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.
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.
Just on the other side of Trocadero Square is the most famous landmark in Paris
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:
Restaurant La Gare in the 16th arrondissement:
An old vine growing around a fence in the 16th:
Walking toward the Périphérique and Bois de Boulogne:
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!
The Bois de Boulogne is the first place I saw anyone wearing tennis shoes in Paris (or anyone excercising for that matter):
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:
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:
I was so excited to see Dicentra (Bleeding Heart) growing in the Promenade Plantée! I grow this California native in my yard.
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.
To see all my photos from day 5 click
here.
