Promenade Plantee And The Viaduc Des Artes

We did parts of the two walks back in June and July of 2014: (http://roadeveron.blogspot.com/2014/06/paris-scenes-dix-neuf-promenade-plantee.html and http://roadeveron.blogspot.com/2014/07/viaduc-des-arts.html). Rebecca wanted to see some of them, and we agreed, wanting to see the plants in the spring, and to see what changes had occurred after five years in the shoppes and workshops below. The whole thing is some 5 kilomteters of 19th century elevated train track, long since disused, which the city in the 1990s converted to a landscaped walkway with high-end shoppes and artisan workshops below. The walkway goes all the way from the Bastille to Vincennes.

Very large artichoke seen passing through the Marche d 'Aligre
(it was with a group of itinerant artichokes)

A bit of the marche. the brocante bit

Now on the Promenade, among the roses

The Promenade/Viaduc straddles the 11th and 12th, very urban, mostly residential

Artistes at work

It's a walking path; jogging is tolerated as long as it doesn't bother the walkers

Interesting building along the way

Thus

Water feature

Street scene from the Promenade

Which cuts right through some buildings

After a stint in a park (it was Wednesday afternoon, and plenty of kiddos were
around for P to play with), we turned back and descended to the shopping section

Each of these a shop or workshop

Other way

Kitchen shop where I bought a longed-for pan

Violin-maker

"Beautiful plumage!"

What? Your town doesn't have a plumassier?!

And finally a white paper art shoppe

Ne Baise Pas Avec La Souris

Never miss a Disney, Vicki says. Rebecca, Jeremy, and Penelope had done Disney Paris and the associated Walt Disney Studios in the weeks before our arrival. But we had to do it again. And, of course, it wasn't our first visit to Disney Paris: http://roadeveron.blogspot.com/2014/07/disneyland-paris-un.html, http://roadeveron.blogspot.com/2014/07/disneyland-paris-deux.html, and http://roadeveron.blogspot.com/2014/07/disneyland-paris-les-out-takes.html. I promise my coverage this time will be more restrained. All this on May 27th.

It so happens I am reading Neal Gabler's Walt Disney biography; the Disney/French
connection is substantial...the Disneys traced their origins to Isgny in Normandy
(D'Isgny); and Walt drove a Red Cross ambulance near Paris toward the end of WWI)

Action shot of Vicki and P on a ride; Rebecca in the tail-gunner position

La Familia Sabbatica had dinner here during their visit

Live action in the Walt Disney Studios: Spiderman zaps the Saracen pigs...

Interior of the big studio hall

Exterior

Looking toward Disney Paris and its hotel

Mary Poppins: P has, as of last March, figured out that standing in line for a photo
and autograph with some non-entity re-enactor  takes time away from the rides

Penelope

Ditto

Small World

Ritual Tea Cups

Magic moment

About to tour the interior of the castle

Which tells the story of Cinderella in stained glass,
tapisserie, and book pages...OK, EXCUSE ME!...Sleeping
Beauty! There is a reason I continue to confuse these (and
other) characters, namely, that in terms of mythic
archetypes, they are all the same figure; Disney and crew
even in the early 1930s knew very well of Jung and such
things and how to exploit them...

Kathe Wohlfarht-like shoppe; belongs on Main Street if you ask me

Giant animatronic dragon in basement of castle

Now moving on to Tomorrowland (they call it something else)

Rocketeers 

Highlight for me: touring Captain Nemo's submarine Nautilus (another French
connection)

Captain Nemo's (musical) organ

Helpful diagram; sadly, there is no Jungle Cruise here...I probably wouldn't get
the puns anyway

Luminaire

Concluding explosion of Disneyana

Vincennes, Parc Floral, And More

Sunday, May 26th, after the Bastille market, I accompanied Rebecca and Penelope to Vincennes and the Parc Floral. Vicki and I had done the historical and architectural bits of Vincennes in 2014, as well as the floral bits: http://roadeveron.blogspot.com/2014/08/vincennes-le-chateau.html, http://roadeveron.blogspot.com/2014/08/saint-chapelle-de-vincennes.html, and
http://roadeveron.blogspot.com/2014/08/parc-floral-de-paris.html (obviously, I was impressed), but I wanted to see the floral part again, especially this time of year. Alas, it was not the best time, since the early bloomers, the azaleas, the camellias, the rhododendrons, were done, and the high summer flowers were not yet out. But I found other things to do. Vincennes is Paris' largest public park, as I recall, and it has five major playgrounds, the principal reason for our going.

Just the floral part of Paris' largest public park

Fauna as well as flora

Unusual dorsal view

That's all, folks

Waning early bloomers

But in Paris, there's always an art exhibition within a few feet, so I took this one
in (contemporary artists (not Turner))

Snapping a few to my taste

Further wandering took me to one of the several exhibition
halls, where a large gathering of independent wine-producers
was underway

Thus; the emphasis among the independents is upon "natural" or "bio" ("organic");
a return to what the wine tastes like, not chemicals, not wooden barrels; I'd had
some natural wines before but was not convinced

There must be an elegant French name (not poubelle) for
the little bins you can pour the untasted wine into; no spitting

I'm convinced now: best muscadet ever

The major players were faithful to their heritage; best of all
for me was the Gevrey-Chambertin (not pictured)

Meanwhile, back at the playground

P was having a great time

And drove us home safely aboard Metro #1 (see her mother's blog, SherouseHouse.com
for explanation)