Trees and Music

Tags

Arboretum, bonsai, cèdre bleu pleureur, Fête de la musique, flâneur, gay, Jared, La Fête de la musique, Macguffin, Marais, music, Navigo, Vallée-aux-Loups, Zoltan

I have previously mentioned Alfred Hitchcock’s concept of a Macguffin — something that the characters in a movie pursue to set the plot in motion, but which isn’t important in itself. A flâneur never pursues a single goal; s/he wanders at random so as to be fully open to whatever the city has to offer. There’s no real harm, however, in allowing a Macguffin to set a flâne in motion, so long as one isn’t so attached to the goal as to miss the pleasures of the journey.

Our Macguffin on Friday was a world-class display of bonsai in the Arboretum of the Domaine de la Vallée-aux-Loups, less than half an hour by train from Paris. My Navigo monthly pass covers the entire suburban rail system (the RER), so I didn’t need to buy a ticket, while the trip cost Jared about 6 euros.

I had some trouble getting us to the bonsai building but we finally broke down and asked someone, who directed us across a lovely park. A few minutes in, however, we encountered a friendly couple returning from the bonsai exhibition who told us that it was closed! They and we had double checked on the website but there was no helping it. We decided to continue on to the exhibition, which was indeed closed. I was able to get a couple of pictures through the window, which confirm that it is worth a visit, some other day:

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We were disappointed — despite being dedicated flâneurs — but we made the best of it by exploring the rest of the Arboretum, which was peaceful and charming.

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Eventually we came upon the piece de résistance of the Aboretum, an enormous cèdre bleu pleureur de l’Atlas from Morocco that has been named the finest tree in the Île de France.

Jared beneath the cèdre bleu pleureur

Jared and Bob beneath the cèdre bleu pleureur

While our desire to bond with little bonsai trees was frustrated, we ended up bonding with one of the most magnificent trees in France!

My full photo set for the day trip is at: Day Trip to Parc de la Vallée aux Loups. Perhaps another year I/we will return, and see both the bonsai and Chateaubriand’s cottage.

We headed back with enough time to take a nap before heading out for more music. It was June 21, the Summer Solstice, which in France is celebrated as la fête de la musique! This remarkable festival draws enormous crowds into the streets of Paris and (I gather) other parts of France. In the denser areas just about every bar has a band or a singer or a dj. The range of musical genres is wide, although it’s almost all popular rather than, say, classical.

Diversity at la fête de la musique: A Mexican singer at a Tibetan restaurant with an African audience.

I gave Jared a quick look at the scene but then he had to head up to Gare du Nord to meet his friend Zoltán who is staying with us for the weekend. I plunged back into the maelstrom (with my cell phone and cash safely stashed in a money belt under my shirt).

In the gay areas of the Marais la fête de la musique is almost as festive as gay pride.

Even back in my residential neighborhood there were two concerts still in full swing around midnight, when I got home.

Oh, did I mention that it was yet another simply lovely day? Will le beaux temps last forever? (Spoiler alert: No!)

La Rentrée

Tags

art cemetery, French, Montorgueil, Musée Jacquemart-André, Navigo, Pinacothèque, Rentrée, sim card

The “Rentrée” is one of the most important times in the French calendar.  It’s when people return to the city, and and normal life, from their August vacations. For me, in contrast, the return to Paris is the start of my vacation.  It remains to be seen how this mismatch will affect my experience, but it’s already clear that people will be busier in September than I have generally found them in the spring.

Fortunately, I was able to catch up with my cousin Lisa and her partner Ali before the demands of school (and the family reunion) seriously kick in.  We got together last evening for an apéro at my apartment followed by dinner at Le Loup Blanc (which closed in 2014), an old favorite of both Lisa’s and mine.

Bob Lisa and Ali at Le Loup Blanc

After sharing our news we proceeded, as usual, to solve the problems of politics, history and human nature.  But — hélas — in the morning I found it hard to recall exactly how we did it.  I’ll be seeing Lisa again tomorrow evening and perhaps a few more glasses of wine will bring it all back…

The flight over was uneventful, the tedium relieved by a really enjoyable movie, Chimpanzee, by Disney. This year I planned ahead for the weight limit, so when my suitcase came in over 50 pounds I just pulled out a pre-packed duffel and checked it as a second bag.  My new chip-and-pin credit card worked in the ticket machine to get me from the airport to the city, although the line for the machines was almost as long as the one for the human teller, so the benefit was marginal.  The apartment was in perfect condition, and since I now know the owners and their agent the formalities were streamlined.  Buying a SIM card for my backup phone and updating my métro navigo pass were a piece of cake.  Is this becoming routine?  Alas, yes, but as they say here, c’est normal.

Fortunately, I was still delighted by the diversity and distinctiveness of the residents of my adopted neighborhood, rue Montorgueil.  Even though I rarely converse with people on the street, their appearance and evident character is one of the real pleasures of living here.  The appeal extends from the very young to the very old — interactions between parents and children seem to have a special charm; teens in many cases carry themselves with an agreeable seriousness; even the elderly have a pleasing quality to me.  There are still cultural mysteries as well, like these young men dancing and singing this evening down rue Montorgueil in skimpy maid’s costumes (except for the one in a mask and bathrobe).

Maids and the Bridegroom

French Maids of rue Montorgueil?

A friendly passerby confirmed that this was not normal, and speculated that the young man in white was getting married.  It was a bachelor party, celebrated on the high street. (I only realized later that this was a snarky reference to the 2011 incident in which Dominique Strauss-Kahn allegedly raped a maid in a New York hotel.)

Today I visited the Musée Jacquemart–André in the 8eme.  Last year the line had extended around the block but today there was no waiting — in part perhaps because September is a less touristy month.  It’s an impressive house, reminiscent of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, with a lot of more-or-less good art; in both cases the donor specified that nothing could be changed, but the museums have found graceful ways to work around the prohibition.

On the walk home I ran across the Pinacothèque, a quirky new museum — the branch I visited opened at the start of 2011 — that I had not previously noticed.  I went in because the temporary exhibition was of a private collection featuring Utrillo, Modigliani and Soutine, all of whom are particular favorites.  There was a lot of other work, of somewhat uneven quality, but those three masters were wonderfully represented.  Unfortunately, the exhibit only runs through Sept. 9.

There was a snarky note at the start of the permanent exhibition at the Pinacothèque to the effect that a museum should not be an art cemetery.  This nails both the Gardner and the Jacquemart–André, not to mention a few others.  Indeed, the monuments of Paris themselves are for the most part not wholly unlike fabulous tombstones.  Or, to employ a kinder analogy, one can think of the touristy parts of Paris as a vast museum.  While I do enjoy beautiful buildings, the enduring attraction of Paris for me is the life of the contemporary city, and the way it interweaves with the remnants of France’s royal and imperial past.

In just a couple of days I have already received several compliments on my French.  Some of you — who know how laughably bad my French actually is — might be furrowing your brows at this, but there is no paradox.  Nobody would think of complimenting a true francophone on how well they speak; if someone is fluent one just converses.  The compliment is given to someone who is obviously struggling, albeit bravely.  There’s more than a slight resemblance to Dr. Johnson’s famous back-handed compliment, “Sir, a woman preaching is like a dog’s walking on his hind legs. It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all.”

Two Delicious Dinners and a Rainy Day

Tags

Forum Les Halles, Institut du monde arabe, Jackie, métro, meals, Metro, Montorgueil, museums, Navigo, neighborhoods

My first home-cooked meal in Paris.

I enjoy eating out, but the concept of this trip is that I will be “living” in Paris for two months, not just on a two-month vacation.  So cooking for myself fairly often is an important part of the plan.  The picture shows a fish fillet sauteed with onions in olive oil, steamed haricots verts and whole-wheat bread, accompanied by a salad and a glass of red table wine. Delicious, if I do say so myself!  It’s hard to go wrong when fresh and appetizing ingredients abound in the neighborhood’s special-purpose food shops.  I’ve posted some photos of these cute shops, along with the rest of today’s photos, at this link:  Paris-2 Photo Set

I got another late start this morning and I’m beginning to realize that my biological clock has not shifted yet.  I’ll set the coffee percolator for an hour earlier tomorrow (even though it will be Sunday).

It was rainy and downright cold for much of the day, so I headed for indoor destinations.  I spent most of the afternoon at the Institut du monde arab in the 5eme:

Institut du monde arabe.

The Institute is quite an interesting place.  The museum has some nice items but the displays were often too dimly lit to show them off to the best effect.  What I enjoyed most were large signs covering the relevant periods of Islamic history, some carpets and a few exquisite miniatures.  There’s a charge for the museum, and a separate charge for any special exhibit, but the rest of the building is free and open to the public.  Starting at the top, there’s a roof deck with fine panoramic views, including Notre Dame.  There are also two restaurants on the top level, one absurdly expensive and the other cheap but uninspiring.  Down a few levels is a comfortable library, where I read a magazine for a while.  On the ground floor there is a terrific book store and gift shop, along with a nice Lebanese restaurant, where I had lunch.  The restrooms are in the basement, which is a very odd place. It’s a very big room filled with a maze-like array of huge columns; they look like the lower level of a great cathedral, but can’t possibly have an architectural function in a modern building.

On the way to the Institute I ventured into the Forum Les Halles, a somewhat-sketchy urban shopping mall that has replaced Paris’ food market, Les Halles (pronounced “Lay Ahl”).  The mall is reputed to be dangerous at night, but it seemed busy and safe when I was there — certainly no worse than Central Square.  As well as a huge movie theater it includes a swimming pool that a friend recommended, which I plan to try out soon (in the daytime). Update 2019: The Forum Les Halles has gotten a five-year facelift, in conjunction with the Grande Canopée, and now seems much more attractive and normal.

My Navigo worked fine in the métro today; I suspect that you need to show it to the attendant the first time you use it to confirm that the picture matches.  I actually had to wait two whole minutes for a train today.  Pretty aggravating, but I’m still a fan.

No photo of tonight’s dinner since it was exactly like last night’s.  I’ve used up the fish, however, so I’ll have to get more creative tomorrow.  It will be interesting to see what’s open, since it will be Easter (Pâques as they call it in these parts).

Also, my cousin Jackie is due to arrive tomorrow, and I’m looking forward to catching up with her after several years. Update 2019: I originally wrote, “She and her husband have developed a safari camp in Kenya that looks wonderful.  The violence there a few years ago chilled tourism, and they are hoping that a more peaceful atmosphere will re-energize the tourist industry.” but the camp has closed and many other things have since changed.

My First Day

Tags

métro, meals, Metro, Navigo, passages, sim card

Lunch at Tellus, a cute little restaurant I stumbled on in the 2ème

My first full day got off to a somewhat late start since I’m still a bit time shifted, though not what I would really call “jet lagged”.  I enjoyed making my first breakfast, and just now I’m about to start cooking my first dinner, for which I shopped at the rue Montorgueil fishmonger, vegetable store and fruit store.  The photo is from my very pleasant lunch at Tellus, in the 2ème arrondissement.  2019 Update: Tellus seems to have closed.

After exploring a few more angles I decided to buy an ordinary SIM card for my old BlackBerry, and limit my new one to wifi.  It’s cumbersome to use two mobile devices, but this gives me a normal French mobile phone, plus access to email and the web when I’m at a hot spot.  The Orange clerk knew no English so the whole transaction had to be conducted in French (which he complimented me on – *blush*).

It was chilly and drizzly for most of the afternoon so I made a beeline for the covered “passages,” 19th century shopping arcades.  There are some photos at Paris-1 I was struck by the variation in the condition and atmosphere of the passages.  Some were well-maintained and the stores verged on elegance, while others were a bit — or quite — run-down.  Sometimes the difference was striking between one end and the other of the same passage.

After the weather cleared up a bit I went exploring, after which I used my Pass Navigo Découverte Mensuel (monthly subway/bus pass) to zip back home.  I continue to be quite impressed by the efficiency of the Paris métro.  A display shows how long you have to wait for the next train and I waited less than a minute for both legs of my return trip.

Arrival in Paris – Montorgueil

Tags

arrival, Montorgueil, Navigo, neighborhoods

I arrived this afternoon after an uneventful journey — although I may put up a separate post commenting on the soullessness of air travel.

The RER train station is right in the Charles de Gaulle terminal, and the Châtelet-Les Halles station was less than a ten minute walk from my apartment, so I arrived more than an hour early.  I had lunch at an agreeable cafe on the corner where my street intersects Rue Montorgueil, the main street of the neighborhood.  I was blown away by the happy energy of the street; this is one of the nicest neighborhoods I have visited in all my travels.  And I get to live here for a month!  An American mother and son were eating next to me.  I tried to maintain a discreet distance but I ended up giving them advice and taking their photo.

Rue Montorgueil, just down the block from my April apartment.

The owner of my rental apartment then arrived.  He turned out to be a pleasant Brit, who had spent considerable time for work in Central Square, Cambridge.  Needless to say, there was no language barrier.  He was kind enough to schlepp my 25 kilo bag up all five flights of stairs!  The place is small and a bit worn in places but perfectly fine, and the outside deck will be fabulous when the weather warms up a bit (it was sunny today but rather chilly).

My proudest achievement of the afternoon was acquiring a passe Navigo découverte mensuelle — a monthly subway/bus pass.  This requires a passport photo, which fortunately can be taken in booths in most Métro stations.  There is also some tricky assembly, which the clerk was kind enough to do for me.  I wasn’t so lucky with getting a SIM card for my BlackBerry.  It’s easy enough just for voice but it looks as though it’s going to be difficult to get a card that also allows me to use the many data capabilities of the device at an affordable cost.

After a bit of grocery shopping — successful except for the fact that a tiny bottle of Skippy (which has trans fat anyway) was 6 euros! — I ended up having dinner at a lively restaurant on the ground floor of my building, Le Loup Blanc (which, sadly, closed in 2014).

Quite ready now to crash.  Lots of agreeable first encounters to fuel good dreams.