The melange of the 15th

The church of St. Cristophe de Javel is an unusual melange of modern architecture and gothic fantasy.  An early use of some concrete pre-fab construction, the church was built in the 1920s, when my parents were born.  The construction of the presbytery (home of the curate) and bell tower came first, in the early 20s, and the rest of the parish church was built in the late 20s.  The first benediction was said there in October of 1930. 

The church of St. Christophe de Javel, designed by architect Charles-Henri Besnard, 1881-1946.

Tom examines the side entrance on the Rue de la Convention.

Approaching the church from the northeast on the Rue du Capitaine Ménard.

We've admired the unusual church for years. In the 90's, its façade was cleaned and restored, the renovation of the chapel of the virgin happened in 2004, and the Art Nouveau stained glass windows were restored in 2015.  

The side of the church at 28 Rue de la Convention.

When this church was conceived, the area around it was replete with factories, especially those that produced chemical products.  This is where bleach was invented, and so it is called Eau de Javel in French.  My friend W didn't know this, and so she could not find bleach in the grocery last month.  I was with her when she went back to the store, and I showed her the Eau de Javel bottles near the laundry detergent.  Their labels didn't say "bleach" anywhere.

A huge Citroën automobile factory was also near the site of the church.  That factory departed for the suburbs decades ago, and the site was turned into a grand park for families and garden enthusiasts to enjoy.

We walked past the church on our way to the park yesterday afternoon.  The weather was warmer than the preceding days and warmer than today.  Because the humidity was low and a breeze wafted, we enjoyed the warmth of the sun and the temps in the mid-80s.

Our walk in the Parc Andre Citroën began with the shady, color-themed gardens along the northeast side.  New exercise equipment has been installed at the edge of two gardens.  Tom checked it out.

We crossed the expansive central lawn where the hot air balloon is stationed to the gardens tucked into the western corner of the park, and then strolled along the southern edge which was somewhat shaded by adjacent large modern office buildings made of glass and steel.

The park was built with too much infrastructure and too many water features to be practically maintained, so the canal-like water feature along the southern edge of the park was empty and in disarray.  The logical thing to do here is fill it with dirt and plant native vegetation.  

The dancing waters fountain next to the greenhouse at the southeastern end of the park was operating.  Kids are allowed to play in this fountain during hot weather.  They were there in droves.  What a happy sight and sound! (video below)

We had refreshments at La Buvette du Parc, a concession near the dancing waters and not far from the old factory entrance on the southeast side of the park.  Then we were ready for the long walk home along the Rue St. Charles, the Rue de la Convention, and the Avenue Félix Faure.

Looking into the old Grenelle cemetery

We peeked into the open gate of the old Grenelle cemetery, and later paused on a bench while we examined one of those ubiquitous plaques that say "so-and-so lived here in his building from 0000 to 0000," where "so-and-so" is usually the name of some famous person.  In this case, the plaque said "Jerome Bozel, Plumber, lived in this building 1972 to 1979."  It is a joke, and, on the internet, I learned that there are several plaques exactly like this one affixed to buildings in various parts of Paris.  

Even though our walk was a 5-mile loop through the 15th, we'd only covered a fraction of this mighty arrondissement -- the largest of the 20 Paris districts.  

Rest assured, there is more to come.

The end and the beginning

The Parc Andre Citroen's blue garden

 August 15, 2017 -- Back home in Florida, people sometimes ask me if it is safe to be in France now.  My short answer is, “Yes.”  For a longer answer, here’s an article from Conde Nast Traveler from last April.

But just to emphasize how safe it is here, let me show you this sign that we saw yesterday in Parc André Citroën.  We saw a similar sign in the Parc Georges Brassens not long ago. 

I’ll translate the sign for you:

Open at Night

During the summer, 50% of Paris’ green spaces remain continuously open.  For walking, sports, picnicking:  it is possible to benefit from the fresh air of the green spaces at all hours of the day and night.

The Parc André Citroën is open without interruption from July 1 to September 3, all week, 24 hours a day.

Respect the site and the neighborhood!

·        Throw your litter in the bins

·        Limit noise

·        Use the toilets put to your disposition

·        Avoid the unrecommended zones after 10PM because they’re not well lighted.

The legend on the graphic indicates the entrances open at night with a red triangle.  This encourages people to use the entrances in the open, well-lit areas.  Green areas are those accessible after 9:30PM.  Orange zones are not recommended after 9:30PM; my knowledge of the park tells me that it is the wooded areas that are not recommended at night.  That seems reasonable.

If Paris were not safe, the City could not leave these parks open all night in the summer.  I rest my case.

The park's balloon.

The Parc André Citroën was created on the site of the former André Citroën automobile factory.  Like the Parc Bercy, several of the park’s landscape features remain from or are reminiscent of its former, pre-park days.  Beautiful gardens have been created along the northeast side of the park.  A huge fountain of dancing waters is open for kids to play in during warm summer days.  A large balloon takes people up in the sky for a view of Paris from its southwestern edge.

The vast, open central part of the park stretches all the way to the Seine on the northwest border.  Some of the sightseeing boats stop there.

The park is heavily used by families, especially on warm summer weekends and holidays.  Yesterday, the eve of the Feast of the Assumption, with sunny weather reaching the lower 80s F, was a perfect day to be there.  So many people were; the line for balloon rides was long.

When we finished walking around in the Parc André Citroën, we left through its southernmost point and had a light lunch in Le Terminus brasserie on the Place Balard.

Dinner was at Le Pario, which may be Tom’s favorite restaurant in Paris.  During our afternoon walk, we’d noticed that it was open, even though Lafourchette.com seemed to indicate that it was closed.  Only a few tables were occupied while we dined there.  The food was terrific, even though the regular chef, Eduardo Jacinto, did not seem to be in the kitchen. 

The dining room and its stained glass at Le Terminus.

Today is the Feast of the Assumption, a day when those of the Catholic faiths celebrate the Virgin Mary’s assumption into heaven.  A grand procession will take place on and near the Ile de la Cité this afternoon, followed by vespers and a mass this evening at Notre-Dame de Paris.

This is like a time of renewal in Paris, because soon after this holiday is the “rentrée,” or re-entry, meaning “back-to-school time.”  But the rentrée has become more than just the start of the new school year.  It seems to be the start of the new year for everything:  new exhibits open at museums, new concert and theater series start, new books are published, new fashions are displayed, new businesses are opened, old businesses are re-opened.

The Feast of the Assumption marks the end of a year or a season, and it marks the beginning of a new year or season – just as the Assumption marked the end of Mary’s life on earth and the beginning of her life in heaven.

Here’s to new beginnings!

Feasting on the sights in the 15th

The Allée des Cygnes. 

June 28, 2017 -- Translated literally, "femme de menage" means "woman of the household," but what it really means is "cleaning woman."  I prefer "housekeeper," although housekeeping extends far beyond cleaning.

Maria is the "femme de menage" for the apartment where we stay in Paris -- except for the several weeks in July and August when she returns to her native Portugal for vacation.  Monday at mid-day was her time to take over the apartment to clean it, so after we all chatted briefly, Tom and I vacated the place so that we could walk and run some errands.

The weather was gorgeous again, and Monday traffic was in full swing.  We walked to the Allée des Cygnes (Swan's Way) for a peaceful stroll on that island in the Seine, with no cars.

The island also has no water, so all of the grass was a crispy light brown.  The trees, however, were just fine.  The trees give the Allée  its grace, beauty, and shade.  Almost every one of the trees are described by a plaque placed nearby.

Dog owners like to use the Allée  as a dog park.  Many dogs there are set free, off their leashes, although that is almost surely against the law in Paris.  Owners make sure their dogs behave, so that law enforcement will not be called to police this little doggie paradise.

Memorial flowers were attached to the fence in a spot about mid-way down the Allée.  We do not know who is being remembered here, or why.

Most summers, we do not see any swans around the Allée .  But on Monday, one large, lovely swan was swimming on the left bank side.

When we’d finished a circuit on the Allée , we decided to dine at the pleasant intersection of the rues Saint Charles and Rue du Theatre.  I indulged in a big, healthy salade niçoise, and Tom had a croque monsieur.  Our entertainment was a young man at the table next to us.  He was trying to sell supplemental health insurance to a young professional woman.  He talked non-stop, in fairly good, well-enunciated French.  I took this as an opportunity to work on my French listening comprehension.  The young guy was a terrible salesman because he talked too much, and he didn’t listen to his customer – or even give her much of any opportunity to speak about what product(s) she and her business might need.  A good salesperson always takes time to learn about his/her customers and their businesses.

Tom with his croque, I with my Nicoise salad  adorned by a tiny French flag.

 They eventually departed; we then ate our lunches in peace.

After lunch, we traced our steps back to a shoe store on the rue Saint Charles.  This was no “shop”; it was a real, sizeable “store.”  I enjoyed browsing around while Tom shopped the sale.  Some items were marked down 50%!  He eventually decided on some sturdy, real leather walking shoes with lots of beautiful stitching.  These were made for a French company in India.  The craftsmanship is impressive.  The price?  A mere 27 euros!

Then it was time to pick up the sheets at the French laundry on our way back to the apartment.  The young woman running the laundry could not have been nicer. 

Next was the bakery for Tom’s daily baguette (well, almost daily), and after that, we ducked into the fromagerie just to buy some butter from Brittany.

Another walk took us down to the Parc André Citroën, in the more southerly part of the 15^th.  I decided that the best way to walk to that park is down the rest of the rue Saint Charles, turning toward the park just after passing the historic Grenelle cemetery

Looking into the Grenelle cemetery.

The open air market operates on several blocks of the rue Saint Charles on Tuesdays, so we strolled slowly through the busy shoppers, taking in the sights and smells of farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as a mind-boggling array of fresh fish.

Between the cemetery and the Parc André Citroën, we stopped in the walled Caroline Aigle garden.  This calm and serene spot is named for the first female French fighter pilot who would have become an astronaut if cancer had not killed her at age 33.

In the Parc, we sat for a while, looking at the magnolia trees that have been trimmed so carefully in that utterly French way.

Magnolia trees in the Parc Andre Citroen.

Our next walk (yesterday afternoon) was in the 7^th arrondissement, up the avenue de la Motte Picquet to the rue Cler, which has a couple pedestrianized blocks that are always fun to explore.  We strolled down the rue de Grenelle and up the rue de Bourgogne to the Place du Palais Bourgogne.  Inside the Palais, the French legislature had just begun a new session.  The area was abuzz with activity.

We began our walk back to the apartment as it started to rain.  When we reached the Esplanade des Invalides, the rain intensified, so we descended to the line 8 of the metro there – as did many other people!  We managed to fit into the full subway car.  By the time we reached our stop at the Place du Commerce, the rain was lighter.

We took shelter in Le Commerce Café, where we ate hamburgers.  Tom’s was called a “Napo” burger, and mine was the “Obama” burger.  I chose the Obama burger because it has the kind of pickles that I like, and because it has that “sauce Americaine,” something that is unlike anything you’ll find in the U.S.

Now the weather is pleasantly a bit cooler than it has been, so more adventures are in store.  Stay tuned!