Be free and play jazz

The French Academy

Franck Bauer (1918 - 2018) was a 30-something year old French man, a jazz musician, who visited New York City in the 1950s partly for the purpose of learning about public relations.  France did not have any advertising and public relations agencies then, so he had to go to Madison Avenue to learn from the "Mad Men" themselves.

Back in France, he established Franck Bauer & Associés, the first French PR firm.  It was later absorbed into Hill & Knowlton, an American consulting agency.

I consider advertising and PR to be a part of the broader field of communications.  How did a young man from Troyes, the son of an architect, become interested in communications?

I am convinced that that happened because of his interest in music.  As a teenager, Franck thought he'd become an architect like his dad.  But Franck was interested in jazz, and he learned to play piano and drums well.  He played so well that he was asked to perform with Django Reinhardt, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, and Charlie Parker.

"The French talk to the French," title of Franck's broadcast on Radio Londres.

Franck worked briefly for the German architect, Adolphe Speer, in designing a pavilion for Germany for the 1937 World's Fair in Paris.  Then his father ordered him to quit working for the Germans.

So Franck then went to study architecture at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts in Paris.  When the occupation came, Franck and his sister fled Paris by bicycle.  Eventually, he made it to Bordeaux where he boarded a Polish ship bound for Liverpool.

In Britain, Franck joined the Free French, who sent him on a couple secret missions in Brittany.  Then he was sent to New York to do counter-intelligence work.  That's also where he met up with Armstrong, Gillespie, and Parker.

He returned to London to become a famous broadcaster on Radio Londres, a station that was established by De Gaulle in 1940.  It was then illegal to listen to Radio Londres in France, but people did anyway.  The station countered the propaganda spewed by both the Germans (via Radio Paris) and the French Vichy government.

When he wasn't working at Radio Londres, Franck played jazz piano at a SoHo club.  He said he learned to "live in the moment" in London during the blitz. After more than 500 radio shows, Franck resigned from Radio Londres because he did not like DeGaulle's communicating with a pro-Vichy admiral.

So Franck was sent to Madagascar, Algiers, and Scotland to start new radio broadcasts.  In 1944, he returned to France to work for French radio.   After the war, he became a correspondant with AFP (Agence France Presse) and then as secretary general of the Comédie Française, where he met Orson Welles and Charlie Chaplin.

Poster for the Gontelli's circus in Square Dupleix, now Jardin Franck Bauer.

After Franck died in a nursing home last year at age 99, the City of Paris decided to name the park in Square Dupleix after him.  We pass by and through this park frequently because I like seeing this charming neighborhood on my way to and from the Champ de Mars.

Every summer, a miniature circus run by the Gontelli's sets up in part of this park.  I think Franck would approve of that.

Now we'll think of Franck and his joie de vivre as we walk through Dupleix.

Feeling the Love

Do Parisians like Americans?  Well, we're feeling the love here in Paris.

Maria the house cleaner was so happy to see us on Monday.  She not only gave us the two kisses, but also hugged us each enthusiastically.  She said we are good friends who only see each other once a year.  (That's because she goes on a couple months' vacation to see family in Portugal, and she leaves soon after the time we arrive.)  We kidded around about the miracle of a new vacuum cleaner appearing in the apartment this year.

Maria the guardienne (concierge) also bestowed kisses and bear hugs upon us.  We laughed, we joked, we asked about each others' families.  We talked about local real estate, and we all expressed our affection for this building in particular.

At AMALivre publisher/bookstore
near the Square Dupleix,
a tote bag is given if you buy books
in their American collection.

So far, three of the neighbors in the building have seen us.  Each one has been more than civil, more than cordial, more than merely friendly.  They've been friendly and enthusiastically welcoming, wishing us a delightful summer in Paris.  We're certainly not transient AirBnB people; we've been coming here since 1998, staying two or three months each year in the same apartment building.  I guess we're part of the family now.

At each of the restaurants we've dined in so far this Parisian summer, we've been not only recognized but also warmly greeted, emphatically welcomed, and served with gentle care.

Last night's restaurant is my favorite in Paris:  l'Alchimie.  Chef Eric Rogoff and his wife greeted us like long lost friends at the door and let us choose our table.  The blackboard was presented, with Madame Rogoff's meticulously neat, lovely handwritten deliciously descriptive words about gastronomic possibilities for the evening.

We selected the foie gras (always served in some creative fashion by Chef Eric -- this time, Asian style) and a shrimp and veggie tart for starter courses.  Then we each had a perfect sole meunière, which was served in the required pool of clarified butter, but with a broccoli flan instead of potatoes.  Delicious!

Sole Meunière at l'Alchimie, served with broccoli flan

For dessert, Tom indulged in a strawberry macaroon.  Strawberries are in season, of course, and French strawberries are the best (although the Belgians might disagree).

Strawberry macaroon at l'Alchimie.

We felt great when we left the restaurant and made the short walk home.  Before dinner, we walked up to the Champ de Mars so that Tom could see the Eiffel Tower up close for the first time this summer.  I'd seen it on my early morning walk the other day, while Tom was sleeping in, recovering from jet lag.

The big picnic/party on the Champ was in full swing.  Tourists and locals were scattered and lounging all over the lawn, mostly on blankets or tablecloths spread out on the battered grass.  The illegal vendors of Eiffel Tower trinkets had, for the most part, switched over to illegal selling of wine and beer.  It is illegal to consume alcoholic beverages in this park, but from what I can see, that law is never enforced.  Well, maybe it is if someone gets into a fight or something, but the scene is almost always convivial and harmless.

We enjoyed looking at the flowerbeds.  So many talented gardeners are employed by the City of Paris!  Their work is appreciated by us.  Tom found a blooming mimosa tree, which reminded him in a good way about his childhood, so he posed under it for a photo.  Doesn't he look pleased to be there?

Tom is happy beneath a blooming mimosa tree, just like the ones in Gaffney, SC, where he grew up.

I took another solo walk this morning, up to the Champ via the Square Dupleix, crossing over to the rue de Grenelle in the 7th arrondissement, and down the rue Cler, a pedestrianized market street.

In the Square Dupleix was the familiar, colorful June/July sight of the Gontelli's mini circus tent.  The little circus is closed now for a couple days, but soon will re-open with the bargain admission price of 5 euros per kid (and adult).

The Gontelli's little circus tent, set up by the playground in the Square Dupleix.

It was so early that the fruit and vegetable vendors on the rue Cler were still setting up, and delivery trucks were partially filling the brick pavement while their drivers toiled away at the task of unloading.  In another hour, they'd be gone.

Passing La Terasse brasserie at the corner across from the Ècole Militaire, I saw businessmen doing business over coffee, next to tables of early-rising tourists staring into coffee cups as they munched on croissants.  This is torture to someone who has not yet had coffee and is nearing the end of her daily 12 hour fast, but I'll survive.

This sign in the Square Dupleix is one of many in Paris
parks that are part of a war against rats.  The sign asks
park users to take particular care with disposing of their trash
at the park.

I walked by the Longines equestrian event site, temporarily set up at the Ècole Militaire end of the Champ de Mars.  I think this is the last day of that event.  As soon as the temporary bleachers, dozens of tents, fences, and horse trailers disappear, the City of Paris will begin preparations on the Champ for the fantastic Bastille day fireworks and concert production.  I can't wait; I adore that spectacle.

On the way home, I decided to try the Ernest & Valentin bakery for the first time because I like the looks of their country breads.  I selected a partial loaf of the Charenton 7 grain bread.  As I carried it home, I could feel some heat still emanating from the bread.

Somehow I managed not to eat it until I was home, showered, dressed for the day, and at the end of the 12 hour fast.  I'm ready for more of Paris now!

From the Seine to India

The Square Dupleix is a small and typical Parisian park that we frequently walk through on our way to the Champ de Mars.  It is the centerpiece of an attractive, quiet neighborhood that is surprisingly close to the Eiffel Tower.  The square is dominated by two playgrounds for children, and an old-fashioned gazebo in the center – a good place for band concerts, although we’ve never heard one there.

There is just enough open space left over to erect a small circus tent.  Every summer, the Gontelli circus sets up there for weeks.

When we walked through Square Dupleix yesterday, the circus was in action.  Moms, dads, and kids were lined up to enter the colorful little tent, to see what wonders it might hold.  Recorded circus music drifted though the air.

The flowers at the Square Honore Champion on the rue de Seine are gorgeous.

We crossed the Champ de Mars and crossed the avenue de la Bourdonnais so that we could walk through the magical tropical garden at the Musée du Quai Branly.  As we entered through the gates, the security guard took a really good look inside my little bag, instead of the cursory glance that the bag usually gets.

We crossed the Quai Branly and descended to the banks of the Seine.  There was no mob walking along the banks because it was a weekday; on weekends now the banks are crowded with pedestrians.  The Berges de la Seine project has been a huge success; pedestrians rule, and the highway along the Seine is no more.  Yesterday, we walked comfortably among just the right number of pedestrians.

Faust, the restaurant under the Pont Alexandre III, was heavily damaged by flooding last year.  Now
it is looking better than ever, and it has added high-top "terrace" seating under the bridge.

Nowadays you can count on seeing several temporary attractions set up along this stretch of the left bank.  Yesterday’s attractions included a vibrant section featuring the wonders of Colombia.  We sat on a bench for several minutes to watch the scene, which included some Latin dancing.

Later, we checked out a photo display about Dalida.  The purpose isto promote an exhibition about this French entertainer’s wardrobe, currently showing at the Palais Galliera, the fashion museum for the City of Paris.

At the Pont des Arts, between the Louvre and the French Academy, we climbed back up to the street level to walk along the rue de Seine, looking into the many trendy art galleries, until we reached the busy little rue de Buci.  By the time we were near the Mabillon metro station, it was close enough to our dinner reservation time that we decided just to take the metro all the way to the Charles Michel station, and spend a few minutes sitting on a bench, watching people in the Place Charles Michel.

At rush hour, this is entertaining because so many people are criss-crossing the Place, and they make a diverse display of almost-frenetic activity.

Looking into Faust as the restaurant prepares to open for the evening.

Then it was time to walk over to Annapurti, and Indian restaurant on the rue Lourmel.  I’d noticed its good reviews in lafourchette.com, and when we’d walked past it on our way home from Le Blavet the night before, I thought it looked clean and inviting.

We had no idea how good it was going to be.  What a surprise!  This little place with not-so-lavish Hindu décor is a gem.  The food did not arrive at the table too quickly; we took that as a good sign, that everything was being freshly prepared.  And it was!

The samosa and pakora starters were perfectly and beautifully presented.  The three classic Indian chutneys were clearly homemade, and the spicy one made my taste buds dance.  The garlic naan also seemed to be homemade, and was infused with some herbs in addition to the garlic.  It was served piping hot from the oven.

An old sealed-off well tucked into the end of a street in the Village St. Paul.

Tom’s lamb biryani was served with a separate bowl of tamarind sauce; its deep, rich, dark red color was very representative of its taste.  The korma sauce was heavenly – made with crème fraiche instead of heavy cream, and incorporating only the choicest ingredients – like clearly top-quality cashews – this was a sauce you’d expect to find in a pricey restaurant. (Our total bill for dinner was just 62 euros.)

The top-quality lamb in both the biryani and korma was tender, moist, and flavorful. 

We shared a kulfi for dessert.  In the past, I have not particularly liked this Indian version of ice cream.  But at Annapurti last night, I learned to love it – because it was so good.  The flavor we had was saffron and pistachio.

Now we have a new favorite Indian restaurant in Paris, and we’re delighted.