PARIS AU RALENTI-CONTINUED

This intrepid reporter is following up on her initial post with a fresh batch of observations and photos collected during her recent trip to Paris. The first part of Paris au ralenti probably gave you the impression that Paris had dramatically changed since the pandemic, and not in a good way: an ebullient, festive city turned into a mournful, quiet one. That’s only partially true. I won’t deny there were a few poignant moments where it was hard to shake the feeling of loneliness but they were vastly outnumbered by the numerous “proofs of life” shown by my fellow Parisians and by the stunning examples of everlasting beauty the city is famous for. To make it even better, I consistently found Parisians to be warm, chatty, and helpful! Follow along and you’ll see that, in spite of it all, Paris is always a good idea.

Versailles might be closed but, if you board the right RER C, a métro ticket is all it takes to be transported inside the Hall of Mirrors.

On our first day out, I decided to hang out in the 16th arrondissement. Why, oh why, would I do such a thing? Two reasons. Except for the Trocadéro-Guimet-Palais de Tokyo triangle and Musée Marmottan, that part of the city is shunned by visitors. I figured this affluent and mostly residential area would look reasonably “normal” and I could observe some Parisians in their natural habitat… Also, I was interested in walking in Hector Guimard’s footsteps but I’ll save that for another post.

Five muscular atlantes are needed to support a stone balcony on rue Jasmin

As expected, the streets in the 16th were very clean and the elegant apartment buildings were well-kept. Except for a few Space Invaders gone astray, we didn’t see any street art but filled our eyes with beautiful architectural elements of diverse styles.

Ceramic decor by Gentil & Bourdet on rue Boileau (1906)

Although cafés and restaurants were closed everywhere in Paris, this neighborhood felt lively in its own usual way (yes, it is more sedate than Barbès or Belleville.) Nannies were watching over boisterous children playing in the parks. Impeccably dressed older women were shopping for groceries at Monoprix or dropping off their dry cleaning at the pressing. A large contingent of masked middle-schoolers exited lycée Jean-Baptiste Say, jumped on their scooters, and headed home for lunch. None of them played ball against the wall of the Eglise d’Auteuil, a testimony to their superior reading skills and good manners.

Défense de jouer à la balle contre le mur. Not as common as Défense d’afficher.

Life goes on in other parts of Paris, too. Would you believe that people still buy pastries?

You can still satisfy your chou craving at Odette

Always a line at Kitsuné at Palais Royal

Early afternoon, rue Montorgeuil was not encumbered by tourists snapping photos of Le Rocher de Cancale: it was busy with locals shopping for meat, fish, and produce or picking up dessert for their evening meal. I suspect that all the other streets devoted to food shopping (rues Cler, Cadet, de Lévis, etc.) are equally patronized.

Picking up a baba au rhum, perhaps? It’s Stohrer’s specialty.

A few observations regarding the food scene. Many restaurants have switched to the vente à emporter or livraison models to stay in business. What struck me was the variety and quality of the food we could choose from. MacDo and Domino have their fans but ethnic and traditional French restaurants are offering a fantastic selection of to-go dishes that echoes what they would serve in their dining rooms. We got a delivery from La Ferrandaise: the menu included pork cheeks with blond lentils, low-temperature cooked veal breast with carrots, organic chicken with morels, and more delicious creations. You may have to forgo the restaurant atmosphere but you will get interesting food! I also really like that many restaurants still want to showcase their dining room as an inviting place either by populating the seats with stuffed animals (like Les Deux Magots in my previous post) or by setting up their tables just as if they could welcome you tout de suite. A nice change from the stacked Gatti chairs.

Would you care for some Champagne before your meal? At Le Pré aux Clercs.

Even when the tables are not set, it’s a delight to gaze at some of the restaurant facades.

So much history at Bouillon Racine, founded by the same Chartier family on rue du Faubourg-Montmartre.

Paris remains a gigantic chantier: construction is ever-present, everywhere you look. The Olympic Games deadline is looming large! In addition to the ongoing reconstruction of Notre-Dame, the Eiffel Tower is getting a new paint job.

Makeover time! La Grande Dame will sport her yellow-brown color again.

Fountain Medici in the Luxembourg gardens was emptied out; the renovation of the statues, basin, and water supply continues through June 2021.

Now we know how deep it is

The new Samaritaine complex is ready for its close-up but the new Louis Vuitton headquarters across the street are wrapped in scaffolding.

The Rivoli façade of la Samaritaine got more than a face lift! The Art Nouveau façade on rue de la Monnaie and original façade on quai du Louvre were nicely restored.

There is a running (pun intended) joke that Parisians “discovered” the virtues of sports as soon as they were told to remain inside their apartments. Gyms are currently closed: parks and gardens are the new locations to watch bodies squeezed into Spandex: fitness, running, Tai Chi… Apparently, boxing has many devotees, especially among women: one particular instructor was spotted at Luxembourg on Thursday and at Palais Royal on Friday. Have gloves, will travel.

Tai Chi in the gardens: low and slow.

Fitness class at Palais Royal. Note to self: head out to Kitsuné after working out….

If climbing is your thing, the underside of pont de Grenelle on Ile des Cygnes has been set up as a climbing wall. You can stare at the Statue of Liberty while pulling yourself up. Or, you could head out to the right bank near Pont d’Arcole and ride a stationary bike while watching the barges float by.

Who wouldn’t pick this view instead of riding a Peloton in their living room?

Of course, Parisians are also spending quality time outdoors with their four-legged companions.

Meet and greet on Ile des Cygnes

Cinemas may be closed but film production has resumed and we noticed crews at several locations. No Emily or Lupin sighting, though.

Stumbled upon the set of Les passagers de la nuit starring Charlotte Gainsbourg. No Charlotte sighting either…

And if you need further evidence that life in Paris is quasi-normal, rest assured: you can still enjoy a good street demonstration, and not just during the weekend.

Théâtre Odéon is occupied by actors and stagehands protesting the shutdown of cultural venues. We saw them every afternoon, playing and singing Bella Ciao.

Whether it’s March or July, a prudent traveler always carries an umbrella and keeps a Plan B in mind in case it rains. Covered passages and galleries are open; they provide lovely sights and one-of-a-kind shopping experiences.

Mosaic floor at galerie Vivienne. You did recognize it, didn’t you?

Churches were open as well. We popped into Saint-Germain-des-Prés right after a funeral; the restoration work is finished and the colors are stunning. That same afternoon, the rain and wind were so violent that we took refuge in Saint-Sulpice. During a funeral. We sat down by one of the side chapels. Saint-Sulpice is huge (the second largest church in Paris after Notre-Dame) and social distancing was in effect, along with masking and hand sanitizer. It felt a bit odd –and oddly comforting– to share this moment and space with a large group of strangers. As Aristotle said: “man is by nature a social animal.”

Come to the light! Stained glass projection at Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

In general, gardens seemed a bit less populated than usual but the weather was not necessarily encouraging people to linger on a chair with a good book. Tulips were not out yet but the tulip trees at Palais Royal had put on their seasonal show in beautiful shades of pink.

Blooms at Palais Royal

Whatever the season, gazing at floral shops is always a treat. Peculiar buildings, whimsical decorative touches, bouquets of flowers in galvanized buckets, potted plants spilling over the sidewalk… every shop tells a little story.

When the shop is as pretty as the flowers. Floranges on rue Michel-Ange.

Inside marché Saint-Germain, a Meilleur Ouvrier de France creates floral arrangements at maison Beaufrère.

Les Fleurs du Mal: what a great prop! Stanislas Draber on rue Racine offers flowers and poetry.

If all you can do is stroll, Paris might be the most exciting place to do it. Where else can you walk all day long and be treated to beautiful architectural details right and left?

130 rue Réaumur. It’s the main street in the old Sentier neighborhood, the former home of printing presses and sewing machines. Most of the imposing buildings have especially high ceilings on the lower floors where industrial equipment was set up.

Fantastic doors and caryatides abound in Paris. These two ladies on rue Monsieur le Prince are called La Studieuse and La Libertine. Which is which?

I often catch great reflections of the Palais Royal gardens in the shop windows under the Montpensier arcades.

In the mood for poetry? Rimbaud’s Le Bateau Ivre unfolds on a wall at rue Férou.

One of my (not so) guilty pleasures is to wait for a large porte cochère to open up, sneak inside, in hope of discovering a secret courtyard.

Score!

Sometimes, it’s “just” a worn-out staircase, a heavy wood beam, and an ornate handrail.

I think one of my next photography projects should be to search for lovely ceramic and mosaic details on Parisian buildings. That will keep me occupied for a while!

Mosaic at Relais Odéon

And, of course, there is also street art and art-in-the-street: even familiar places can be “new to you” on repeat visits.

There is always a photo expo hanging on the fences of the Luxembourg garden. If you can’t come to art, art will come to you.

Be masked and merry!

Each evening, the curfew required us to be back at the lovely hotel Saint-Paul Rive Gauche by 6 pm. We were not allowed to eat out but, one night, a talented saxophonist serenaded us with jazz tunes around 7:30 pm. I watched him pace the street and play until he disappeared from my sight. I took in the grey zinc and slate rooftops, the carved window pediments, and the forged iron balconies. I caught a fleeting glimpse of someone heading home, bathed in the warm glow of a street lamp. I drew the curtains closed. It had been a good day and Paris was still a good idea.

A room with a view

Vocabulary
Le pressing: dry cleaners
Le chou à la crème: cream puff
Le baba au rhum: a sponge cake soaked in rum, with whipped cream
La vente à emporter: take-out
La livraison: delivery
Tout de suite: immediately
Le chantier: construction site
La porte cochère: carriage entrance

My book is perfect to help you plan your next trip to Paris. Or to reminisce when you can’t cross the pond… Buy a copy of Moments Parfaits in Paris: I'll mail you (from France) a signed bookmark in an envelope bearing this collectible Trésors de Notre-Dame stamp!

PARIS AU RALENTI

The trip had been postponed for a year. Despite living in France, I hadn’t set foot in Paris since September 2019. I knew that museums would be closed; cafés and restaurants would not welcome patrons; a 6 pm curfew would still be in place. We decided to go anyway and make the most of it. It was Rick’s birthday after all and it would be a nice change of scenery. The fact that I had been away from Paris for (what seemed to be) an eternity was putting me in a unique position: it would be easier to notice how the city had changed since its pre-pandemic days.

We arrived at Gare d’Austerlitz on a Tuesday at 5:30 pm which qualified as “peak hour” since the curfew started half-an-hour later. I expected platforms and trains to be packed but I was wrong. With no lines at the ticket machines and very few commuters pacing the RER and métro corridors, it felt more like a quiet Sunday morning in Paris before the young set heads out pour bruncher and the 40-years-old carry bouquets on their way to have lunch at their parents’.

Métro-RER corridor between Saint-Michel and Cluny-La Sorbonne

I know this doesn’t quite jive with what is typically shown in news reports but we never encountered crowds in public transportation during our 5-day stay. Call me crazy but I purposely went through the Châtelet-Les Halles interchange for no other reason but to see how crowded it was. I’ll let you judge for yourselves: here is a time-lapse video where you can (almost) count every commuter using the people movers.

Most of the time, we seemed to be stuck in a time warp: the walls were still plastered with affiches advertising winter vacations in sunny locations or movies and plays that briefly opened last Fall before the second confinement began. Many of the paper posters were tattered, signaling that advertisers had pretty much paused any campaign they had planned since the 4th quarter.

“Our Christmas gift to you: to make you laugh!” Are we laughing yet?

As expected, the closure of cafés and restaurants is the most glaring evidence of the pandemic; probably because they’re huge social hubs, day or night.

No onion soup for me today! To think that Au Pied de Cochon had been open around the clock, every single day, since 1947…

Au Père Louis on rue de Vaugirard. Even outdoor service is not allowed.

Sad sight at Café de Flore.

Some, like Les Deux Magots, “pretend” to serve customers.

Les Nounours des Gobelins do get around! Lucky bears…

Many of the smaller eateries shifted to the vente à emporter model, either click-and-collect or delivery by UberEats, Deliveroo, etc.

Le Pré aux Clers offers vin chaud, soups, and to-go meals.

Clearly, restaurants have no idea when they might resume operations.

“Nous rouvrirons à l’automne.” Polidor was using the Spring confinement to do some remodeling, expecting to reopen in the Fall. They’re still remodeling.

A café at marché Saint-Germain is not making any time commitment: dès que possible…

The “fruit bar” on quai des Grands Augustins has an injunction for all: stay fired up!

Not being able to sit down at a café for lunch means that more French people eat while they walk (the horror!) or look for a bench in public parks.

No seats left in square Laurent Prache.

Front row seating on place Saint-Germain.

Window seating at Palais Royal.

I purchased a couple of Merveilleux on rue du Pont Louis-Philippe and we ate them right on the street, using the top of a shipping pallet as a table.

Undoubtedly, the pallet had been used to build a parklet in front of the now-closed restaurant.

Let me tell you, it’s hard to spend six-to-eight solid hours on your feet without the possibility of seating down in front of an espresso or a glass of wine! And it’s a bit tricky to depend on public toilets since cafés and department stores are closed. Whatever you do, do not leave home without loading the (free) Toilet Finder app on your phone: truly a life-saver.

Public restroom on rue du Four. All toilets are automatically cleaned after each user and have hand-sanitizer dispensers on the outside.

Speaking of urban furniture… The Wallace fountains work very well, most of the Morris columns advertise plays that theaters can’t show, and it looks like the old newspaper kiosks have all been replaced with their “new-and-improved” models.

Sign of the times at the kiosks: few postcards, many masks.

Many other sites are in “sleeping beauty” mode.

Like all movie theaters, the UGC Danton only showed a few films in Summer-early Fall before having to shut down again.

Notre-Dame will not wake up for several years but the work continues. All the melted scaffolding was removed. Engineers and artisans continue to consolidate walls. There is still debris to evacuate inside the cathedral before restoration and rebuilding can start.

The bouquinistes’ lockers didn’t see any daylight while we were there but perhaps they feared rain showers. On the other hand, many of them heavily rely on the tourist trade.

Car traffic has gone down noticeably: nowadays, you are more likely to get run over by a vélo than a voiture. Even the Seine seems to be taking a break. There are no Bateaux-mouches or Vedettes du Pont-Neuf on the water. Even the Batobus service was suspended at the end of September. They hope to resume service in April (dream on…) The only boats we saw were houseboats moored on the banks and merchandise barges carrying wood, sand, or construction debris.

Esperanza on the Seine.

After staying on the Right Bank for many years, I had booked a hotel in the Latin Quarter for this trip. It was “my” Paris when I was a student in the late 70s-early 80s but the neighborhood had changed a lot over the past 40 years. The rectangle defined by boulevards Saint-Michel, Saint-Germain, Saint-Jacques, and quai Saint-Michel used to be an exciting and culturally vibrant area before the fast-food outlets, kebab joints, overpriced cafés, and souvenir shops turned it into a tourist mecca. It truly had become a zoo.

This time was very, very different. Foreign tourists had no choice but to stay home, and so did most French students after remote-learning became the norm. It was a ghost town. Many of you are quite familiar with that neighborhood and I think you will be shocked when you take this little stroll with me.

An eerily quiet rue de la Huchette. Rue de la Harpe wasn’t any livelier.

Curtain down at Théâtre de la Huchette. Ionesco’s La Cantatrice Chauve and La Leçon had been playing there since 1957, the longest running show without interruption at a single theater.

Le Caveau de la Huchette also went dark. After the Liberation of Paris, its caves welcomed jazz greats like Sidney Bechet and Claude Luter. Until the pandemic, it was open every single night.

 “Souvenirs row” across square Viviani, on rue Lagrange. Speechless.

The bookstore was open but when was the last time you could take a pic of Shakespeare and Company without an American tourist photobombing your shot?

Last days at Gibert Jeune, an institution for more than a century. For any former Latin Quarter student, this feels like the end of an era. All four stores around place Saint-Michel are closing forever.

So, yes, Paris feels like a different city at the moment. During the first confinement, mesmerizing photos highlighted the beauty of an empty city. They felt strangely peaceful; time was suspended. My photographs tell a different story; they show a city that’s wounded and is barely convalescing; but it’s also reinventing itself. There is some gloom and some sadness but there is resilience as well. And the beauty is still out there for everyone to see. That’s what I’ll show you in my next post…

Coming soon to a café near you: Gatti chairs and an aperitif en terrace. Can’t wait!

Vocabulary
Au ralenti: in slow motion
Pour bruncher: to have brunch
L’affiche: (f) poster
La vente à emporter: take-out
Vin chaud: (hot) mulled wine
Dès que possible: as soon as possible
Gardez la pêche: lit. keep the peach; remain upbeat
Le vélo: bicycle
La voiture: car

BERNIE TAKES PARIS

Who would have thought that a pair of patterned mittens would get more attention than Kamala Harris’s purple coat or Lady Gaga’s voluminous red skirt? As far as the internet goes, Bernie Sanders stole the show at the Inauguration last week and, by now, you have seen countless memes of Bernie in his beige parka, legs and arms crossed, a surgical mask on his face, huge earth-tone mittens covering his hands. I wanted to see how this “grumpy chic” American would blend in on the streets of Paris and I allowed him to photobomb some of my shots of the capital. Here are my 25 photos of Bernie in Paris: follow in his footsteps, try to recognize all the sights, and check your score at the end of the post. Bonne chance!

Second-hand bookstores: where you find things you had no idea you wanted.

No, I shall not do the happy dance!

I want to put money in people’s pockets

I kept the mittens but the wool socks had to go

I thought I made it clear the rocket ship was my first choice

Now is the winter of our discontent

The mind is like an umbrella. It’s most useful when open.

Oui, je parle français

Striking a pose for the next cover of GQ

Feels just like Vermont

It’s important to gain a higher perspective

Lucky find: furniture that complements my color scheme perfectly.

Everybody loves a good victory

Waiting for Emmanuel. He’s late.

What I enjoy the most about pétanque is the apéro hour

Looking for another comfy chair in the furniture district

I can see Montmartre from here (but not Russia)

I’m pretty sure they said I would be the Guardian of the Galaxy

New sartorial options? Fine but the mittens have to stay.

Conversation? What is it? A mystery! It’s the art of never seeming bored.

This might be a tad more exciting than the campaign bus

A gentleman is someone who can play the accordion, but doesn’t.

So many choux à la crème, so little time

The most instagrammed street in Paris is about to go viral again…

Thanks for indulging me! Now, check your answers.

1 Icones Américaines, Mº Bourse
2 Bouquinistes on quai St-Michel
3 L’Homme en blanc by Jérome Mesnager, passage de la Duée
4 Cour des Arrivées, gare d’Austerlitz
5 La Bouche de la Vérité, fountain on place Jussieu
6 Merry-go-round, parc de la Villette
7 Shakespeare and Company, rue de la Bûcherie
8 Umbrella installation, Cité Berryer; quote by Walter Gropius.
9 Place Fréhel
10 Colonnes de Buren, Palais Royal
11 Pont Saint-Louis
12 Rue Yves Toudic
13 Urban furniture, rue des Grands Degrés
14 Winged Victory, musée du Louvre
15 Grille du Coq entrance gate, palais de l’Elysée, avenue Gabriel
16 Terrace des Feuillants, jardin des Tuileries
17 Former wood workshop, passage Lhomme
18 Crêperie place Saint-Pierre in Montmartre
19 Galerie Vero Dodat
20 Adopte Un Mec, Mº Etienne Marcel
21 Monument à Guy de Maupassant, parc Monceau; quote by Maupassant.
22 Esmeralda, rue du Cloître Notre-Dame
23 Accordion player, between Mº Temple and République; quote by Tom Waits.
24 Odette pastry shop, rue Galande
25 Rue Cremieux

It was a very tough quiz. How did you do?

More than 20 correct answers
Paris has no secret for you. You even pay attention to ephemeral advertising in the métro stations…

Between 15 and 20
Excellent. When travel resumes, you’ll spend all your time comparing pre- and post-Covid Paris.

Between 10 and 15
Not bad at all. While stuck at home, check out some virtual tours of Paris so you can prepare your next trip (my friend Véronique posts fantastic free video tours on YouTube.)

Less than 10
You are so lucky! Paris is still a mystery to you and you have a whole city to discover.

SILVER LININGS

Who would not want to wear rose-colored glasses these days? Nine months into this pandemic, the virus continues to create chaos, our lives are still in limbo, and we still can’t see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Although France successfully flattened the curve through a strict confinement last spring, the number of infections rose exponentially after the summer vacations. After enacting curfews in large cities for a couple of weeks in October, the French government ordered another lockdown: it seems to be the only way to contain the virus propagation before all ICU beds are filled with Covid patients. Winter is coming and there will be tough months ahead.

Blessed are the dogs who know nothing about the nasty virus. Here is Lily surveying the edge of our woods. For her, life is as normal as ever. April 2020.

To shake off the blues, I binge-watched the Netflix series Emily in Paris and I was almost shocked to realize that everything looked so normal, except for her positively palatial chambre de bonne. How refreshing to see Parisians going about their life without face masks, colorful cafés packed with patrons, and fashion shows crowded with attendees close to each other! The first season was filmed in the second half of 2019 and the showrunners may have to wait a year or two before Emily can return to her charmed life in the City of Light. Since nobody needs to read a whiny post about the disruption and distress caused by the virus, I decided to showcase some of the positive things that I’ve observed over the past few months. Join me for a feel-good visual tour!

A very familiar sight for Emily’s fans: this hotel –and its fantastic glass and iron marquise– stands across from her office. November 2018.

Everybody knows how to REALLY wash their hands now
Next time someone greets you with a handshake –whenever that might happen– you will no doubt appreciate that our collective hygiene standards have substantially improved. Sales of Marseille soap have gone through the roof. Ah! It may just compensate for the disappearing use of lipstick.

But, but, but… where is the hand sanitizer? Photographed at Musée Rodin, October 2010.

Fashion is dead, long live fashion
On March 25th, my mother asked her sister-in-law to sew a cloth mask for her: it had to be maroon to match her purse and shoes! If an 88-year-old woman cared that much about the color of her mask, it was inevitable that face coverings would become the next hot fashion accessory. Predictably, the latest sartorial trend was in full display during Fashion Week last month. Of course, fashion houses will have to peddle many, many designer masks to make up for lackluster sales in other categories. I predict that, next year, all models will walk the runways wearing black leggings and fancy Zoom shirts, blouses, or jackets.

How about a stunning embroidered jacket for your next Zoom call? Spotted on rue du Faubourg St-Honoré, October 2016.

Thinking locally
In the early days of the pandemic, I kept waiting for signs of coordinated action, at least at the European level; I was dismayed when the EU hardly lifted a finger to help Italy. In my opinion, the French government’s efforts to blunt the economic impact were solid: massive layoffs were avoided, at least initially. Most of all, it warmed my heart to witness so many displays of solidarity at the local level. Cities and villages got quickly organized to check on elderly and vulnerable people, running errands or picking up medicines for them. We supported farmers who set up distribution points for local produce. We ordered take-out food from restaurants who had never offered such service before (check this post to see what one of my local “take-out” meals looked like.) And, of course, we collectively made cloth masks for the whole village in March, at a time when disposable ones were not available to the general public.

It takes a village, and detailed instructions… April 2020.

Small is beautiful
Les spectacles vivants like theater, dance, music, sports were all but canceled. Some large productions found creative ways to bring their performances in front of an anxious public during the spring lockdown, either on their websites or through French TV. By summer, many artists were later able to resume their shows albeit on a much smaller scale. Musicians were quite active indeed: they often set up by the terrace of local restaurants so we could safely enjoy a good meal and a concert. The city of Gourdon closed the circular boulevard to car traffic and organized street entertainment every Thursday evening; it could be used as a stage for a large swath of entertainers including Brazilian dancers, clowns, magicians, storytellers, and more.   

La Bedoune performing en terrace at the Hostellerie de Goujounac, August 2020.

Everyone is an artist
Social media is often decried but it enabled everybody, famous or not, talented or not, to showcase their artistic endeavors: playing the cello on a balcony, dancing Swan Lake in a bathtub, building action figures with toilet rolls and chips packets… Perhaps my favorite series was the Getty Museum Challenge that prompted humorous recreations of famous paintings avec les moyens du bord. Rick was a good sport and indulged me when I staged him as my very own Lapin Agile.

A favorite painting and my favorite guy. June 2020.

The Call of the Wild
City dwellers were forced to reevaluate the value of their lodging choices: small (and expensive) quarters may be fine when restaurants, museums, and parks are waiting to welcome you but will feel unbearable when a whole family has to share 700 square feet, 23 hours a day, for 55 consecutive days. Parisians who were lucky enough to own a second home in the country quickly exited the city to settle into their résidence secondaire, as long as WiFi coverage was decent enough. It may or may not be a long-term exodus: only time will tell. But, based on my conversations with local agents, the real estate market here is very lively and they just don’t have enough properties to offer. Many French rural areas that saw their population dwindle during the past few decades will enthusiastically welcome a fresh influx of younger working professionals.

Too late! This medieval timbered house in old Gourdon sold in June…

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose
You’ve got to love the French who were nevertheless making plans for their vacations while the epidemic was raging in April: les vacances sont sacrées! They mostly chose to stay in France (not that there was much of a choice…) and headed out to la montagne, la campagne, or la plage. For those who opted for the seaside, this was a great opportunity to (re)discover beaches in Northern France and Brittany that are not as popular as those on the Mediterranean. It’s clear that the French are in no mood to sacrifice their vacations –even during a pandemic– but it’s nice to see tourism money sprinkled all over the country.  

The French do love the beach! Avoid July and August to “enjoy” more social distancing. Piémanson, in the Camargue area. October 2017.

Bicycle kick
Trying to avoid mass transportation, city dwellers are rediscovering the many health benefits of riding bicycles: physical distancing AND exercise! Paris and other large cities are encouraging this trend and adding bike lanes. In many regions, substantial subsidies are in place as incentives to purchase electric bicycles (we bought a couple of them and our net cost was 20% of MSRP.) Although bicycle use helps lower pollution indexes, I suspect many riders will flock to buses or the métro as soon as the weather turns nasty. In related news, sales of gas-thirsty converted vans and campers are through the roof, with a 6 to 10-months wait until delivery of a new vehicle. Win some, lose some…

We love our new electric bikes! Payrignac, October 2020.

Nouveaux maux, nouveaux mots
New words are invented all the time and merely reflect new technologies and human activities. Old words that we didn’t even know suddenly invade our everyday conversations. By now, everybody knows about nose swabs (écouvillons) and N95 masks (masques FFP2). We practice social distancing (distanciation sociale) to avoid superspreaders (super propagateurs). We wear our Zoom shirt (chemise visio) while holding videoconferences (visio conférences) with colleagues. And when it’s 5 o’clock somewhere, we can toast our friends with a Skype apéro or a coronapéro. Unlike George Orwell’s Newspeak in 1984, this novlangue doesn’t aim to suppress individual thinking; it just underlines that we all share the same concerns, at the same moment.

France is a divided country: are you Rosé or Ricard? Chez moi, August 2020.

A new way to travel?
For some lucky travelers, the pandemic offered a rare chance to explore popular locations without the usual crush of tourists; for the majority of us, it meant cancellations galore. 2020 will be remembered as the epitome of armchair travel. Thanks to Facebook, YouTube, and other apps, I’ve enjoyed virtual tours to many destinations, old and new. Whether filmed by locals or professional tour guides, these videos keep me in the travel loop: exploring, learning, dreaming. Perhaps they even force me to see more of the world, not less; to watch with more intent and wonderment; and to select my future destinations with more insight and desire. Who knows what next year has in store for me. The good all USA remain high on my list, of course. Vietnam was booked, canceled, postponed; perhaps on track for late 2021. And the light of Venice still haunts me: I must return. Besides, I hear La Serenissima has a fantastic selection of beautiful masks…

 Where will you be going next?

It takes a city, and centuries of craftsmanship. Venice, October 2019.

Vocabulary
Le confinement: lock-down
La chambre de bonne: maid’s quarters (usually a tiny bedroom under Parisian rooftops)
Le spectacle vivant: live show (performing arts)
Avec les moyens du bord: lit. with the means at hand; with what we have on hand
La residence secondaire: country home
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose: the more it changes, the more it stays the same
Les vacances sont sacrées: vacations are sacred
La montagne: the mountains
La campagne: the countryside
La plage: the beach
Nouveaux maux, nouveaux mots: new ailments, new words

To feed your dreams of Paris and plan your next trip, please consider buying a copy of my book Moments Parfaits in Paris, where you’ll explore every arrondissement through forty photographs and essays. Hint: it’s also a thoughtful holiday gift for this dear Francophile friend of yours… When you purchase the book, I will mail you a signed bookmark from France and stamp your envelope with this stunning timbre Trésors de Notre-Dame. Merci! Your support helps me maintain this blog.

Buy a copy of Moments Parfaits in Paris: I'll mail you (from France) a signed bookmark in an envelope bearing this collectible Trésors de Notre-Dame stamp!

LIFE IN THE TIME OF CORONA

What a difference a week makes. I was in Eureka enjoying elaborate Victorian mansions, colorful street art, and a superlative dinner prepared by the talented executive chef at the Carter House, a young lady I first met when she was a mere ten years old. She says that watching me prepare French dinners at home inspired her to choose that profession! My heart is full.

Check-in counters at SFO

While I was combing spectacular Agate beach on Thursday, it was clear that we would have to cut our trip short: we were scheduled to fly back to France on March 24 but, with the new restrictions placed on travelers from Europe to the US, it was hard to imagine that airlines would not drastically cut back their destinations and frequencies.

TSA at San Francisco airport: no need for Fast Track today!

By the time I got back to Modesto on Friday evening, I had played several scenarios in my mind but they all hinged on how United Airlines would handle our non-changeable tickets. I called the customer service line and was kept on hold for less than ten minutes; another ten minutes and a very efficient representative had rebooked us on the Saturday SFO-CDG flight. No hassle, no fee, no extra money; grateful for United. We would miss a family gathering on Sunday but I felt we needed to return home ASAP and not take the chance to be stuck abroad for several weeks.

Nice to see those tails!

The sigh of San Francisco airport was eery, Whole banks of check-in counters were closed; we approached one agent without waiting a single minute. The empty lines at TSA only reinforced the feeling that we were walking through a ville fantôme.

Pick your seat at the UA lounge

We had allowed extra time to spend at the airport in case there were some sanitary controls before boarding but they were none. We spent an hour at the United lounge which is usually crowded with passengers flying to Asia and Europe. Empty seats everywhere, no food buffet, wrapped plates of salad veggies and cheese on a rolling cart, a box of disposable gloves by the wine bottles… Yep, it felt different.

All food at the lounge was wrapped

At Gate 97, it was very easy to practice distanciation sociale and the agent dismissed formality by calling Groups 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 to board simultaneously. We briefly engaged with the American couple in front of us: although museums were closed and their tours had been canceled, they were still ready to go and visit Paris on their own. When is your flight back, I asked? In ten days; supposedly; we’ll see how things develop.

I took this photo after the doors closed. Pick a row, or two; or three!

We settled in the plane very quickly and I was hoping we could depart earlier than our 3:25 pm scheduled departure. Macron had announced France would be on lockdown at midnight (3 pm here) and I thought it would be safer to be in the air before that time. Sure enough, the announcement came in at 3:10 pm: the gate agent was trying to figure out whether we could fly out or not.

It would have been so easy to score an upgrade. Not free, but easy…

The crew had already agreed to work this flight even though they were told they would not be allowed to disembark on arrival: they would need to stay aboard until the plane turned back to the US. Non-French citizens or permanent residents of France had to deplane as they would be refused entry on French soil. The American couple we had talked to earlier, and a few more passengers, quickly exited the plane. We waited a little longer while the corresponding luggage was removed from the cargo hold. I was sooo relieved that Rick had finally gotten his residency card ten days before we left! When we pushed back from the gate, there was a grand total of 27 passengers in our 787: that is the closest I’ve ever been to flying in a private jet.

Out of luck if you were planning to purchase discounted alcohol or tobacco products

Take a rain check for that café experience. All bars, restaurants, and cafés in France are closed.

The flight itself was uneventful and so was our arrival at CDG1. No sanitary control there either. Most shops in the terminal were closed, except for the Relay newsstand and, oddly enough, Ladurée. I guess we could all use a box of tasty macarons to weather what’s ahead. I had decided not to take the train back to Gourdon: in a fluid situation, many reservations were being canceled and the stations, unlike the airports, looked like zoos: expecting severe restrictions on domestic travels and looming confinement measures, many Parisians were making a quick exit to the province. We spent Sunday night at a hotel by the airport, picked up our rental car on Monday morning, and drove home.

CitizenM at CDG airport: our home for the night.

On Monday night, Macron announced that the French population would stay in confinement the following day at noon. Any travel would require an Attestation de déplacement dérogatoire that you must have on your person if you must leave your residence to go to the pharmacy, get food, assist an at-risk person (i.e. elderly or vulnerable people living alone,) go to work (if your job is “essential”,) exercise outdoor or take your dog out for a walk. On Tuesday morning, we made a quick trip to my sister’s house to pick up Lily so that she, too, could be confined on her beloved home turf. We were back at the house at 11:57 am, just in time to join 65 million countrymen for what is shaping up to be our fiercest war since WWII.

The permission slip to go out of your residence while we are confined

All of us will be impacted by Covid-19, wherever we live. Le confinement will be easier for those of us who live in rural areas and have more space around them. Rick will continue to run the tractor, mow down the weeds, clear the woods… Some of his home improvement projects will take a back seat because Bricomarché is closed and he can’t get supplies. As for me, I’ll be looking after my mother: she lives only 30 yards away but I’m not supposed to go inside her house. I’ll tend to the garden and start the vegetable seeds I picked up in Eureka. I’ll bake cookies and leave them at my aunt’s door across the road. And I’ll continue to blog. In fact, I plan to go through my photo files and share with you my stories about the places I love. Escapism is a good way to cope in times like these. And those of us who love to travel always dream of our next destination.

Be safe. Be well. Be dreaming.

Yes, Paris loves you and will be waiting for you when the skies clear up.

Vocabulary
La ville fantôme: ghost town
La distanciation sociale: social distancing
La province: any area of France outside of the greater Paris
L’Attestation de déplacement dérogatoire (f): permission slip to travel
Le confinement: lockdown, shelter in place

À BICYCLETTE

During the recent transportation strikes, a significant contingent of commuters dusted off their bicyclettes and rode them to the office. It was especially the case for those living around Paris since they heavily depend on public transportation.

There is always a bike attached to the Fontaine de la Croix-du-Trahoir, 1st arr. Or so it seems.

Have bike and fishing pole, will travel.

A recent segment on French news suggested that a substantial number of them continue to use their bikes even though the métro, RER, and buses are now running normally. For some, it’s a convenient way to schedule some exercise in their daily routine. Others simply enjoy their newfound independence.

Thankfully, it didn’t snow in Paris during the transportation strike!

A bicycle on rue Crémieux, years before the colorful street was “discovered” by Instagrammers

Independence, indeed. Everybody remembers their first bicycle, the apprehension and elation of les petites roues coming off, and the feeling of freedom when mom and dad say you can ride to grandma’s house all by yourself. Your bicycle becomes your most treasured possession until you’re old enough to drive a moped (France) or a car (USA.)

Parked by the marché aux fleurs, on Ile de la Cité

Draisiennes at Musée des Arts et Métiers

French inventors had a creative hand in the development of the bicycle. Although German baron Karl von Drais introduced the first two-wheeler (a.k.a. la draisienne) in 1817, it was only operated by kicking against the street. Through the 19th century, patents filed by Mercier, Michaud or Lallement, added pedals, crank drives, and brakes so the vehicle continued to evolve. Many of those early designs are on display at the often overlooked Musée des Arts et Métiers. Peugeot started selling their first bikes in 1886, Dunlop invented the tire in 1888, and Michelin filed his inner-tube patent in 1891. All this ushered a bicycle Golden Age.

Bike and boats, canal de la Villette.

Parked on rue Ronsard, below the Sacré-Coeur. Fancy saddle bags!

The first cycling competition was held in 1868 in Saint-Cloud. In 1869, one hundred racers competed in the Paris-Rouen race. Bordeaux-Paris and Paris-Brest-Paris started in 1891. Le Tour de France was created in 1903 and remains the premier race in the world.

A bike family on impasse Canart, 12th arr.

Taking a break in front of la Maison des Canaux, 19th arr.

Recreational cycling has always been a popular activity in France. On any given Sunday, you’re very likely to spot groups of friends riding their vélos de course. I was on the front lines of the “folding bike” craze during my early teens. Out in the countryside, we often see couples and families (and luggage!) riding touring bikes. Several of our neighbors cleverly purchased electric bikes: baby boomers love to conquer our hilly terrain with a little help…

Vélib’ station on rue Quincampoix, 3rd arr.

Inspired by the Dutch bicycle rental/sharing model, the city of Paris introduced Vélib’ in 2007 and the grey bikes quickly became ubiquitous. The operator and color scheme changed in 2018 but the transition was chaotic. The system currently includes 20,000 bicycles distributed over 1,100 stations.

BFF in Sarlat

A bike and a bridge, San Francisco

Going through my photo collection, I was surprised that so many of my pictures included bicycles and I’m sharing some of them with you today. I do think they make interesting props whether in Paris, in the countryside, or abroad.

Dry-cleaning delivery in New York

A love letter to Jacqueline in Chicago

Minty bike in Burano

Bicultural bike on rue du Grand Prieuré, 11th arr.

Most of all, bicycles are signs of human presence and activity. Sometimes, they even have stories to tell…

Bike retirement home?

Vocabulary
La bicyclette: bicycle
Les petites roues: lit. small wheels; training wheels
Le vélo de course: racing bike; ten-speed bike

KITES AT LE BON MARCHÉ

Ah, the Parisian Grands Magasins, celebrated shopping institutions that seem to fend off a savage online competition! Their classic architecture, smart fashions, and enticing windows make them (almost) as popular as Mona Lisa with visitors of the capital.

My mother loved shoes and was partial to the Galeries Lafayette. Dad favored the BHV because of its superior offering in the bricolage department. Me? I gravitate toward Le Bon Marché. Il en faut pour tous les goûts.

Le Bon Marché is located near Sèvres-Babylone, on the Left Bank. Established in 1852, it was the very first department store in the world and inspired Emile Zola to write his novel Au Bonheur des Dames. It’s the smallest and, in my mind, the quietest of the four main department stores in Paris. Occupational hazard always led me to La Grande Epicerie, their excellent gourmet store located on the west side of rue du Bac: if they displayed a brand I already carried, it validated the selection I had included in the Joie de Vivre catalog.

I’m also a big fan of their windows. They remind me of shadowboxes. Quite small compared to the floor to ceiling vitrines at Le Printemps or GL, they force the merchandisers to tell a simple story: stylish, humorous, playful. But what I really, really love is the natural light that bathes the main floor: a large atrium topped by a splendid glass and steel verrière, flanked by elegant white escalators. It’s a fantastic space for bold art exhibits, like this poetic cloud of kites that I captured on film while riding one of the escalators. Who said that commerce and culture can’t mix?

Vocabulary
Le grand magasin: department store
Le bricolage: home improvement
Il en faut pour tous les goûts: to each his own
La vitrine: window display
La verrière: glass roof

BIR-HAKEIM TO PASSY

I am young enough to remember public transportation in Paris before the RER was established. At that time, the fastest way to cross the city East to West was to use métro Line 1 between Porte de Vincennes and Porte Maillot. It’s still a favorite among visitors since it perfectly slices the center of Paris and stops at many of the “three-star” attractions like le Louvre, le Palais Royal, la place de la Concorde, les Champs-Elysées, and l’Arc de Triomphe.

 For a change of pace and scenery, I invite you to use Line 6 between Nation and Charles de Gaulle-Etoile. Assuming the RATP is not on strike, of course… Although it takes a bit more time than the direct route offered by Line 1, almost half of this line is aérien: running above ground instead of tunneling in the dark, it gives you excellent views of the Seine, several monuments, and diverse architectural styles of apartment buildings.

 As you can see in my video, the moment parfait on this line is arguably the section between Bir-Hakeim and Passy. Take a seat on the right side of the car and you’ll get a spectacular look at the Eiffel Tower and the Seine as the métro crosses the river on viaduct de Passy. Day or night, it’s quite a treat.

 This is the first of my Moments Parfaits videos but I’m preparing several “flicks” and accompanying stories; I’ll upload them in the very near future. Tell me what you think and watch this space!

A STROLL IN THE LUXEMBOURG GARDENS

During my short stay in Paris last week, I popped into the Luxembourg gardens for a couple of hours. I always seem to return to that location as it conjures up so many great memories of my student days. It’s arguably the favorite park of Parisians and visitors. It’s easy to understand why: a stately 17th-century palace, the spectacular Medicis fountain, serene gardens in the French and English styles, a large pond usually dotted with remote-controlled toy sailboats, and plenty of green metal chairs that invite long reading sessions in the sun or in the shade. Marionnettes, donkey rides, and pétanque courts are a bonus.

The Luxembourg palace is where the French Senate sits

The metal fences that surround the gardens and the palace are often used to display photographic exhibits; the gardens regularly serve as the setting for art installations. For me, the gardens themselves are always the show, no matter the season. On that warm and sunny September day, they were glorious. One often hears a picture is worth a thousand words: I’ll let my photos do the talking.

Mosaïc-like patterns

Medicis fountain

No boats today

Garden chairs: until 1974, you had to pay to sit…

Explosion of colors

Saint-Sulpice towers in the background

Quiet time

Parting shot. Fabulous dahlias.

I hope you enjoyed the stroll. Make sure to include the Luxembourg gardens every time you visit Paris!

FAUBOURG SAINT-ANTOINE

Playing my Map Game before a trip to Paris, I was thrilled to draw L7. Faubourg Saint-Antoine is an area I first explored 37 years ago, during Rick’s first trip to France. Since he worked in the furniture industry, I thought it would be fun and interesting to stroll through the Paris neighborhood historically associated with menuisiers and ébénistes.

Passage du Chantier, the last vestige of the flourishing wood and furniture trade.

Chairs in various stages of construction, or renovation…

Private courtyard in passage du Chantier

For several centuries workers in this area outside the walls of Paris were exempt from taxes. Additionally, the proximity of the Seine meant that craftsmen had access to the wood supply coming into the capital. Already striving during the Middle Ages, Faubourg Saint-Antoine experienced its golden age during the XVII and XVIII centuries: its reputation in arts décoratifs was so well established that woodworkers, cabinet makers, upholsterers, and other artisans flocked from Holland and Germany to set up shop here.

Cour du Bel Air

Carriage entrance from rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine to cour des Bourguignons

Cour des Bourguignons. Charles-Auguste Hollande, a wood trader, had the two wings built between 1862 and 1866. They were rented to Maison Krieger and then to Henri Racault; both were furniture manufacturers who employed hundreds of artisans and wood workers.

The iron and glass structure was added in 1868, along with the 105’ brick chimney that topped a steam engine.

On both sides of rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, between Bastille and hôpital Saint-Antoine, craftsmen opened up courtyards and passages: ateliers occupied the first floor while the upper levels were used for housing. More than 200 workshops were registered in the XVII century, all involved in wood and complementary activities such as varnishing, ironwork, textiles, ceramics, porcelain, marble, wallpaper, etc. Courtyards were like mini “villages” that composed a high-density community of people with related interests.

Floral shop at the corner of avenue Ledru-Rollin. Love the name.

Square Trousseau just off the busy street. Haussmannian buildings on the other three sides. Classic music kiosk and playground for children. A locals’ favorite.

Blé Sucré, a well-known boulangerie-pâtisserie across from square Trousseau. Perhaps the best croissants in Paris…

Like most areas in the city, this quartier has gone through substantial transformations since my first visit in the early 80s. Lifestyle changes (hello, Ikea) and the availability of inexpensive furniture from Asia ushered the decline of artisanal activities that had flourished since medieval times.

Passage Saint-Bernard. Co-working and IT consulting have replaced the traditional activities. Nice mur végétal and an inviting rooftop terrace.

The mosaic rhinoceros on passage Raush. Just a few years ago, there were seven other wild animals on the arcades of this building. I guess they all managed to escape their cages!

East Mamma trattoria at passage de la Main d’Or. If Mamma is around, hipsters can’t be too far away…

Cour de l’Ours

Ebénisterie Straure in cour de l’Ours. The santon of a woodworker sits in the window of the atelier.

Staircases open to the courtyards and lead to the upper (residential) levels

Some staircases have not been “gentrified” yet…

Thankfully, urban planners had the good idea to protect the courtyards and buildings of the area. Some have been lovingly renovated and still house a few furniture makers and restorers. Designers, architects, galleries, home decor shops round up the offering. So far, the gentrification efforts are progressing at a much slower pace than in the neighboring Marais or the area south of Pigalle. I feel le faubourg du meuble has not lost its soul and, at least for now, manages to retain some of its original population.

Cour des Trois Frères

Cour des Shadoks (their creator Jacques Rouxel lived here)

Two Shadoks! These cartoon birds appeared on French TV in 1968. They were absurdly stupid and I loved them.

This could be your lunch break area if you worked in the cour des Shadoks

Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine straddles the 11th and 12th arrondissements (odd numbers on the 11th side, even on the 12th.) There is no significant monument or museum, which means the street is virtually free of tourists. That’s a good thing. If you like to stroll without an agenda, this is the perfect place to explore. You hardly need a map: start from Bastille and walk into every passage, courtyard, and porte cochère that’s open on the even side. When you reach rue de Citeaux, cross the street and repeat on the other side. Make sure to check the section of rue de Charonne up to avenue Ledru-Rollin: lots of gems there, too!

Passage Lhomme, off rue de Charonne

Passage Lhomme

Passage Lhomme. As you explore the neighborhood, you’ll see a lot of signage that evoke its original activities.

Cour Jacques Viguès; a little more “monumental” than most.

Cour Jacques Viguès

Floral shop tucked in a courtyard

Cour du Panier Fleuri. Where the floral shop should be…

Cour Damoye, a peaceful retreat just one block from place de la Bastille.

Perhaps you’ll find your ideal chair in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine. This one is still “in progress…”

Vocabulary
Le menuisier: woodworker
L’ébéniste (m): cabinet maker
L’atelier (m): workshop
Le quartier: neighborhood
Le faubourg du meuble: furniture district
La porte cochère: carriage entrance