August 07, 2007

Bercy

I have rather lived in the western part of Paris and have not so regularly and closely visited the more eastern parts. I have recently taken the time to stroll around a bit behind the Place de la Bastille with three different posts (1, 2, 3) and here is a fourth one, more or less touching the same area.

If from the Bastille you walk eastwards along the Seine (here open for walking, biking and roller skating), you will reach the Bercy area. Once you have passed

- the very modern Ministry of Finance with its “feet” in the water,
- the Bercy Bridge - with two double lanes for traffic, a viaduct in the middle for the metro and biking lanes under the viaduct - and
- the relatively new grass covered Palais d’Omnisport – the biggest indoor arena in Paris with a capacity of some 18.000 –

you will again find a quite new park, Parc de Bercy. Paris is getting greener and greener.

This was still in the 70’s a large area of wineries with paved lanes and rails connecting with the riverside. I remember having then made a few more or less professional visits here. During the 90’s the whole area has been transformed into a large park. Some old trees, paved lanes and buildings have been preserved.

You can today find a lot space for picnics, some nice basins and a “waterfall”, one of Paris’ vine yards, different garden types….and also the Cinémathèque Française in a modern building which used to be the American Center (closed for lack of funds). I will revert later this week to one particular thing which you find on the top of the “waterfall”.

By a large new wooden pedestrian bridge, you can reach the other Seine riverside, where for the moment a second Paris Beach (Paris Plages) is installed and a large swimming pool is floating in the river. It also offers an easy access to the new National Library, to a huge cinema centre… In the extreme east of the garden there is a “village”, where some of the wine merchant buildings have been saved and transformed into shops, cafés and restaurants. You have here again direct access to a large cinema centre and to Paris’ most recent metro line (station Cour St.Emilion). Around the park there are some newly built apartment houses with a nice view.
You can find the original photos from this post on my other blog, "Peter - photos".

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello Peter,
I did put up some computer art on the 6th as a kind of test to see how it would look on display. It might go on my regular blog but the test blog is at http://720pixels.blogspot.com/

720 Pixels

See what you think of this. My son does a lot of it for clients including the state of Florida where he lives. His work, in fact, got me started several years ago.

It is hotter than hell here where I live and the humidity is worse than the tropics.

Annie said...

Until I read your post today I hadn't realized how I've always thought of Paris as gray. Today I learned that there is green too.

di.di said...

I am so jealous of you.. I think we all understand why you live where you live!

Keshi said...

Great info!

Wuts a Paris Beach?

Keshi.

Olivier said...

j'ai connu le bercy des entrepôts, le bercy du vin, un bercy populaire. Quand on le voit maintenant, c'est impressionnant le travail effectué, c'est devenu un endroit magnifique (même si il a perdu un peu de son âme, et de son cote populaire ;o) ).
Tous ces jardins, il est agréable de faire des ballades.

hpy said...

Je suis un peu d'accord avec Olivier sur la perte d'âme etc, mais c'est la vie, et c'est certaineement plus agréable aujourd'hui. Les villes se modernisent toutes, et même si nous ne sommes pas toujours d'accord avec ce qui se fait, je pense que dans l'ensemble, on va dans le bon sens.

black feline said...

we shall have coffee at one of the sidewalk cafe...any croissant? lol

Chuckeroon said...

...so now you show us urban regeneration, Paris Style. How nice to see the vineyard creation.

Shionge said...

Hey Peter....when you take a stroll every day what would you have for lunch :D

I remembered going to this Chinese Restaurant along Champ Elysee...very good :D

Peter said...

abraham:
Thanks for this answer to my question on your blog. I of course checked and left my (very positive) comments! To those of you who may be curious to see Abraham's artisitic work, I would recommend to use the address he gave; clicking on the blue text did at least for me not open the window in full.

SusuPetal said...

Oh, I'd like to go on a picnic to some nice park just right now. What shall we eat:)

I found an old post-card I bought from the museum I wrote about in your last post, Peter. Sadly, there wasn't an adress, but the name Collection Henry Triquet. Looked his name up via google, but most of the pages were in French, so that's that.

Peter said...

annie:
As I said, Paris is getting greener and greener. It has changed a lot since I moved here some 33 years ago!

drama div@:
Don't be jeleaous! You have also some very nice spots to show and all (most) places have their charm! ... and there are frequent flights to Paris!

keshi:
Paris Beach (Paris Plages) is an annual event when during a few summer weeks the Seine riversides are tranformed into "beaches" (cars forbidden)!

olivier:
J'ai aussi bp aimé l'ambiance des anciens entrepôts et d'une certaine manière je les regrette, mais le travail a été bien fait et maintenant bp plus de monde profite de l'endroit, comme ce dernier dimanche avec un temps magnifique! ... et les environs s'améliorent aussi (et deviennent plus chers)!

hpy:
Tes commentaire vont dans le même sens que mes commentaire à Olivier!

ash:
Welcome!

black feline:
A coffee and a croissant OK, if it's early morning, but please remember that this is an historical wine place!

chuckeroon:
Yes there are a few vine yard around in Paris. I must admit that I never tried a "Paris wine". They are more for curiousity than for anything else; some bottles have a high collectors' value!

shionge:
I would try almost anything, but if I was a visitor to Paris like you, I believe I would not run to the Chinese restaurants. There are a few good ones, but you have to find them. Wherever I go I would try to go for local stuff (even in London)!

Anonymous said...

I was here yesterday which is today here. Anyway, thanks for the visit and comments on 720 Pixels. Appreciate it. I ended up posting it on my regular blog.

I added some computer generated art to my blog today. Some people like it and some do not. You can see it at my blog. Brookville Daily Photo

Anonymous said...

bonjour peter, une petite question: je connaissais plusieurs personnes qui vivaient à Paris mais qui voulaient à tout prix en partir parce qu'ils ne supportaient plus la ville, le bruit, la pollution etc.
En vous suivant régulièrement, j'apprends à voir Paris sous un angle différent. Mais cela reste quand même une grande métropole. Qu'est-ce qui fait que vous vous y plaisez? Seraient-ce donc tous ces lieux que vous nous faites découvrir chaque jour? Avez-vous déjà vécu dans un tout petit village?
Je vous envoie mes meilleures pensées.
P.S. Pour ce qui est de mon séjour à Paris, je vais y venir du 26 au 29 mais mon programme est déjà bien chargé. Je suis en contact mail avec Cergie qui veut aussi faire ma connaissance. Mais elle est en vacances maintenant alors dès son retour, on verra comment on peut goupiller une rencontre si cela vous tente.

Peter said...

susupetal:
I managed to find this info for you:
"Musée de la musique mécanique (collection Henri Triquet)
Opened by Jaques Chirac, the president of France now, then mayor of Paris, in 1983, was situated in the Impasse Berthaud (75003, Métro: Rambuteau) near to the Centre Beaubourg. The museum closed its gates in 1994 and the collection was sold to Belgium."

Sorry. But please come to Paris anyhow!

Peter said...

abraham:
I much appreciate that you reacted so well to my question a couple of days ago! I guess there will be lots of comments again on your blog, as usual!

delphinium:
J'esp�re vraiement qu'une petite r�union entre bloggeurs sera possible. (Tu as mon e-mail adresse dans mon profile.)

Oui, Paris me plait. Je n'ai jamais vraiment v�cu dans des petits villages, mais j'ai eu des maisons de campagne et j'ai bp visit� les provinces, en France et ailleurs. Aujourd�hui seul dans la vie (femme d�c�d�e, enfants adultes...) et depuis qqs mois en retraite, je suis heureux de vivre � Paris et dans un quartier vivant, avec des boutiques, bistros, cin�mas, concerts... tout pr�s et avec la possibilit� de me balader comme je le fais, y compris pour le blog. ... et tout �a � pied, en v�lo, en m�tro; je n'ai plus de voiture depuis trois mois! Je suis heureux de visiter la campagne, j'aime la grande montagne (surtout l'�t�... mais je me vois mal habiter une maison en Normandie tout seul, surtout entre novembre et mars.

Annie said...

Hi again Peter, It's true that I appreciate Provence in part because of Peter Mayle's books. But there is also the fact that I've visited there myself and that you've given me additional introduction.

Kate said...

I love your blog because it allows me to revisit places I have been, but, more important, you introduce me to other parts of Paris. Re. my post today (8/6), the predominate German population is for the ENTIRE state of MN. Mpls has a very high percentage of Scandinavians (yes, many Olsons, Olsens), but St. Paul is very Irish. I do not want to mislead because I really do not know the EXACT ethnic background of either city, which I'll need to discover at the History Center in downtown St. Paul. When I get around researching there, which I'll do soon since I want to trace our family's Irish roots, I'll definitely let you know.

Peter said...

annie:
I'm very happy to see your interest for Provence!

kate:
I'm happy if you are happy! It's "funny", but already previously, when I have seen your face on the small photo, I could imagine your Irish irigin!

Mona said...

Thanks once again peter for this lovely stroll!I love the buildings and the greenery!

isa said...

Fess up, Peter - you did not really walk from Bastille to Parc de Bercy, did you?
I've been to the village, but don't recall all those enchanting green areas on the way...Very nicel done!
What comes to mind is the great National Library controversy (the original glass roofing and the deleterious effects of so much sunlight on books. And when the design was amended it resulted in a collection of rather boring, opaque towers).

Peter said...

mona:
You are welcome!

isabella:
Of course I walked this - short - distance (3 km or 2 miles)! If you did not see any green areas, it's because YOU did not walk!

I agree about the National Library. We are many to doubt about its architecture, but inside it's OK. And they have a few books!

SusuPetal said...

Luckily I managed to visit that place, it was charming!
This doesn't lessen the charm of Paris:)

Zhang Chunhong said...

Je connais ce parc! C'est pas souvent que je reconnais les endroits dont tu parles sur ton blog, celui-ci, oui. Je crois dans ce parc, on voit encore des rails, - on utilise des trains pour transporter le vin à l'époque - je ne me trompe pas? Le pont qh'on emprunte pour traverser la Seine s'appelle... Simone?

Peter said...

susupetal:
Always welcome here! We may find some other toys for you!

zhang:
Yu as parfaitement raison! Le nom complêt du pont est "Simone de Beauvoir"!

Keshi said...

wow how nice!

ty!
Keshi.

lyliane six said...

Hello, tu as raison pour la maison en Normandie, c'est triste à mourir en hiver et surtout aujourd'hui avec cette pluie, mais j'ai assez de boulot pour ne pas m'y ennuyer, je dois lire tous tes commentaires et défaire mes valises. Tu me contactes si vous rencontrez Delphinium à Paris entre blogeurs, Merci, je serai heureuse d'y faire un saut, il faudra venir aussi ici bientôt, tu ne seras pas seul, je vais organiser cela.