Nuit Blanche Paris

The "Night of the Arts" thing, aka Nuit Blanche, originated in Helsinki in 1990 and spread, through Nantes, to Paris, and then most of Europe's capitals, Canada, Australia, and now South America. It is a night-time carnival of the arts, many museums and galleries open and free, performances, happenings, and all the rest. Paris' version this year was June 3rd, and we were there, at least for events at the Hotel de Ville. There were Nuit Blanche events in all the 20 arrondisements, but we figured one would be enough for us.

On our walk to the Hotel de Ville

Among the events, at the Quai Hotel de Ville, the Green Line
Marching Band, a rock group

Now in the forecourt of the Hotel de Ville, colorful feathered bipeds
on roller skates enter and skate around

In case anyone is interested, the Hotel de Ville is announcing
the summer Olympics here next year

Program at the Hotel de Ville, some of which we saw

Police special roller skate forces

There for the torchlight roller skate/bicycle/skateboard parade along
the river, which has just begun (we did a video, of course)

Thus

Many participants in white

"So if you're out tonight, don't forget, if you're on your bike, wear
white..." (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, "Something Happened to Me
Yesterday," Let It Bleed)

The parade continues, including at least one unicycle (not pictured)

It was the night of the full moon, a strawberry moon, so we walked
over to the the Hotel de Ville bridge (ask us about the incident of
the light-running Smart car that became engulfed in the sea of derision
and humanity crossing the street (not pictured))   

Us there

Hotel de Ville all lit up

And Saint-Severin on the way back home

Un Art Nouveau--A New Art--Exhibition At The School of Jewelry Arts, Paris

Our schedule was getting pretty full during our last week in Paris, but we squeezed in a time slot on the opening day of the new Un Art Nouveau exhibition at the School of Jewelry Arts. Jewelry occupies an important place in the Art Nouveau movement and so was something we really wanted to see. Moreover, grand-daughter Penelope has gotten into jewelry-making in a big way, and we wanted to be able to show her what it all was like in the Belle Epoque. Click to enlarge!

The School of Jewelry Arts occupies several floors
in a building near the Place Vendome in the 1st

Excellent interpretive stuff all through; the exhibition was
organized thematically, mostly...in terms of types of things
depicted...most of the items were pendants and brooches

[click to enlarge]

Georges Fouquet octopus

Poster child of the show, Georges Fouquet's Pendentif Nymphe
des Mers; among the hallmarks of art nouveau jewelry were color
and the use of many different substances in addition to the usual
gold and silver and such

Maison Boucheron, Broche Cerf-Volant; we think this means
"attack beetle," not cockroach; the art nouveau jewelers, particularly
Lalique, really liked bugs, especially those encrusted with rubies, 
diamonds, etc.

A Lalique brooch that is not a bug 

Two Lalique brooches, Glycine and Chrysanthememes, both 1900

Maison Boucheron, La Forêt, 1910

Maison D'Isgny, Tinkerbell, 1905 😈

Lalique, Sylphide, 1900; not a bug

Lalique, broches-pendentif, 1898-1890; from the Schmuckmuseum,
Pforzheim; seriously 

Lalique, Femmes-pensees, 1900

Antony Beaudouin, Bague, 1900-1901 

E. Colin, Algues, 1900

Rue Ringard

Every city has its cheesy streets, and Paris has its share too, especially Rue Ringard, in the heart of the Latin Quarter, very near Saint-Severin, in the 5th. Rue Ringard is really Rue de la Huchette. We learned the expression ringard from Emily, of course.

PS...there is a redeeming feature, however: a branch of the Maison George Larnicol store, Breton sweets and pastries, including the best kouign amann ever, the butter decadently oozing out even before you slice it.... 

A couple blocks of alternating cheap souvenir stores
and touristy restaurants serving mostly "specialities
Francaises"

Creperies, fondueries, racletteries, and more

Do mussels really come from shells like those?

So that's how they make fondue! Note the raclette
cheese heater at left

Not to be missed if you have a sense of humor and time
to kill in the 5th

PS...Butter oozing from a slice of kouign amann