiful park only green chairs and dirt as far as the eye could see.

I pondered this profound sociological insight nearly all the way around the park, feeling very sorry for the French and even sorrier for myself, as all I really wanted to do was to collapse on the ornamental lawn somewhere, until – just before I was about to leave, I found what I’d been looking for! And just in case it wasn’t clear to passers-by, it was signposted. In three languages, lest there be any misunderstanding. (It seemed to be filled with foreigners – oh wait, that’s the whole of Paris at the moment – but I’ll bet it’s known as the Avenue des Anglaises or something!)

On route to this garden nirvanah, I visited both the Eglise St Sulpice – apparently the setting for a crucial scene in The Da Vinci Code (according to the website) and certainly the crowds in the church would seem to back that up – and the less topical but more beautifully decorated church of St Germain-des-Prés. But today neither could compete with the Authorised Lawn…

Red, White and Blue