Spring in Paris

~ My sojourns in France, 2010-2019

Spring in Paris

Tag Archives: swimming

First Weeks – 2016

29 Sunday May 2016

Posted by Robert Mack in Musings

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Art, assessment, Barcelona, Bordeaux, Buenos Aires, challenge, exercise, France, health, heel, Jared, Lisa, Nice, Paris, Sherard, sociability, swimming, thrill, Tokyo, Toulouse, Vélib, weather, Zhizhong

I’ve been in Paris for 2-1/2 weeks now, and in France for almost a month. It’s time for an assessment.

Overall it’s been a good trip, with many fine moments and no big problems. The only real issues have been my heel and the digestive upset of the past few days. They each had some impact, but I’m hoping that they are both behind me. I’ve stayed in pleasant places throughout, and I’m very happy with the Paris apartment. There’s been variety and stimulation, and nothing like the letdown I felt last year after arriving in Paris.

My initial trip through the south of France was pleasant and interesting, especially the stay with Charlie and Markevin near Toulouse. Of course it didn’t afford the level of stimulation and excitement of Rome and Venice, but what could? Nice, Toulouse and Bordeaux, though all among the top ten French cities, seem different in kind from Paris, a bit like Boston relative to New York City. They are fine to visit for a few days but don’t come close to the richness and variety of the capital.

I’ve seen a lot of good art this year, and I plan to see more. I’ve had consistently good food and some truly wonderful meals. I explored quite a bit in Nice and Bordeaux, and with Charlie all around his region, but I haven’t done as much walking as usual in Paris, due to weather and my heel. I hope to get out more later in my stay. I haven’t been swimming at all yet this year, and I need to build that into my routine. I have been using the Vélib bikes a lot more this year, and enjoying — when I don’t get snagged by availability issues — their convenience and efficiency.

One big surprise was the level of sociability in Paris this year. I didn’t have a scheduled house guest until June, so I was prepared to be mostly alone the first part of my Paris stay, except for seeing Zhizhong once or twice. I had offered accommodations the last week of May to two indecisive friends, but they eventually decided not to come, leaving me with no planned house guests in May. But instead of relative solitude I have been pretty continuously sociable, with new and old friends. Jared W is here for a month as a scholar in residence and we hung out quite a bit on my arrival. Then Jared R arrived for a week; the original plan was for him to stay with Jared W but he ended up sleeping on my sofa bed for four nights, and exploring Paris with me for a couple of days. Then there were my new Korean friends from Bordeaux, CN, Manu, and the dinner party. I’ve enjoyed this social whirl but it came as a surprise after being ready to amuse myself for a couple of weeks. I’ve still managed a fair amount of alone time, however, and I expect to have more in the latter part of June.

In part because of all the visitors I’ve been slow to reconnect with my Parisian friends, except for Zhizhong, who I’ve seen several times. He’s moving apartments, however, and has a big project at work, so will be quite occupied for the next week or so. Since Sherard arrives Tuesday I’ll probably wait until he leaves to try to schedule time with my other French friends, in which case it may be hello-goodbye rather than a richer social engagement. My cousin Lisa — a stalwart companion during my first five visits — is still in Uganda.

Like last year, Paris has been chilly in the last half of May, and this year often rainy. This is presumably just random variation (unless the Gulf Stream is rerouting!) but it undercuts my strategy of spending the first half of May somewhere warmer, then getting to Paris in mid-May. The first part has been working fine — especially last year in Italy — but Paris has in recent years stayed mired in cloudy weather through the end of May. Another year I might stay away all of May and arrive here at the start of June, even though I much prefer the luxury of six weeks in Paris over four, and I don’t want to brave the heat and tourists of July.

Not being in Boston for two months has always been part of the Spring in Paris experience. These long trips disrupt my habits there and test my friendships. There’s a downside to this, but there’s also a bracing aspect, in that both I and my friends feel the effect (or lack thereof!) of my not being there. It makes me appreciate the things I like about Boston even as I’m enjoying the different pleasures of Paris (or wherever). These factors have played out somewhat differently these past two years: One friend has vociferously critiqued my trips here, and pointed out how much fun I’m missing in Boston. Yet I’ve also been able to spend quality time here with so many other friends from Boston that it almost seems like being at home.

One factor of earlier trips is almost completely gone: the thrill and challenge of spending such a long time living in a foreign country, speaking a different language. I’ve become so comfortable in Paris that these trips have themselves become more routine than adventurous. My petits séjours are so pleasant that I’m reluctant to change the pattern, but it would be more exciting to stay next year somewhere less familiar, such as Barcelona, Buenos Aires or Tokyo.

The weak euro has continued to make travel in Europe a lot more affordable in dollar terms than in earlier years. The cost of the trip is happily not an issue for me, but my Yankee soul is gratified when I get value for money.

Reuilly, Gordon and Mustafa

19 Friday Jun 2015

Posted by Robert Mack in Experiences, Photos

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

apartment, cinema, Gordon, Lézard Café, LB Café, Mad Max, meals, Montorgueil, movie, Mustafa, Paris, pools, Promenade plantée, Reuilly, rue Montorgueil, swimming

On Wednesday I went for a swim at the relatively quiet pool in Reuilly. While there were four to a lane most people did a lot of resting so I got in a good workout without too much stress. The pool at Les Halles is much closer but so crowded! And Reuilly is rather charming.

IMG_5806 MED

Cour Alsace-Lorraine, Reuilly

IMG_5813 MED

Maire de la 12ème, Reuilly.

I walked back to the Place de la Bastille via an old favorite, the Promenade Plantée, then jumped on the métro to meet Gordon and Mustapha at my apartment. After catching up we strolled down rue Montorgueil, settling in at the LB Café for an apéro. My favorite table — with a view down rue Tiquetonne — was taken! But when the owner noticed my distress he placed a new table for us in the perfect spot, right in front of the other one!

IMG_5816 MEDGordon was delighted by all the handsome young men in my stylish neighborhood, and began surreptitiously photographing them with abandon. His camera is fairly unobtrusive, particularly since it has a fixed lens rather than a protruding zoom. But its resolution is so high that he can get a good photo by enlarging a tiny part of the image it captures.

After our apéro we strolled around the Village Montorgueil to select a restaurant. Some attractive places were full, and others didn’t appeal. But just as Gerry had done during his visit in 2012 Gordon honed in on Lézard Café, attracted by the hip young crowd. The attentive reader will remember that Yungpeng and I had very poor service there last weekend, and I had vowed not to return soon. This time, though we had to wait for a table to open up, the welcome and service were correct, and the food was quite good. And yes, the crowd was appealing, and photographable.

On Thursday Gordon and I went to the Musée d’Orsay. We both enjoyed the Impressionist galleries, then I saw the Bonnard exhibition while Gordon went looking for Van Gogh and Gaugin.

Me with a favorite Monet, Les Dindons.  Musée D'Orsay

Me with a favorite Monet, Les Dindons. Musée D’Orsay

David sheathing his enormous sword, after dispatching Goliath. Musée D'Orsay

David sheathing his enormous sword, after dispatching Goliath. Musée D’Orsay

After satisfying our appetite for art we strolled across the Seine and had a simple lunch at a place in the arcade along the rue de Rivoli. It was drizzling a bit, which marvelously sped up our selection of a restaurant. The rain had stopped by the time we finished, so we walked over to the Place de la Madeleine to let Gordon do some shopping at Fauchon, a rather fabulous food shop. After that Gordon went back to his hotel to rest his feet (which were aching after too much walking in London earlier in the week). I headed home also, but as I got out of the métro I noticed that Mad Max: The Fury was playing at the Grand Rex.

The Grand Rex at night.

The Grand Rex at night.

I had been meaning to see it, because I had enjoyed the original version long ago, and I was pretty sure that I could follow the dubbed French well enough to enjoy it. The timing worked perfectly so I bought a ticket. There were indeed relatively few nuanced conversations, which I seemed to follow without difficulty. Mostly it was just a long, violent chase — the same in any language.

After the movie I joined Gordon for dinner at Le 23 Clauzel – Julie Rivière, a classy restaurant near Pigalle. Mustafa couldn’t get off work in time to join us for dinner but he got a quick appetizer, and then we walked over to a theater at Clichy to see Briefs: The Second Coming, an Australian gay vaudeville show that I had noticed online. It was surprisingly fun, and the packed crowd was very appreciative, despite the fact that the narration was in English. As in Mad Max for me, the visuals transcended the language barrier.

A Movie, a Drink, a Swim, a Flâne

08 Wednesday Jun 2011

Posted by Robert Mack in Experiences, Photos

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Charonne, flâneur, Promenade plantée, swimming, Vélib

I saw a movie Tuesday afternoon, Medianeras ; slow-moving, silly and formulaic, but also sweet and fun. It was ideal for me because the audio was in Spanish — which I understand un poco — and it was subtitled in French, which I followed easily. There was even a surreal moment when the movie included a clip from Annie Hall, with audio in English and subtitles in both Spanish and French. That kept me busy! In general I avoid English-language films (in v.o., i.e. original version, not dubbed into French)  because I could just as easily see them at home; Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris being a logical exception. I also find it challenging to follow spoken dialogue in a French-language movie without subtitles.

After a light dinner at home I caught up with Jeff for a drink. The rendezvous was amusing because Jeff had, after a hasty Internet search, given me the name and address of the wrong bar. When I arrived at Le Troisieme Lieu as instructed the waitress gently informed me that this was a lesbian bar. When I explained that I was meeting a guy there she was surprised but kind, saying that we would be “the exception that proves the rule.” After exchanging text messages — Jeff: “I’m way in the back”  Bob: “I’m right in front” — we both roved urgently through our respective bars, scrutinizing the other patrons to see if we had somehow failed to recognize our respective friends. After we discovered the problem we decamped to yet a third bar, on my own block, for a relaxing conversation and a couple of beers.

Wednesday I finally got in a swim, at the pool in Reuilly, which I thought (correctly) might be less crowded than the one at Les Halles. It was nice to get some aerobic exercise. If you ever want to swim in a French pool don’t forget your bathing cap, or your Speedos, since boxer-style swimsuits are forbidden. My friends often complain about French bureaucracy but I wholeheartedly approve of this particular rule.
Shorts Interdits

After my swim I was drawn to a nearby vélib‘ stand. I grabbed a bike and rode along the Promenade plantée out to Porte de Montempoivre, then dropped it off and walked up to Porte de Vincennes.  This eastern edge of the 12e was full of sterile high-rises so after walking for twenty minutes or so I grabbed another vélib‘ and rode up the eastern side of the 20e, which I found marginally more interesting. I dropped this bike at rue Vitruve, near an area of twisty streets that had piqued my curiosity on the map. This proved to be a charming village, Charonne, that had only been incorporated into Paris in 1860, and still retains quite a bit of character.

Saint Germain de Charonne

Saint Germain de Charonne, from rue St. Blaise

I next spent a couple of hours exploring the area between the church, at the top of rue St. Blaise, and the Avron métro station at the bottom of the hill. The whole quartier is quite diverse and although some areas felt a little rough (reminding me of Central Square, Cambridge, where I live!) I found the area on the whole quite interesting and attractive. Here’s a row of quirky houses on rue de Buzenval.

rue Buzenval

rue de Buzenval

When I got to Avron I planned to go three métro stops to Père Lachaise, then transfer to line 3 to ride home. But what should I see at Avron but a tempting vélib‘ stand, and a dedicated bike lane along Boulevard de Charonne? Needless to say I biked up to Père Lachaise, which is a lot more interesting, and weaves one’s idea of the city together almost as well as walking. I didn’t stop at Alexandre Dumas, the intersection with rue de Bagnolet, but I noticed it as an interesting spot for a future visit.

So now I’m a bit tired but very happy with my excellent flâne, and the really wonderful vélib‘ system.

Off to Strasbourg tomorrow with Jacques! I’ll probably have email access but won’t be posting here for a few days.

Mot du jour: “osée” in the Le Monde article about Anthony Weiner.  “Racy,” as in “photos osées.”

The Beaux Quartiers: Auteuil and Passy

13 Thursday May 2010

Posted by Robert Mack in Experiences, Photos

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

auteuil, passy, swimming

I started the day with a swim in the Olympic pool at Les Halles.  It’s quite a good facility, but always crowded.  That won’t be relevant this summer, however, because the pool will be closed from June 5 through the end of September (sorry, Lewis!)

This afternoon I explored Auteuil and Passy, the Beaux Quartiers.  I’d avoided them on prior trips because they sounded boring but I was impressed by a glimpse on my morning walk with Hugo last week so I thought I’d give them a closer look.  That also seemed like a good place to go on an overcast day, both because I could duck into a building if it started to pour and because even light can be good for architectural photography.  Here are a couple of shots I liked:

Canyon of wealth in Auteuil. Lovely but rather sterile.

Fabulous apartment building in Passy.

On the whole I found these neighborhoods nice to look at but not attractive to live in.  There doesn’t seem to be as good a mix of shops and cafés as usual, and I found all the spoiled rich kids hanging around rather off-putting.

On my way home I had a second encounter with a terrific busker orchestra in the Métro.

A wonderful orchestra, busking in the Métro.

My last house guest arrived this evening, Michael Åhs.  I met Michael through the Humanist group in Boston where he was finishing up a masters degree at Harvard.  He’s now back in Sweden so it’s a relatively short trip for him.   After dinner we went out to a jazz club.  The group played a mix of U.S., French and African jazz, including a bongo player.

Moving Day

30 Friday Apr 2010

Posted by Robert Mack in Experiences, Photos

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

meals, neighborhoods, swimming

Most of the day was taken up with cleaning, packing, moving, unpacking, etc.

I did get in another swim this morning, however.  This trip has been the first time I’ve swum laps since I broke my arm a few years ago.  It has been good to confirm that my arm has fully recovered.  I’m still in the paddler’s area for now but my goal is to work my way up by the end of my stay to the faster lanes, with the athletes.  I can dream, can’t I?

OK, the new place (where I will be for the month of May) is gorgeous — a real lived-in apartment rather than a place intended to be rented.

My May apartment in morning light, from the master bed (there’s also a futon in the rafters).

And the neighborhood is touristy but not all that bad.  I had a nice dinner at an authentic-seeming place in the next block, Le Verre Luisant.  People actually spoke French!  And the fact that I got into a pleasant conversation with the Swiss couple at the next table wasn’t bad either.  So the second half of my stay is off to a good start.  One more night in Montorgueil, then closing inventory with my landlord at 10 am.  Then an urban hike with my cousin in the afternoon.

Mot du Jour:  “l’empire du Milieu” (Le Monde).  China (“the middle kingdom”).

Easter Monday

05 Monday Apr 2010

Posted by Robert Mack in Art, Experiences, Photos

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Art, fêtes, jour férié, Place des Vosges, swimming

You might think that things would be back to normal today, mais non! Easter Monday is a holiday — jour férié — in France. I’ll be here for four more fêtes and jours de férié (ask me later what the difference is): Fête du Travail, 1 Mai; Fête de la Victoire 1945, 8 Mai; Ascension, 13 Mai; and Lundi de Pentecôte, 24 Mai. Who knew?

It’s still chilly here but today was nice and sunny so I wandered over to the Marais to have a look. Place des Vosges was gorgeous and I sat there in the sun for quite a while just soaking up the ambiance. The happy strollers and loungers added considerably to the experience.

Place des Vosges

There are art galleries on three sides of the square (the other is surprisingly derelict). Most, unfortunately, are aimed at obtuse tourists, but I quite liked the “brut” artist Noel H. at Galerie Lisette Alibert (2016 Update: Closed). Lunch was a delicious (and deliciously un-American) rabbit stew at a very agreeable little restaurant — Le Marché — in the nearby but well-hidden Place du Marché Ste. Catherine.

After resolving a minor credit card issue (for which Skype came in handy) I went for a swim at the Olympic pool that is two blocks from my apartment. I’m not sure I would have had the nerve except for the fact that a friend had recommended it. The facility is very nice; it was a bit on the busy side but still quite a good experience. With pardonable pleasure I bought a ten-pack of pool admissions. I jokingly asked the young man at the desk whether there was a discount for old folks like myself; he said it was available only to people who resided in Paris, but then he smiled and gave it to me anyway.

There’s also a 19-screen multiplex cinema in the same complex so I decided after my swim to see “The Ghost Writer”, which I had heard good things about. The art direction was good but the plot was dumb. By the middle of the film the Ewan McGregor character started doing stuff that nobody in their right mind would do. After my disbelief stopped being suspended I was pretty much tapping my toes for the rest of the movie.

Just made plans for a drink with my next landlord tomorrow and dinner with my cousins on Wednesday. Full speed ahead!

Archives

  • October 2020 (1)
  • July 2019 (5)
  • June 2019 (31)
  • May 2019 (21)
  • April 2019 (1)
  • June 2018 (15)
  • May 2018 (14)
  • April 2018 (1)
  • June 2016 (21)
  • May 2016 (18)
  • April 2016 (1)
  • August 2015 (1)
  • July 2015 (1)
  • June 2015 (20)
  • May 2015 (10)
  • March 2015 (1)
  • July 2014 (2)
  • June 2014 (15)
  • May 2014 (17)
  • April 2014 (1)
  • July 2013 (1)
  • June 2013 (16)
  • September 2012 (17)
  • June 2012 (1)
  • July 2011 (1)
  • June 2011 (19)
  • May 2011 (18)
  • April 2011 (1)
  • June 2010 (2)
  • May 2010 (29)
  • April 2010 (31)
  • March 2010 (4)

Categories

  • Art
  • Experiences
  • Musings
  • Photos
  • Practical Information

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Tags

Ali An Hour from Paris Antoine apartment apartments Arc de Triomphe Art Aya Balzac Bastille Belleville Belleville Open Studios Bouillon Chartier Brian Café de l'Industrie Canal Saint-Martin Chris contemporary art Eiffel Tower Elliot Eugène Experimental Cocktail Club flowers flâneur food porn France Fête de la musique Jackie Jacques Jaime Jardin de Luxembourg jardin des plantes Jared jour férié L'Absinthe Café L'Ejumeau l'Oasis d'Aboukir language Le Duplex Lisa Louvre Lézard Café Marais Marché aux Puces Mariage Frères Matt meals Metro Monet Montmartre Montorgueil Musee d'Orsay Musée des Arts et Métiers Nanashi Navigo neighborhoods Open Café Palais de Tokyo Palais Royal Parc des Buttes-Chaumont Parc Monceau Paris Place des Vosges Promenade plantée Rosa Bonheur rue Montorgueil Sacre Coeur Seine Sherard street art swimming temple de la Sibylle Vélib weather Zhizhong

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel