So you think you know Paris?

Public clocks

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 15:20:00 +0000

"Better three hours too soon than a minute too late."
(William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor)

Your watch has stopped, your phone’s battery is dead, and you’re not sure if you’re on time for that train…

Fear not: Paris boasts no fewer than 14 000 public clocks!

You’ll find them on churches, town halls, public libraries, train stations. Most of them are simple, functional instruments, but some are works of art.

Oldest public clock in Paris,
Palais de Justice

The oldest public clock in Paris is on the façade of the Palais de Justice. Built in 1371, its square face is 1.5 metres across. The hands are in moulded copper, the minute hand in the shape of a lance, the hour hand ending in a fleur-de-lis.

Mairie du 1er Arrondissement

Just across the Seine, next to the Louvre, the clock on the belfry of the district town hall of the 1st Arrondissement is decorated with the signs of the zodiac. On the other faces of the tower are a barometer and a thermometer. Built in 1858, it was fully restored in 2004.

Musée d'Orsay

The Musée d’Orsay was once a train station, so you’d expect to find a clock there. In fact there are several on the outside, but none match the splendid gilded clock on the inside. You’ll have to pay the entrance price to see it.

Central Téléphonique,
Rue Bergère

The telephone exchange on Rue Bergère is an early 20th century construction. High up on the side of the building a splendid wrought iron clock breaks the plainness of the redbrick façade.

Le Défenseur du Temps,
Quartier de l'Horloge

Near the Pompidou Centre is a rather dull concrete pedestrian zone called the Quartier de l'Horloge. Its drabness is spectacularly interrupted by the elaborate clock called le Défenseur du Temps. Originally, the automata that make up the clock went into action and a man fights against a bird, a dragon, and a crab which respectively represent air, earth, and water. Sadly, the clock has been out of order for some years now, but is still worth seeing.

L’Heure de Tous
St Lazare station

If you really need to know the time when you’re near St Lazare station, the mound of clocks in the sculpture called l’Heure de Tous won’t really help you. But just behind, on the main façade of the station, you’ll find a real clock.

I hope you make that train!

Map

Find these clocks here: https://goo.gl/WxZ6C3

Copyright © 2018 — All Rights Reserved — Tous droits réservés Paraic Maguire (sytykparis@eblana.eu)

Stones in Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Tue, 29 May 2018 16:31:00 +0000

The great icons of Paris are all above your head. But one of the enduring symbols of the city can be found at your feet: cobbled streets.

Philippe II (Augustus)
(Wikimedia Commons)

Philip II (Philippe-Auguste) is remembered as the king who transformed Paris into one of the major cities of Europe.

He granted the charter to the university of Paris at the Sorbonne; he moved the outlying food markets to a protected site, Les Halles, in the centre of the city

To defend the city, he constructed the Louvre as a fortress and had a great defensive stone wall erected around the city.

Less well known is the fact that and he had the main streets paved with granite stones to replace the dilapidated paving laid by the Romans several hundred years before.

Later governments extended the cobblestones, and by the middle of the 20th century, almost all the streets in the city were paved in this way.

Cobblestone as missile in May 68
(AFP)

Then came the "Events" of May 1968. The protests of students and workers in the city turned into a violent confrontation with riot police.

Behind the barricades in the Latin Quarter, protesters dug up the cobblestones and used them as missiles.

Beneath the stones they discovered a bed of sand, which gave rise to one of the enduring slogans of May 68: "Sous les pavés, la plage!" — "Beneath the cobblestones, lies the beach!"

From then on, the city authorities switched their preference from quaint (but potentially dangerous) cobblestones to boring (but durable) tarmacadam, a mix of tar, sand and gravel.

This type of surface is much cheaper, easier to lay, and more difficult to use a weapon.

Gare du Nord

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Mon, 15 Jan 2018 14:00:00 +0000

Seven-hundred-thousand people pass through Gare du Nord every day. Of these, around 699 990 don’t stop to look at the building itself. Their loss!

It is the busiest train station in Europe and, if you exclude the monster-sized stations in Japan, the busiest in the world.

Built in 1846 with just two platforms, it served as the terminus of the Paris-Lille line. It was soon found to be too small and was completely rebuilt in 1866. The original façade was dismantled and moved to Lille where it can be seen today at the front of Lille-Flandres station.

Gare du Nord
with Eurostar (yellow), Thalys (red), TGV (silver & blue), and regional (silver & red) trains
photo: Wikimedia Commons (WiNG)

Gare du Nord has been expanded several times since, and today it is a major hub serving the suburbs of Paris and the north of France. It is also the terminus of several international services, including the Eurostar to London, and Thalys to Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne.

The main halls of the station are rather modestly decorated compared to some of the other great railway stations of Europe, and the platforms are covered with a plain glass roof.

Gare du Nord, main façade
photo: Wikimedia Commons (Nord794ub)

The façade, in contrast, is a grand affair, designed by the architect Jacques Ignace Hittorff. It is adorned with no fewer than 23 statues, representing the main cities served by the station.

The most prominent statues, along the line of the roof, are the international destinations: Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Warsaw, Brussels, London, Vienna, Berlin and Cologne, with Paris taking pride of place in the centre.

On a lower level are the major towns of northern France: Boulogne, Compiègne, Saint-Quentin, Cambrai, Beauvais, Lille, Amiens, Rouen, Arras, Laon, Calais, Valenciennes, Douai, Dunkirk.

The inside of the station was for many years quite a dreary place. However, development has taken place in recent years to brighten the place up and improve the services offered to passengers, including a shopping arcade, a brasserie, and several cafés.

Future Gare du Nord
photo: © Gares et Connexion

There is an even more ambitious plan underway to prepare for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The future Gare du Nord will include an open-air garden, an office complex, a five-star hotel and a complete redesign of the interior layout.

It promises to become an area worth going to see, rather than simply passing through on your way to somewhere else.

The Paris Meridian

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 20:40:00 +0000

Paris is full of wonderful sights: historical monuments, museums, art galleries, the River Seine, many parks and gardens. But one interesting historical feature of the city is more virtual than physical: the Paris Meridian.


The Paris Merdian on the floor of the Paris Observatory (Photo: FredA, via Wikimedia Commons)

Lines of longitude go from pole to pole, through the equator. The prime meridian is the line arbitrarily chosen to be 0° longitude and is used as the basis for drawing maps and calculating the local time. The Paris meridian, which goes through the Paris Observatory, was established in the 17th century. François Arago used this line as a starting point for his precise calculation of the French prime meridian.

Historically, each country had its own prime meridian, which made international navigation confusing. This problem was solved in the 19th century, when an international committee selected the Greenwich meridian to be the common zero of longitude and standard of time reckoning throughout the world.

Most of Europe and North America aligned their clocks with Greenwich, but France maintained Paris time until 1911 when it at last fell into line with the international community.

Arago medallion, part of the
"imaginary monument"
created by Jan Dibbets

So, the Paris meridian, used for over 200 years, was no longer relevant. But it didn't disappear entirely. It can be traced today thanks to a work of art by Dutch conceptual artist, Jan Dibbets.

Homage to Arago is an "imaginary monument on an imaginary line" – a series of 135 bronze medallions planted in the ground along the line of the meridian. They run right across the city from Porte de Montmartre in the north, through the Louvre, the Luxembourg Gardens, and the observatory, to Cité Universitaire in the south. Each medallion is 12cm in diameter and marked with the name ARAGO plus N and S pointers.

Missing!

Sadly, some of the medallions have vanished over the years; some were stolen, others removed during roadworks and never replaced, or simply covered over.

One of them is appropriately placed at the point where the meridian crosses the Boulevard Arago. It is on the plinth where a statue of the astronomer once stood until it was removed by the occupying powers in 1942.

Arago’s statue has disappeared, but the Paris meridian remains.

Liberty in Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Sat, 14 Oct 2017 09:31:00 +0000

Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité!

Unveiling the Statue of Liberty, 1886
photo: Wikimedia Commons

Everyone knows the motto of the French Republic, "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity," which has been used since the days of the French Revolution in the 18th century.

And Liberty was one of the most famous gifts in history: from the people of France to the people of the United States on the occasion of the centenary of the American Revolution.

The Statue of Liberty was sculpted and cast by Auguste Bartholdi in France and shipped to New York in 1885, and erected on a frame designed by Gustave Eiffel.

Replica on Île aux Cygnes
photo: H. Zell
(Wikimedia Commons)

For the centenary of the French Revolution, a group of US citizens living in Paris reciprocated and made a gift of a replica of the statue to the people of France. It is on an island in the Seine, the Île aux Cygnes, and is about a quarter of the size of the original.

It's not an exact replica, though: the inscription on the book in Liberty's left hand shows not only the date of the US Declaration of Independence in 1776, but also the date of the storming of the Bastille in Paris in 1789.

Replica of Bartholdi's
bronze model
Luxembourg Garden
photo: Páraic Maguire

In 1900, Bartholdi donated the bronze model he had used to make the statue to the Musée du Luxembourg. It stood in the garden until 2012 when it was removed for conservation reasons and replaced by a bronze replica. The original can now be found in the Musée d'Orsay.

After the death of the sculptor, his family bequeathed the original plaster maquette to the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris. A bronze cast from this plaster can be seen in the grounds of the museum.

Many other replicas exist throughout France and, indeed, the world. Some are scale models, others are variations on the original.

Can you find Liberty?
Centaur, Carrefour Croix-Rouge
photo: Páraic Maguire

The smallest is well hidden on the centaur statue at the Croix-Rouge crossroad (officially: Place Michel-Debré). It takes a keen eye to spot it.

Flamme de la Liberté
photo: Ignis
(Wikimedia Commons)

The most misunderstood is an exact, full-scale replica of the torch flame, the Flame of Liberty, at the intersection of Avenue de New-York and Place de l'Alma. It happens to be near the spot where a former princess died tragically in 1997 and has been hijacked as a memorial to her.

The Flamme de la Liberté was in fact another gift to the people of France, organised by the International Herald Tribune on behalf of donors throughout the world, as a symbol of Franco-American friendship and in gratitude for the restoration of the Statue of Liberty, carried out by two French companies in 1986.

Vive la France! Vivent les États-Unis! Vive la Liberté!

Covered Passages of Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 19:01:00 +0000

Window-shoppers (from À Travers Paris, 1894)
(Wikimedia Commons)

Window-shopping — one of the most popular pastimes in Paris since the invention of footpaths.

Before the introduction of separate spaces for vehicles and pedestrians, shoppers mingled with horses and carriages on the street, and usually ended up with their shoes and clothes covered in mud — or worse!

Another innovation to improve the lot of the flâneur came in the early part of the 19th century: covered shopping arcades.

Here, shoppers could move around in comfort and safety, protected from the weather and the traffic. By the middle of the century there were around 150 passages couverts in the city.

Each one connects two streets and is lined with small shops, galleries and cafés. The passages are covered with iron-and-glass ceilings to allow natural lighting in daytime.

Here are some examples of the remaining passages.

Galerie Véro-Dodat

Galerie Véro-Dodat
(Wikimedia Commons, Jean-François Gornet)

One of the shortest, at just 80 metres, is Galerie Véro-Dodat near the Louvre.
Its modest length is somewhat disguised through the impression of perspective created by the diagonal pattern in the black-and-white floor tiling, and the relatively low ceiling.
The parts of the ceiling that are not glass are decorated with beautiful engravings.
It is also one of the least frequented of the covered passages, though this adds to its charm.

Passage du Grand-Cerf

Passage du Grand-Cerf
(Wikimedia Commons, David Pendery)

Closer to the classic style is the Passage du Grand-Cerf. Its 12-metre ceiling is one of the highest of all the passages.
Opened in 1825 on the site of a hotel of the same name, it fell gradually into decay before being fully restored in the 1980s.
Today it houses fashion boutiques, furniture stores and jewellery workshops.
And if you like knitting, you’ll find what you need here.

Passage du Prado

Passage du Prado
(Wikimedia Commons, Ralf Treinen)

The Passage du Prado, named after the museum in Madrid, was built in 1785 but wasn’t covered until 1925.
It is certainly not the most chic of the passages, but it has its charm nonetheless.
The two branches of the passage are perpendicular; the junction is covered by a glass dome in a metal frame.

Many of the covered passages of Paris were destroyed during Haussmann’s restructuring in the 19th century, others disappeared as department stores became more popular.
Only around 20 survive today, each one worthy of a visit.

To find the passages described here: Google map

For more information, visit the official website of the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Morris columns

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Sat, 28 Nov 2015 16:07:00 +0000

Along with the Wallace fountain, the Morris column is an icon of Paris that everyone knows to see, but whose name is known by few. Its main function is to advertise theatrical shows.

The original advertising column was designed by a German printer, Ernst Litfaß (or Litfass) and the first models were installed in Berlin in 1855.

The French version was created by Gabriel Morris, also a printer, in 1868. Some served a dual purpose, for example to store cleaning equipment for street cleaners.

Before its introduction, advertising for theatrical events was a haphazard affair, with posters being hung on trees, lampposts and the walls of public urinals. The city authorities decided to standardise the business and granted an exclusive contract to Morris.

Colonne Morris, Paris
21st century

Colonne Morris, Paris
circa 1885

The design has changed little in the century and a half since their introduction. The cylindrical column is topped by a hexagonal dome bearing the arms of the City of Paris. There are several hundred installations in the city.

Many of the older models have been replaced and they are now maintained by JCDecaux, the same company that installs the city's bus shelters, advertising billboards and runs the self-service bicycle system, Vélib.

(Image source: Wikimedia Commons.)

Sytyk Paris Episode 6: Cinema Architecture

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 12:01:00 +0000

Parc des Buttes Chaumont (video)

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 10:00:00 +0000

Episode 5 of "Sytyk Paris – the Series" is out!

Parc des Buttes Chaumont:

Copyright © — All Rights Reserved — Tous droits réservés Paraic Maguire (sytykparis@eblana.eu)

Industrial Architecture (video)

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Sun, 03 Nov 2013 17:39:00 +0000

This is Episode 4 of "Sytyk Paris - the Series": Industrial Architecture

Copyright © 2012 — All Rights Reserved — Tous droits réservés Paraic Maguire (sytykparis@eblana.eu)

Wallace Fountains (video)

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Sun, 20 Oct 2013 16:55:00 +0000

This is Episode 3 of "Sytyk Paris - the Series": Wallace Fountains.

Copyright © 2012 — All Rights Reserved — Tous droits réservés Paraic Maguire (sytykparis@eblana.eu)

Jardin Villemin (video)

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 18:52:00 +0000

Here's episode 2 of "Sytyk - the Series" - Le Jardin Villemin:

Copyright © — All Rights Reserved — Tous droits réservés Paraic Maguire (sytykparis@eblana.eu)

Rotonde de la Villette (video - version 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Sun, 14 Jul 2013 11:35:00 +0000

We've made some minor changes to the video — here is the final version. You can see subtitles in English, French or Spanish by clicking on CC on the YouTube control line, then choosing the language.

Don't hesitate to share with your friends!

Copyright © — All Rights Reserved — Tous droits réservés Paraic Maguire (sytykparis@eblana.eu)

Rotonde de la Villette (video)

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 01:02:00 +0000

Here's the first video clip of the blog: Rotonde de la Villette. Filmed and edited by Devrim Alpöge.

[replaced — see post of 14 July]

Eau de Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 13:14:00 +0000

Every day the population of Paris consumes 550 million litres of drinking water. That's 120 million gallons, or 145 million US gallons. Per day!

The water is collected, treated and distributed by Eau de Paris, a public sector company, and comes from many sources: the rivers Seine and Marne; and underground sources in the region around Paris, but also as far away as Normandy and Burgundy. Once the processed water reaches Paris it is held in five reservoirs: Montsouris and L'Hay-les-Roses to the south; Saint-Cloud to the west; and Ménilmontant and Les Lilas to the east.

Water from the furthest underground source travels 150km to get to the capital through pipes and aqueducts. One of the most impressive is the Aqueduc de la Vanne which crosses the Yonne river and goes through the Forest of Fontainebleau before reaching the Montsouris reservoir.

The Aqueduc de la Vanne as it passes through the Paris suburb of Cachan
(photo credit: Alexandre Duret-Lutz, via Wikimedia Commons)

If the idea of drinking water from the Seine shocks you, don't worry! River water is treated carefully in two phases: clarification, a process that reproduces natural soil filtration to remove the particles; and refining, which eliminates any remaining bacteria, viruses, pesticides or other pollutants from the treated water. The water is then chlorinated before being distributed.

Apart from providing fresh drinking water to homes and businesses in the capital, Eau de Paris also maintains a system of more than a thousand drinking water points on the streets, including the famous Wallace fountains (click for more details).

Pavillon de l'Eau

Pavillon de l'Eau
(photo credit: © Eau de Paris)

The place to go to find out everything you've ever wanted to know about water in Paris but were afraid to ask, is the Pavillon de l'Eau situated in a converted water pumping station near the banks of the Seine.

There is a permanent exhibition on the water system of Paris, as well as regularly changing temporary exhibitions, a cafeteria and a conference centre.

Source (pun intended!): www.eaudeparis.fr

How to get there:

Address: Pavillon de l’Eau, 77 avenue de Versailles, 75016 Paris
Telephone: 01 42 24 54 02
Métro: Mirabeau (line 10)
Bus: 22/62/72 ("Mirabeau" stop)

Wallace fountain

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:50:00 +0000

Wallace fountain ("large" model)
(photo: Wikimedia Commons)

When you think of Paris, you think of the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Champs Élysées. These are certainly very powerful images and recognised throughout the world. There is, however, a more modest symbol, nonetheless typical of this great city, that deserves recognition: the Wallace fountain. Or rather, fountains, as there are over 100 of them scattered throughout the city in all 20 arrondissements.

These small cast-iron sculptures were installed in the 19th century by the British philanthropist Sir Richard Wallace and designed by the French sculptor Charles-Auguste Lebourg. Wallace, who inherited a fortune from his father, was already well known for his acts of charity.

Paris was in a bad state at the time. During the Siege of Paris and the Commune the water supply infrastructure had been severely damaged. Prices rose so high that many poor people could not afford clean drinking water. Wallace, who was a genuine believer in good old fashioned Christian charity, felt morally bound to save the poor from turning to cheap alcohol. By funding the installation of water fountains he provided Parisians, rich and poor, with a reliable source of clean drinking water. Even today, his fountains are a valuable amenity to homeless people in the city.

Parisians drinking from a
Wallace fountain (1911)

The original ("large") model stands 2.71 metres tall and weighs 610 kilograms. Standing on the solid base are four caryatids, representing the virtues of kindness, simplicity, charity and sobriety, who hold the dome of the fountain aloft. If you look carefully you'll notice that the four maidens are not identical; each has a slightly different pose and folds the bodice of her dress in her own way. The water flows in a single stream from the dome. Originally there were metal cups attached to chains to facilitate drinking from the fountain, but these were removed in the 1950s for hygiene reasons. The water supply is switched off in the winter months to avoid the risk of damage due to freezing.

There are other models of Wallace fountain, but this one is by far the most common.

The fountains were manufactured in Sommevoire, a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France.

Richard Wallace, the philanthropist who gave Paris these precious and practical monuments, is buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery.

Rue du Faubourg Saint Denis (part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 21:30:00 +0000

In the previous post we saw that the southern part of Rue du Faubourg Saint Denis is heavily influenced by the cultures from the north of the Indian sub-continent. Well, as you might expect, the northern part of the street is indeed dominated by businesses from southern India and Sri Lanka.

Between Gare du Nord and La Chapelle the number of Tamil shops and restaurants has increased steadily over the past decade to the point where today Tamil is clearly the dominant culture in the area. If you're looking for Indian spices or silks, you'll be spoilt for choice. There are also a large number of good-value Indian and Sri Lankan restaurants in nearby Rue Cail and Rue Louis Blanc.

Ganesh Chaturthi in Rue du Faubourg St Denis
(photo: Paul Munhoven via Wikimedia Commons)

Tamil people are mostly Hindu and many of the shops and restaurants have religious symbols on display. Ganesh Chaturthi — the Hindu festival of Ganesha — is celebrated every year around the end of August or the beginning of September.

The festival attracts thousands of devotees from all over Europe. The men pull a chariot bearing a gilded bronze effigy of the elephant-headed deity through the streets to the Hindu temple in nearby Rue Pajol. Women follow the chariot, carrying camphor pots on their heads and singing devotional songs. Coconuts are smashed all along the path of the chariot. The shell represents worldly illusion; the flesh individual karma; the water human ego. In breaking the coconut, devotees offer their hearts to Ganesha.

Getting there

Metro: Gare de l'Est (lines 4/5/7); La Chapelle (Line 2)

Rue du Faubourg Saint Denis (part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 18:23:00 +0000

St Denis,
head in hands

Saint Denis is the Catholic patron saint of Paris (an honour that he shares with Saint Genevieve). Legend has it that when he was decapitated in Montmartre he picked up his own head and walked — preaching all the way — to what is now the suburban town of Saint Denis, to the north of Paris.

If you want to walk from the centre of Paris to the Basilica of Saint Denis, start at Place du Châtelet and follow Rue Saint Denis to the north. About two hours should do it. You'll have plenty of opportunity to indulge in sins of the flesh before you start your pilgrimage, as the first few hundred metres of Rue Saint Denis contain some of the tackiest sex joints in town.

The name of the street changes several times along the way, the first change occurring at the Porte Saint Denis as you cross the Grands Boulevards. Beyond that point the street becomes Rue du Faubourg Saint Denis. (Faubourg means a part of a town outside the centre, but not as far as the banlieue.) This is where the promenade becomes interesting!

Porte Daint Denis
(looking north)

Start by taking a good look at the Porte Saint Denis itself. If it reminds you of the Arc de Triomphe at the top of the Champs Élysées, there's a good reason: it was built — as was the neighbouring Porte Saint Martin — to honour the great military victories of Louis XIV. The gilded bronze inscription reads Ludovico Magno, "to Louis the Great".

The part of Rue du Faubourg Saint Denis from here up to Gare de l'Est is a true melting pot of cultures. There are many small restaurants and cafés of different ethnic origins, along with greengrocers', spice shops and mini-markets. The most obvious ethnic group are the Turks, with their sandwich shops and delicatessens, but there are also quite a few traditional Parisian establishments.

Among them is Le Sully, traditional in a classical way, if you see what I mean, but also in that you meet all sorts there: business people in suits, workers, students, artists, layabouts, men and women, young and old, and from all social and ethnic backgrounds — a reflection of the surrounding quartier. For the biggest surprise, take a look at the prices. In Paris you can expect to pay around €3 for a demi beer (25cl, approximately half a pint), more if you sit on the terrace, and more again after 10pm. At Le Sully you'll get a pinte (50cl) for €3.50 regardless of the time. Or how about a glass of wine for €2.20 or a cocktail for €4.00? No surprise, then, that the place is usually quite busy.

A few doors up, on the opposite side is Julien, a fine example of the Art Nouveau style of Parisian brasserie. Well known for its traditional fare, it is worth a visit just for the décor. The high walls are covered in great mirrors surrounded by painted mouldings and ceramics. Between the mirrors are four nymphs representing the seasons. Peacocks and herons hide among the flowers, and stained-glass ceilings dominate the scene.

Just across the street, in Cours des Petites Écuries is Brasserie Flo, owned by the same group.

Passage Brady

There are several arcades off Rue du Faubourg Saint Denis, covered passageways mostly housing small shops. Passage Brady has long been colonised by Indian and Pakistani restaurants and spice shops. More recently they have shared the space with barbershops, while the restaurant business has spread out to the main street.

If the southern part of Rue du Faubourg Saint Denis is heavily influenced by the cultures from the north of the Indian sub-continent, you might expect the northern extremity of the street to be dominated by businesses from southern India and Sri Lanka.

See Rue du Faubourg Saint Denis (part 2) — coming soon — to find out.

Getting there

Metro: Strasbourg - Saint-Denis (lines 4/8/9); Château d'Eau (line 4); Gare de l'Est (lines 4/5/7)

Étoile de l'Est

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 23:09:00 +0000

Star of the East! That's the name of one of the best value restaurants in the 10th arrondissement, if not in all of Paris.

If you're looking for haute cuisine, or stylish décor, there are better options in town. But if you're looking for value, look no further! Their set menus are a great deal: starter, main course, dessert for €16.90! If you add 25cl of wine (e.g. Bordeaux) it'll cost you only €2.00. And if you're in the mood to lubricate the evening even more, your apéritif and digestif will set you back a mere €1.50 on top of that.

Bacon and poached egg salad

And the options on the fixed menu are quite varied. The starters include shrimp and avocado salad; bacon with poached egg; cheese and gizzard salad. The main courses are equally tempting: rump steak with pepper or blue-cheese sauce; fillet of salmon in a sorrel sauce; knuckle of lamb in calvados; filet mignon of pork with pineapple. The desserts, on the other hand, are a little less adventurous: apple tart, crème brulée and a couple of other classics. If these options don't suit you, there is also the possibility to order à la carte. There are many different cuts of beef, duck and fish available, all at reasonable prices.

The restaurant is run by a couple — monsieur in the kitchen, madame serving tables —and is open Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner.

Étoile de l'Est
set menu

Set menu prices:

(click on the image for a larger version)

€14.90 Starter and main course, or main course and dessert;
€16.90 Starter, main course and dessert;
€18.90 Starter, main course, dessert and drink;
€20.40 Aperitif, starter, main course, dessert, drink, liqueur.

Getting there

Address: 10 rue du Château Landon, 75010 Paris
Phone: 01 40 34 58 08
Metro: Château Landon (line 7); Louis Blanc (lines 7, 7b)

Copyright © 2012 — All Rights Reserved — Tous droits réservés
Paraic Maguire (sytykparis@eblana.eu)

Coming soon on Sytyk Paris...

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:01:00 +0000

L'Étoile de l'Est

A cheap-and-cheerful restaurant near the back of Gare de l'Est...

Rue du Faubourg Saint Denis

A buzzing street filled with cafés, restaurants and markets of various ethnic origins...

Copyright © 2012 — All Rights Reserved — Tous droits réservés
Páraic Maguire (sytykparis@eblana.eu)

龙来了 — the Dragon has arrived!

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:57:00 +0000

This year, 2012, Chinese communities around the world celebrate the Year of the Dragon (龙年). The Spring Festival — as the New Year is called by Chinese people — starts on 23 January.

Flag of the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912)
with five-toed dragon

The dragon is an important symbol in Chinese culture. Unlike his European cousins, the Chinese dragon represents power, strength, and good luck. For this reason, the emperors of China chose the dragon as the symbol of their supreme power. But the emperor's dragon was no ordinary mythical creature: he had five claws per foot while the commoners' poor dragons had only three or four.

In Paris the main centre of Chinese culture is in the 13th arrondissement, around Avenue d'Ivry and Avenue d'Italie. The annual parade is a spectacular affair with dancing dragons and lions, traditional music and song. If you find it hard the tell your dragons from your lions, remember that the lion is operated by two people, while the dragon takes several.

Dancing lion

The lion dance incorporates the basic moves of Kung-fu. The lions perform the traditional custom of cái ching (采青) in which shopkeepers leave a lettuce or cabbage suspended high above the door for the lion to eat. The lion has to approach it carefully, dancing round it warily, then reach up to pluck it. If he is successful, he is rewarded with a red envelope containing money.

The joyous atmosphere of the procession is assured by fireworks, drums and cymbals whose noise scares away evil spirits and bad luck.

The other significant centres of Chinese culture are in the 20th arrondissement around Belleville, and the 3rd/4th around Beaubourg and the Marais. Each has its own parade for the Spring Festival.

2012 parades

"Good fortune"

13th arrondissement: Sunday 29 January at 13.00
starting from 44, Avenue d’Ivry.

20th arrondissement: Sunday 29 January at 11.30
starting from Metro Belleville.

3rd/4th arrondissements: Saturday 28 January at 14.30
starting from Hôtel de Ville.

Getting there

"Chinatown 13th"

Metro: Porte de Choisy (line 7); Porte d'Ivry (line 7); Olympiades (line 14)
Tram: Porte de Choisy; Porte d'Ivry

"Chinatown 20th"

Metro: Belleville (lines 2/11)

"Chinatown 3rd/4th"

Metro: Rambuteau (line 11); Arts et Métiers (lines 3/11);
Hôtel de Ville (lines 1/11)

Bathing in Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:35:00 +0000

The rather unkind stereotype of the French as a nation unfamiliar with the daily shower is a persistent one. I suppose those who cling to it also believe the French chew garlic, drink red wine for breakfast and wear strings of onions around their necks.

There was a time, however, when indoor washing facilities were basic and the bathroom, as we know it today, a rarity. So what did people do when washing "up as far as possible, and down as far as possible" at the kitchen sink wasn't enough? They went to the public baths, les bains-douches. These were baths in the sense of personal hygiene and were provided as a public service, often in the same establishment as the local swimming pool. (If you read French, you'll find a very interesting article with photos here: Le Zinc: Bains Douches de Paris.)

Thermes de Cluny

Public baths go back to at least Roman times in Paris — the ruins of the Thermes de Cluny in the centre of the city testify — then were forgotten for a few hundred years before making a comeback in the 18th century. At around the same time the notion of bathing as a leisure activity emerged. The first "swimming pool" in Paris was built in 1785 by Barthélemy Turquin on a floating jetty on the Seine. A few years later the Piscine Deligny opened, also on the Seine, and was a popular feature of public life in Paris until it sank in a storm in 1993.

The first indoor pool was built in 1884 and is still in use today in the 10th arrondissement, Piscine Château-Landon (see below). It wasn't until the building of the swimming pool at the Buttes aux Cailles (13th) (see below) in 1924 that the functions of public hygiene and leisure were strictly separated.

In 1946 the Piscine Molitor was the scene of the birth of an icon: the bikini. It was considered so scandalous that they had difficulty finding models for the presentation, so they got a dancer from the Casino de Paris — who was used to dancing nude — to strut her semi-naked stuff for the occasion. The bikini is of course still with us, but sadly the fabulous Art Deco Piscine Molitor closed in 1989.

Today Paris has 38 municipal swimming pools and 18 bains-douches. The latter are free so if you're in Paris and you need a scrub, you've no excuse. Bring your own towel!

Some of the municipal swimming pools of Paris deserve special mention:

Piscine Château-Landon (10th)

Piscine Château-Landon
(photo: Mairie de Paris)

Built in the Art Deco style, it consists of two pools: 25×10m and 10×6m. The dressing rooms and showers are on a double-level gallery surrounding the pools. The pool is partly lit by natural light thanks to a large glazed wall at one end. If you're around during the Nuit Blanche — an annual all-night arts festival, usually in early October, when many museums, art galleries, and other cultural institutions open and free of charge — try a psychedelic night-time swim accompanied by classical music and multi-coloured lights.

Piscine Pontoise (5th)

Piscine Pontoise
(photo: Mairie de Paris)

This is one of the most aesthetically pleasing pools in Paris and is registered as an official historic monument. Built in 1933 in the Art Deco style in a striking red-brick building, its opaque glass ceiling allows the natural light come in. You may have seen Juliette Binoche doing her lengths in the Piscine Pontoise in the film Trois Couleurs: Bleu. It is one of the city's biggest pools (its main pool is 33×15m) and it has a 1m diving board. The building also houses a gym, two saunas and four squash courts.

Piscine de la Butte-aux-Cailles (13th)

When it was built in the 1920s it was only the fourth public swimming pool in Paris. It was innovative in that it separated the functions of washing and swimming into two separate sections of the establishment. Designed by the architect Louis Bonnier, its façade in red brick is in elegant curves with hardly a straight line to be seen. It is also registered as a historical monument. The building is lit mainly by natural light: a series of small windows to light the old bains-douches, and great arching windows for the main building. The pool's water comes from a natural spring 580m below ground and arrives at a perfect 28°C.

Open-air pools

Six swimming pools in Paris have roofs that open, weather permitting:

Roger le Gall (12th)
La Butte aux Cailles (13th)
Keller (15th)
Auteuil (16th)
Hébert (18th)
Georges Vallerey (20th).

50m pools

Most municipal pools are 25m long, a few are 33m. There are six Olympic-sized pools:

Suzanne Berlioux (Les Halles) (1st)
Roger Le Gall (12th)
Blomet (15th)
Keller (15th)
Georges Hermant (19th)
Georges-Vallerey (19th — built for the 1924 Olympics, this is where Johnny Weissmuller won three gold medals before going on to become a model and then to play Tarzan in twelve films.

Getting there

Addresses, opening times and rates of the municipal swimming pools of Paris: http://piscine.equipement.paris.fr/

Copyright © 2012 — All Rights Reserved — Tous droits réservés
Paraic Maguire (sytykparis@eblana.eu)

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:04:00 +0000

Baron Haussmann is famous for designing the layout of the city of Paris as we know it today. Under the authority of Napoleon III he levelled whole districts of mediaeval Paris to make way for the wide boulevards and avenues that are characteristic of the modern city. His plan also included several areas of greenery, on the model of the great parks of London, to act as the lungs of the city. To the existing Luxembourg (6th arrondissement) and Tuileries (1st) gardens he added Parc Montsouris (14th), Parc Monceau (8th) and — the most interesting of them all — Parc des Buttes Chaumont (19th).

Covering an area of around 24 hectares (60 acres), the Parc des Buttes Chaumont is the third biggest park in modern Paris, after La Villette (also 19th) and Tuileries. It is built on a hill, the site of a disused gypsum quarry, in a style similar to other Haussmann-style landscaped parks. What makes it different is the variety of terrain: manicured undulating lawns, steep tree-topped hills, a lake, waterfalls, cliffs, caves. Nobody seems to mind — or know — that all of the "natural" features are artificial.

The most striking attractions in the park is the lake with its rocky island that rises to a height of 30m above water level. The island is topped by the "Temple of Sybil" — inspired by the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli, near Rome — overlooking a cave. The island can be accessed from the west by a wooden suspension bridge (65m long, 8m above the level of the lake) or from the south by the "Bridge of Suicides".

The park boasts many beautiful trees, some indigenous, some of more exotic origins. Among them you will find Cedar from Lebanon, Himalayan Cedar, Ginkgo, Byzantine Hazelnut, Siberian Elm, European Holly, and a venerable Oriental Plane planted in 1862 (before the park was inaugurated).

The varied scenery has made the park a favourite among locals, from the picnickers and sun-worshippers who occupy the lawns, to the athletic types who prefer to jog up the hill and do their stretching exercises around the bandstand.

The main entrance to the park is at the junction of Rue Botzaris and Rue Simon Bolivar. The other entrances are Porte Secrétan, Porte Armand-Carrel, Porte de Crimée, Porte de la Villette and Porte Fessart. There are also several minor entrances.

Despite the altitude of the park, there are no dramatic vistas. But if you want views, you don't have to go far: the Jardin de Belleville — less than a kilometre away — provides one of the best panoramic views of Paris.

Getting there

Metro: Botzaris (line 7b); Buttes Chaumont (line 7b); Pyrénées (line 11); Laumière (line 5)
Bus: 26, 48, 60, 75

SytykParis on Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

You can now follow "So you think you know Paris?" on Twitter:

@sytykparis

Industrial architecture

noreply@blogger.com (Páraic Maguire) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:18:00 +0000

Paris is often called the City of Light, a name that refers to its reputation as a place of learning and ideas, especially during the Age of Enlightenment. It's also well known as a centre of art and culture, and as a city for lovers. Perhaps a less well-known side of Paris is its former reputation as an industrial city.

For example, the Sentier neighbourhood was until recently famous for its textile industry; the alleyways off Rue de Charonne were once filled with cabinetmakers' workshops; and the banks of the Canal Saint Martin were lined with factories and warehouses. In recent decades industries have tended to flee to the suburbs (or to China!), and Paris has become more and more residential, but there are many signs of the city's former industrial glory for those who look hard enough.

Towards the end of the 19th century there was a rapid growth in the use of electricity in industry, and with this growth came the need for electrical power stations throughout the city. Many of these plants were designed by Paul Friesé (1851-1917), a civil engineer and architect from Alsace.

He built his first on Rue des Dames (17th) near Place de Clichy. Its great façade is rather classical in style, topped with a red-brick pediment bearing the inscription "Anno 1890", while the use of steel and glass gives it a modern industrial touch. His masterpiece — alas no longer standing — was the power station on the Quai de la Rapée, between Gare de Lyon and Bercy, which was comparable in size with the famous Battersea Power Station in London.

Perhaps Friesé's finest industrial construction still in existence is the power station he designed for the Paris Compressed Air Company on Quai de Jemmapes (10th). The administration building on the waterfront is in red and ochre brick, supported by visible steel girders. The gable end of the main building — which contained the machinery and was once dominated by tall chimney stacks — can be seen behind. Its steel structure is more clearly visible, including the elegant cross-shaped supports above the windows on the upper level. The complex is now occupied by the paper manufacturer Exacompta Clairefontaine.

With the opening of the Paris metro in 1900 — to coincide with the Exposition Universelle (World Fair) of that year — and its rapid expansion in the first decades of the 20th century, several electrical sub-stations (transformers) had to be built to supply the network with power; all were designed by Friesé and several are still standing today. The most impressive of the sub-stations is situated on boulevard Bourdon, near Place de la Bastille. It is built on a metal structure with a brick façade. On one side there is a massive semi-circular metal-framed window, its form repeated in miniature in the row of arched windows above, and in the patterns on the brickwork.

Friesé also designed schools, banks, apartment blocks and other buildings, but it is for his work in industrial architecture that he deserves to be remembered. Most of his surviving buildings are registered as historical monuments.


Sub-station Bastille 31 Boulevard Bourdon (4th) (photo credit: Gérard Métron www.structurae.de)	Sub-station Sèvres 6 rue Récamier (7th) (now Fondation EDF)	Power station Quai de Jemmapes (10th) (now Exacompta Clairefontaine)

Sub-station Temple 36 rue Jacques-Louvel-Tessier (10th)	Sub-station Auteuil 2b rue Michel-Ange (16th)	Power station 53 rue des Dames (17th)