Plus out-takes

Sellin' baguettes, hand over fist, near the Marche d'Aligre; they were all gone
a few minutes later

A foosball game--as we Americaines might call it--in a public park in Saint-Antoine,
one of two; not vandalized

Lady on stilts at Marche d'Aligre

Closer up

Kid-shaped hamburger patties

Cafe Purple...somewhere in the 11th

Le mort d'un pigeon, episode trois; la mort de pigeons!; OK, it's a running gag;
sort of

Gendarmes gearing up near the Bastille; turns out they were probably an escort for
QE2, who was in town

Another secluded alley in Saint Antoine

This in an alley leading to a warehouse, in the10th

Clean-up after a neighborhood market

Adjacent to the Bibliotheque Nationale

By the Metro at Denfert Rocherau, an Aussie restaurant (!); which occasions the
following digression: I have diligently researched the matter and discovered that
Paris, the gastronomic and taste capital of the world, has no New Zealand
restaurant; it has Senegalese and Ivory Coast and restaurants of every other nation
and culture one can imagine; Parisians and visitors are thus missing an important
cuisine and ingredients...Bluff oyster, whitebait, green lip mussels (God, how they
are missing these!), great lamb, and some of the world's better sauvignon blancs
and other wines; not to mention authentic Maori cooking, Polynesian flavors and
techniques; someone of means and imagination needs to found ...Le Kiwi...I would
be pleased to advise...and taste...

Checking out the action over at the Bibliotheque Nationale

One last look at the Vespacienne on Boulevard Arago...I think it needs to be moved
now to the historical museum of Paris, the Carnavalet; isn't it amazing how you live
somewhere merely for a month and already have all these wonderfully great ideas
and suggestions?!

Une promenade dans le 13ème et 14ème arrondissements, avec un arrêt à la bibliothèque nationale

Our Friday walk had some obscure goals: the purchase of an obscure souvenir and the finding of an obscure, not to say, unique, sight. The former took us into the 13th, with an enjoyable side-trip to the impressive national library, and the latter further into the 14th, through more areas not likely seen by tourists.

Our first stop was at one of the offices of the Paris water works, where they sell
marvelous carafes for each of the 20 arrondissements; we thought an 11th
arrondissement carafe would be cool...

Alas, the boutique was closed ("c'est exceptionnel!"), but we did get to look
at an interesting display of cartoonists' takes on water pollution

Thus; flippable art; most of it not very kind to the US, but
then, what did you expect?

We moved on to the vast Bibliotheque Nationale Francois
Mitterand, another exemplar of new architecture and new
Paris, where we hoped to reconnoiter the Ete 14 exhibit for
future visitors

In the bookstore, the audio version of Proust's In Search of  Lost Time has been
marked down

Does the Library of Congress have an espace pique-nique?

Raisinettes, anyone? In the concession area of one of the mega-theaters adjoined
to the library; note the neon display, unthinkable in the US

Outside view; the whole area has been raised 3-4 stories above the original ground

The entire complex consists of 4 sky-scrapers (here are two
them), with connecting multi-level buildings, all surrounding
a sizable little forest

Another of the BNF towers

On the plaza, looking at more of the amazing architecture

Walking further on, under an elevated Metro we later took
from Denfert Rocherau back to Nation

And the 19th century Ionic capitals on its piers 

They love jazz here, always have

And Satchmo gets a very nice little park among the high-rises

Now walking on the beautiful Boulevard Arago

By all manner of interesting shoppes...here The Little Prince
boutique

And past the vast, historic La Sante prison 

Finally reaching our goal--"our quest is at an end"--the last,
the very last, of Paris' famous pissoirs, or Vespaciennes, as
they are more properly called; dating from 1841; we think
this is not Art Nouveau; someone else characterized it as
the Smell Epoche

Canal saint martin au parc de la Villette

Thursday's walk took us from the Place de la Republic, at the intersection of the 2nd, 3rd, 10th, and 11th arrondissements, all the way out to the end of the 19th, at the Parc de la Villette, much of it along the Canal St. Martin and its assorted quays, basins, tributaries, off-shoots, and extensions. Although its first few kilometers are largely underground, the Canal emerges near the Place de la Republic and then continues on several more out in the open, becoming Paris's other waterfront. Although it was a seriously commercial enterprise when it first opened, in the 19th century, it is now largely scenic and recreational in nature. Along the way were also the 17th century Hospital Saint-Louis, the Hotel du Nord, La Rotonde, and much more. The huge Parc de la Villette was fairly stunning, visually and intellectually--Jacques ("Jackie") Derrida was consulted for its design, and it is an exemplar of Deconstructivist architecture--and I am pretty sure we'll be returning to it.

The canal shortly after it emerges from under ground; low tide

For the next several kilometers, it's surrounded by parks, gardens, recreational areas,
beautiful Art Nouveau bridges and grill work, etc.; high tide

Entrance to Paris' second hospital, Saint-Louis

One of its older bits; of course there are much newer bits too, but that's not
what you come to see

Hotel du Nord, setting of an extremely famous movie I have not seen
and probably will never see... (look it up)

Thus

La Rotonde de la Villette--a late 18th century entry to the city where taxes on
goods were to be paid; now, of course, a restaurant; sic transit, Gloria 

From here, roughly, Place de la Stalingrad Metro station, the canal opens out
to become the Bassin de la Villette, with assorted water sports, rides, etc.

And swans; and at length you get to the Parc de la Villette

If you visit the Parc Villette, be prepared to dispense with any notions you may
have about what a park should be; also to reflect on what a "park" should be in
a 21st century hyper-urban setting

On the left, the humongous Center for Science and Industry, Europe's largest such
museum; and the Geode, the world's largest screen and IMAX theater

Yes, there are some conventional kiddie rides

And acres of less conventional kiddie rides

Along one of main boulevards

The park encompasses a great variety of cultural institutions,
not least France's Conservatory of Music and Dance

The Grand Hall; la Villette was Paris' stockyards and abbatoir in earlier times;
the main hall has bee re-done, but is still a vast industrial sort of thing; the Parc
de la Villette warrants a closer look and a separate post later on; was it Derrida
who said the only real place in the US was Disneyworld? Well, no, I think
it was Baudrillard, but that's close enough...

Promenade plantée

Our Wednesday afternoon constitutional took us from our apartment to Pere Lachaise, then to the Place de la Bastille and then along the Promenade Plantee to Boulevard Diderot, then back to Place de la Nation, and finally back home. The new part of this, for us, was the Promenade Plantee, in the 12th, a beautifully-landscaped elevated path along a no-longer-used railway. Smack in the middle of the city. The Promenade goes on for nearly 5k, from the Bastille to the Parc Vincennes on the eastern periphery. It is wonderfully free of traffic and tourists, except us, and has some great urban views.