A beautiful day in the neighborhood

The popular market under the Grenelle tracks begins here, at the Avenue de la Motte Picquet,
and goes on for several blocks.  It operates on Wednesdays and Sundays until about 1PM.

July 30, 2018 -- A tiny, triangular "square" near us is dedicated to Emile Zola (1840-1902), the French journalist, writer, activist.  On one side of the monument in this square is a quotation from Zola which is so appropriate these days that I want to share its translation with you:

The truth is on the march and nothing will stop it.  Whoever suffers for truth and justice becomes august and sacred. There is justice only in the truth. There is happiness only in justice.  Emile Zola

The square -- called the Place Alfred-Dreyfus -- used to be an unusable, dirty, neglected space that collected litter.  Then it was made into a simple, elegant, yet humble spot that Zola would appreciate.  You can find it where the Avenue Emile Zola, Rue du Théatre, and Rue Violet meet, in the upper part of the 15th arrondissement.

The reverse side of the monument has a round metal portrait of Zola. Someone had defaced it with a bit of white paint, which they used to draw a Hitler-like mustache on top of Zola's mustache.  What a jerk, I thought, who would deface Zola's image like that.  Tom said, "What an ignorant jerk."  The jerk obviously knows nothing about Emile Zola.  I found the blotch so offensive that I touched up this photo to erase it.  I hope the Paris park maintenance people take that offensive Hitler mustache off of Emile Zola's image very soon.

The whole monument looks like it has been scrubbed clean here and there, as if other graffiti/vandalism has been removed in the past.

Earlier in this walk we saw and heard beautiful signs of life.  There was a gorgeous cat lounging in the shade on the passage way called the Villa de Grenelle.  These days, it is rare to see a cat on the loose in Paris.  I hope that she does not wander far.

There was a talented violin player playing classical pieces under the railroad bridge that crosses over the Ile aux Cygnes.  He played the Marseillaise and parts of Vivaldi's Four Seasons -- both difficult pieces.  I think he was a professional, and he seemed to be practicing as well as performing.  He repeated certain phrases from the Four Seasons over and over, to perfect them.  I thoroughly enjoyed his music as we sat on a nearby park bench.

At last, I walked over and placed three or four euros on his violin case.  He said, "Merci, madame.  Bonne soirée!" in a deep, resonant, baritone voice and in the perfect, clear French that well-educated people speak.

When we reached the Pont de Bir Hakeim, we were stunned to see about six different wedding couples being photographed there.  This is a popular place for such photos, but we've never seen so many couples there at once.  They appeared not to know each other, and altogether they were an ethnically diverse bunch of young people.

The Villa de Grenelle.

We finally saw Philippe on that walk, too.  He is a poor old guy who used to sit on the sidewalk by the door of the bakery that we go to most often.  Philippe is good-natured, and likes to talk.  We would chat with him often, and we'd buy him occasional pizza slices from the bakery.  But until this walk, we had not seen him this summer.

But there he was the other evening; these days he is in a fine looking wheelchair, and he isn't sitting on the pavement, begging, anymore.  He sat in his wheelchair across from the bakery, just to be out, taking the evening air.  His attire was casual and stylish -- like an ensemble from the Levi Strauss catalog, the Gap store up the street, or Old Navy.  Someone has set him up with more social and health care services, it seems.

I'm not surprised.  It was always clear to us that people in the neighborhood care for Philippe.

Tough guys on the avenue

July 23, 2018 -- The Avenue Émile Zola is frequently included in my Paris walks because it is wide, shaded by tall locust trees, and lined with interesting buildings.  The avenue leads to the Seine at a complicated intersection that includes a picturesque, old, tiny brick train station that is now part of the RER C commuter train line.

In the first decade of my Paris walks, the SMA building on Avenue Émile Zola was not one of my favorites because of its stark modernity.  But it grew on me, partly because it sits sideways on its site, allowing for some green space that includes some stately trees, facing the avenue.

Now the building is undergoing renovation that will include a new addition on the site of that green space.  At least, the new part is going to have a vegetated roof.

Graffiti with an English caption on the construction fence
around the SMA building on Avenue Émile Zola.
Notice the locust blossoms covering the sidewalk.

Today I learned more about that building.  It is the headquarters for an insurance company that specializes in insurance for businesses.

The main architect for the original building was Raymond Lopez (1904-1966).  He was known for his urban plans for cities like Dakar and Nevers.  In Paris, he was one of the “masterminds” behind the Front-de-Seine, the always-controversial collection of modern high-rise buildings on the Seine, southwest of the Eiffel Tower.  His partner in that adventure was Henri Pottier. 

The SMA building is not far from the Front-de-Seine, but it is only 11 stories high.  That’s still taller than the predominant, 19^th Century, Haussmannian buildings on the avenue, which are generally 6 to 8 stories tall, at most.

I've seen lots of large city buses that are now electric.  Here is a small electric bus that connects the
new Microsoft France campus in Issy-les-Moulineaux (just outside the city limits) with major
commuter trains (RER) and tramway stations.  Microsoft recently announced plans to start two
Artificial Intelligence schools in France; one is at the Issy-les-Moulineaux campus.

I notice that Raymond only lived to be 62 (my age) and that he died in the year that the SMA building was completed.

Mostly, he was known for the buildings he designed in the 1950s.  Some examples of his work are  la tour Bois-le-Prêtre, le siège de la Fédération nationale du bâtiment, le siège social du groupe DCNS, le centre d’affaires Paris Cap Nord.

I personally like the DCNS building, built in 1959, which also happens to be in the 15^th arrondissement on the rue Viala.

High rises known as the Front-de-Seine, as seen from the Pont de Grenelle.

In my photos, you’ll no doubt notice the vegetation detritus on the pavement in this part of town.  That consists of fallen honey locust blossums.  When I took my shoes off in the apartment after this walk, I saw that the soles were plastered with mashed honey locust blooms.  Just so you know, in French, this messy tree – the honey locust – is called a févier d'Amérique.  Many of these fast-growing trees were planted after 2000, when an almost-hurricane took down lots of street trees in Paris.  It may not be wise to have such a monoculture of honey locust trees lining the streets of much of the 15^th; but the honey locust does have a reputation as one very tough street tree.

Three favorites for the flaneurs of the fifteenth

In the past three days, we’ve taken our three favorite long walks in the 15^th, somehow fitting them in between rainstorms.  Each walk is an hour and a half or so of strolling at a medium pace.   Each walk is different from the others.

The avenues walk entails walking down the avenue Felix Faure, across the rue de la Convention, which is called a “rue” (street) but really is more like an avenue, and then up the rue Saint Charles and back home along the avenue Emile Zola.  We meander off the main route to explore anything we happen to see along the way.  This walk covers the south/central/west part of the 15^th arrondissement.

Four musicians from a folk music ensemble crossing the street in front of the Ecole Militaire. They were coming
from the Champ de Mars, where the activities for the La Parisienne race were just beginning.

The next walk takes us up to the northern reaches of the 15^th and into the 7^th.  It includes strolling up either the rue Violet to the Place Dupleix and beyond, or up the rue du Commerce and the avenue de la Motte Picquet to the residential streets that parallel the southwest edge of the Champ de Mars.  Then we cross the Champ de Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower, and continue back down either the avenue  de la Bourdonnais or the little residential streets parallel to the northeast edge of the Champ de Mars.  Then it’s back home again on either the Place Dupleix/rue Violet route or the avenue de la Motte Picquet/rue du Commerce route.  We did that walk yesterday.

The third walk goes down the avenue Emile Zola to the rue Linois and the grand Beaugrenelle district, with all its glitz and glass and shopping mall, and then across the Pont de Grenelle to the place where the Statue of Liberty stands, where we turn right and walk down the length of the rustic Allée des Cygnes.  The return trip is just retracing our steps, but it might involve a detour in the mall to shop or to escape inclement weather.

Le Jardin des Enfants shop on the avenue Felix Faure
has everything you need to outfit your favorite small princess.

In the evening, we walk again.  Tonight, it is a half-hour stroll each way to Le Tipaza, our favorite elegant North African restaurant on the rue Saint Charles, in the southern reaches of the 15^th.  Actually, we’ll probably take walk number 1 to go to and from Le Tipaza tonight.

In these walks, we have plenty of elbow room.  We can walk arm in arm, or holding hands.  There is plenty of window shopping and people watching to do.  People around us are generally very polite.

Today was the day for Maria the Cleaning Lady, so we abandoned the apartment to her for a couple hours while we took walk number three and had brunch at Eclectic, the ultra-modern brasserie overlooking the riverfront at the end of the Magnetic section of the Beaugrenelle mall.

We went to Eclectic last Monday, too, and discovered that the croques and fries there are superb.  This time, Tom had the croque madame (with an egg) and I had the croque monsieur (with no egg).  Tom had fries, and I had a fresh green salad with a splash of vinaigrette.   These are the best croques we’ve ever had in Paris.  The cheese in the croques was especially nice.  We aren’t sure how they make this and serve it with either fries or salad for just 12 euros, but they do.

Everything else at Eclectic seems to be a bit overpriced.  But I think it is one of those places you go to for the ambiance.

Flowers on a building near the Champ de Mars.

The elegant interior of Eclectic was designed by a British decorator named Tom Dixon, I’d read.  He did a good job.  The place is brilliantly eclectic and comfortable.  This is Dixon’s first French creation.

A couple named Fabienne and Phillippe Amzalak run Eclectic.  They’re known for running the restaurant called Le Bon and for starting up a place called Ma Cocotte.  

According to the restaurant’s web site, at Eclectic, the couple has made a “union of chic Parisian and eccentric British, paying homage to the 1970s and revising the codes of the brasserie to favor a comfort that is more private.”  I’d say that’s a pretty accurate description!

Croque madame at Eclectic Brasserie.

Dinner last night was in another eclectically decorated restaurant, Axuria, on the avenue Felix Faure. We shared an elegant croustillant de gambas with a delicious lobster mousse in the middle (photo below). 

Then Tom had a small, tender steak (coeur de l'entrecote) and I had a roasted wild duck with rich, smooth polenta.  Both dishes had what seemed like the same dark, rich reduction sauce, and perfectly cooked veggies.  

Tom's steak, veggies, and roasted potatoes at Axuria.

Tom had the classic soufflé Grand Marnier, which I also tasted.

It was a beautiful and delicious dinner, with just the right walk home up the pretty avenue Felix Faure.