Walters Press: January 2013

Thursday, January 10, 2013

France Day 5--15th and 16th arrondissements, Bois de Boulogne, St Germain and Promenade Plantée

Today was May 1 and a national holiday in France, May Day. I rode the RER all the way across town on Line A to Charles de Gaulle Étoile and transferred to the Metro Line 2 to arrive at the end of the line and the Porte Dauphine metro stop. Porte Dauphine is at the edge of the Bois de Boulogne, the other large park in Paris, exactly the opposite side of town as the Bois de Vincennes.

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

As I walked east toward Trocadero Square I could hear music and see lots of French flags flying in the air. When I got to Trocadero Square I arrived at President Sarkozy's presidential rally. It was pretty cool and they were playing Red Hot Chili Peppers on repeat.

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

Just on the other side of Trocadero Square is the most famous landmark in Paris

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

I walked down Rue Benjamin Franklin in a neighborhood called Passy. One of the wealthiest neighborhoods of Paris, Passy is where Benjamin Franklin lived during the 9 years he lived in Paris. He did printing here, which obviously fascinated me!

On Rue de Passy I passed this charming flower shop:

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

Restaurant La Gare in the 16th arrondissement:

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

An old vine growing around a fence in the 16th:

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

Walking toward the Périphérique and Bois de Boulogne:

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

As soon as I walked across the bridge over the Périphérique, I was in the Bois de Boulogne. I saw an old woman walking this trail in heels!

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

The Bois de Boulogne is the first place I saw anyone wearing tennis shoes in Paris (or anyone excercising for that matter):

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

The Bois de Boulogne definitely had more people than the Bois de Vincennes. I think it's more popular with tourists because it's adjacent to a very wealthy part of the city.

I walked to the south eastern end of the Bois de Boulogne and got on the Metro Line 10 at Porte d'Auteuil and rode it to Montparnasse, a neighborhood I've never visited. The Tour Montparnasse was closed so I rode bus 95 to St. Germain des Prés:

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

A note about riding the bus: I highly recommend it. City buses are a way to see the city while preserving your feet and hanging with the locals. The only people I saw on buses were Parisians. I witnessed several instances where younger people gave their seats up for older men. You definitely don't see that in LA! It was a great experience (and those hop on-hop off tourist buses don't count)! The bus system can sometimes be a bit tricky to figure out, but it's worth it.

I walked around the neighborhood for a while and got back on the Metro Line 4 at St. Germain and changed to line 6 at Montparnasse to arrive at Daumesnil. Here is where I had the best find of my trip: the Promenade Plantée or Coulée Verte.

The Promenade Plantée is an elevated walkway that used to be the railway between Bastille and Vincennes. In 1969 the railway was closed and was converted into an elevated garden that runs 5 kilometers through the 12th arrondissement. On this day, I entered it almost at the eastern end and walked just about 1 kilometer east. It was very shaded and birds chirped all around. You would have no idea you were in the middle of Paris!! To access this entrance from the Daumesnil metro station you exit the station and walk west on Avenue Daumesnil. Turn right on the small Rue Brahms. After a short walk the Promenade Plantee goes both left and right. These photos are to the right. I prefer this part of the Promenade because it is more secluded and shaded. The other direction (west) is brighter and had more foot traffic (I went back and walked this part on Day 7).

The entrance to the Promenade Plantée from Rue Brahms:

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

I was so excited to see Dicentra (Bleeding Heart) growing in the Promenade Plantée! I grow this California native in my yard.

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

I cannot recommend visiting the Promenade Plantée enough! It is truly a hidden jewel in Paris.

I ended my short walk on the Promenade by walking north on Avenue du Docteur Arnold Netter to Cours de Vincennes where I walked just a flew blocks west to Place de la Nation and my apartment.

I was greeted with another beautiful sunset over the Eiffel Tower and later, fireworks over Place de la Nation, celebrating the holiday.

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

To see all my photos from day 5 click here.

Monday, January 07, 2013

France Day 4-Chateau de Vincennes and Parc Floral de Paris

Chateau de Vincennes and Parc Floral de Paris are located in the Bois de Vincennes (Vincennes Forest), a park three times the size of Central Park and located on the east end of Paris just outside the Périphérique.

I rode Metro Line 1 just four stops to the eastern end of the line which landed me at the 14th century Chateau de Vincennes.

From France Day 4 - April 30, 2012

The chateau is easy to visit from Paris as it is just in the suburbs. I didn't get to go inside as it was closed but I'm sure it is worth the visit.

Beside the Chateau is the wonderful Parc Floral de Paris. I highly recommend a visit to this botanical garden when in Paris. It is definitely off the beaten path and seemed to be full of locals. Look at the cool sign in the middle of the forest!

From France Day 4 - April 30, 2012

People were sitting on the grass eating baguettes (it sounds cliché, but it is true) so I did the same. I had a lovely time visiting this park.

After riding the Metro back into the center of Paris I went back to L'as du Fallafel because it was so good. Brigitte told me about two houses that I needed to find in the Marais that are supposedly the two oldest houses in Paris, from the 14th century. These houses are located at 13 Rue Francois Miron

From France Day 4 - April 30, 2012

Place de la Bastille

From France Day 4 - April 30, 2012

This is Port de l'Arsenal, also known as Bassin de l'Arsenal, which links the Canal St. Martin to the Seine River. These boats cruise along the Canal St. Martin--you can see they go underneath the Place de la Bastille in this photo

From France Day 4 - April 30, 2012

I got back on the Metro and rode Line 8 to Réublique and walked down Rue du Faubourg de Temple (which was a very diverse, interesting street) to Canal Saint-Martin

From France Day 4 - April 30, 2012

To see all my photos from day 4 click here.

Saturday, January 05, 2013

France Day 3 - Ile de la Cité and the Left Bank

Today's day started in the tourist-filled 1st arrondissement. I went into Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois but didn't get any great photos. I walked to Ile de la Cité to see if there was a line to get into Sainte Chapelle to see the beautiful stained glass windows. The line was so long! I had never been in the church but decided I was going to have to stand in that line at some point in my trip. Next to Sainte Chapelle is the Palais de Justice, where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned before she was executed by guillotine:

From France Day 3 - April 29, 2012

Just down the street from here is Notre Dame Cathedral. The line to get in was longer than Sainte Chapelle. Good thing I went in when I was 18! This area is another one of those places where people are trying to sell you trinkets left and right and just a really unpleasant experience.

I crossed the River Seine to "La Rive Gauche" or the "Left Bank". I had heard so much about this area and how it was so cool. I must have missed something because I did not like it at all, specifically Rue de la Huchette, which is so popular! I just don't get it. It was just people trying to sell me things I didn't need so I left pretty quickly.

The next place I went to was very cool--Square René Viviani which has the best view of Notre Dame across the River Seine!

From France Day 3 - April 29, 2012

The square is also home of the oldest tree in Paris, planted in 1601

From France Day 3 - April 29, 2012

Adjacent to Square René Viviani is Église Saint-Séverin

From France Day 3 - April 29, 2012

I love this kind of ceiling! It's very hard to get a good photo:

From France Day 3 - April 29, 2012

Walking south on Boulevard Saint-Michel I came to the Musée de Cluny, also known as the the Musée National du Moyen Âge. The ruins of the thermal baths are from the 1st-3rd century

From France Day 3 - April 29, 2012

The museum is housed in the 15th century Cluny abbey:

From France Day 3 - April 29, 2012

Next door I ate lunch by the fountains in front of the Sorbonne:

From France Day 3 - April 29, 2012

Then I walked over to the Panthéon:

From France Day 3 - April 29, 2012

Behind the Panthéon is Saint-Étienne-du-Mont:

From France Day 3 - April 29, 2012

I left St. Etienne walking east on Rue Clovis. I came upon the ruins of an ancient wall--I felt like I was in Rome!

From France Day 3 - April 29, 2012

As I was taking a picture of the wall a man came up to me and asked (in French) if I knew what it was. I told him that I didn't know and he proceeded to give me a quick history lesson about the wall.

This part of the wall was built by Philip Augustus around the year 1200 to protect the city of Paris while he left for the Third Crusade. I didn't know such ruins existed in Paris so I was very excited to find this on accident. The man had a home nearby and said that ruins of an old abbey from a similar time period were discovered in the basement of the school next to his home. I thanked him for his time and he went on his way. A few minutes later he turned back around and told me there was one other thing I needed to see. If I turned right on Rue du Cardinal Lemoine there was a plaque on a house that designated it as Hemingway's home between January 1922 to August 1923.

From France Day 3 - April 29, 2012

I'm glad he suggested this because I never would have turned onto this road and found the cutest square, Place de la Contrescarpe

From France Day 3 - April 29, 2012

I spent some time walking around and it seemed to be a lot of local Parisians just living the life. I believe this was the Mouffetard neighborhood.

From here I got back on the Metro and went to my apartment. I was greeted with this great view of the Eiffel Tower when I arrived

From France Day 3 - April 29, 2012

To view all my photos from Day 3 click here.

Friday, January 04, 2013

France Day 2: Les Puces de Saint Ouen (Paris flea market) and Saint-Denis

The famous Paris flea market (Les Puces de Saint Ouen--which literally translates to "the fleas of Saint Ouen") was my destination on this rainy Saturday morning. The market is outside of the Boulevard Périphérique of Paris (the road that circles Paris and is the border between Paris and its suburbs) and is a bit difficult to find once you get off the last metro stop on Line 4 at Porte de Cligancourt. The best directions on how to find the flea market can be found here.

I learned very early on in my trip that at times it is important not to look like a tourist--especially in a city where tourists are plentiful and people who try take advantage of them are prevalent in certain areas. The walk from the metro stop at Porte de Cligancourt to the flea market is one of those places. There are plenty of tourists around and you will have no trouble finding another person from the US who is probably on the same mission as you. The trick that I found that worked for me is to put your headphones on and not look anyone in the eye! It sounds silly but I didn't have anyone bothering me. I just walked with intention and acted like I knew where I was going. It is sometimes hard to avoid but I never pull out a map in the middle of a crowd to try to find where I am. It shows that you don't know where you are and I feel it makes you vulnerable. I love maps and do a lot of studying them before I leave on my trip so that I am more familiar with the area. By the end of my trip I had it down to where I'm pretty sure the only way you could tell I was a tourist was the way I was dressed. I just cannot sacrifice comfort on my feet when i'm traveling! European women walk around in cute boots and heels all day and I don't know how! I even saw a grandma walking in the Bois de Boulogne in heels. On a dirt trail!

The flea market is HUGE. I have heard of people who have lived in Paris many years and still haven't seen it all. I walked down Rue des Rosiers to the Marché Vernaison. The market is a series of very narrow streets/alleys that have permanent "stalls" with doors that close at night. Some are nicely put together:

From France Day 2 - April 28, 2012

I didn't end up buying anything but saw some neat stuff as I was walking east down Rue des Rosiers (which became increasingly desolate the farther west I walked):

From France Day 2 - April 28, 2012

They can even make old heaters look cool!

From France Day 2 - April 28, 2012

I stumbled upon Église Notre Dame du Rosaire, a church Brigitte has never heard of:

From France Day 2 - April 28, 2012

Beside the church is a little courtyard with a memorial to all the Jews who were deported from this neighborhood from 1942-1944. The sentence on the bottom of the memorial says, "Every human being is born free and equal in dignity and rights".

From France Day 2 - April 28, 2012

I turned around to see Sacré Coeur peeking over the hill at me (not the last time I'd see it from various places in the city)

From France Day 2 - April 28, 2012

I was now near the Garibaldi Metro station so I got on Line 13 and rode 4 more stops north out of the city to the Basilique de St-Denis Metro stop to see the beautiful Basilica.

From France Day 2 - April 28, 2012

The St. Denis Basilica is famous for being the burial site for many French monarchs. There is an area of the Basilica where you can pay to see the tombs, but I didn't pay.

I got back on the Metro Line 13 and rode 6 stops back into the city to Guy Môquet which is in the 17th arrondissement behind Sacré Coeur. The neighborhood was very quiet and there weren't many people around. As I walked beside the Montmartre cemetery I was surprised at how few people were around since I knew I was near Sacré Coeur, which is very popular. I turned a corner and literally hundreds of people were milling around the tacky tourist shops that surround the beautiful Sacré Coeur Basilica, one of my favorite churches in the world (no photos allowed inside):

From France Day 2 - April 28, 2012

It does make me sad how this church is completely overtaken by tourists and some people seem to have little respect for it, but it is very beautiful inside and the view from the steps over Paris is magnificent. It is a must see for a first timer to Paris but I wouldn't bother hanging around the neighborhood, just my opinion. I love the church; too bad it has to be in the middle of all that stuff I don't like.

On the way back to my apartment I caught these cool photos in the Pont Neuf Metro station on line 7: