Problem?

My PC is making some "funny" noise and behaves not quite normally. I guess it's time to have it changed. It's possible that there will not be a new post here tomorrow...

Mid-month-theme: subway day

The 15th of each month is the day for the « mid-month-theme » - subway – which I share with bloggers in NYC and Stockholm. This month’s theme is “above ground”.

Most of the Paris metro lines are crossing the Seine under water, but some of the first lines (the one you see here is from 1905) were built with bridge crossings - easier and at the time considered as less risky than to make under-water-tunnels.

In September last year I showed a metro train on the Pont de Bir-Haikem. The above photo was taken last week, showing a train on the same bridge, in the opposite direction, towards the Passy area (16th arrdt.). I repeat that this bridge has the particularity of being built for trains, cars, bikes, pedestrians… and, in my opinion, the bridge is really beautiful.

You can find today’s posts – and some other subway related posts – by using the following links:

New York City Daily Photo – Stockholm by pixels – PHO (Paris).

I wish you a very nice and relaxing weekend!

Hundred (or more) years ago - once more

Once more, I will make a comparison between some postcards from about 100 years ago, concentrating on the area where I live.

For some possible visitors from the near neighbourhood to my blog I have indicated where the photos have been taken (and where I live - the empty circle): 1) Rue des Moines. On the left, we can see a school building, still in operation. One modern building has been added on the right side. The old photo seems according to the stamp to be from 1905.2) Rue Truffaut. All buildings seem to be the same. 3) Rue Brochant. No new buildings to be seen. Only the trees have grown, but have less leaves today. It will hopefully be “repaired” in a few weeks.4) Rue Brochant. A bit further down the street, compared to the previous one. Trees have been added. 5) Place Charles Fillion (Place des Batignolles) with a view towards Rue des Moines. One modern building added on the right. Unfortunately the church, Sainte Marie des Batignolles, is covered by tarpaulins. Being “refreshed” at the moment. The photo is taken just in front of the entrance to “my” park, Square des Batignolles. 6) End of Rue des Batignolles (Place du Docteur Félix Lobligeois) with a view towards Rue Legendre. Only minor changes. The photo seems according to the stamp to be from 1907. Once more the church (this time the front side) is hidden by tarpaulins. If you are interested, I have already made some similar comparisons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Jardin du Ranelagh (3)

This is the last “chapter” referring to the Jardin du Ranelagh and La Muette. (It will be a bit long, but I wished to finish.)

I already mentioned that what remained of the old royal castle was destroyed in the beginning of the 20th century. The heirs (the family Franqueville) sold the land in different parcels and the area became full of bourgois apartment buildings and also, facing the park, a number of private residences. Some of these residences – “hotels particuliers” - are still occupied as private homes, some as embassy residences. This is one of the most expensive areas of Paris.
On part of what was sold from the old castle area, Henri de Rothschild, built a new castle, a new Château de La Muette, ready in 1922. Rothschild was an active person in many fields; he financed Pierre and Marie Curie, also wrote plays and novels under the name of André Pascal and gave a lot of elegant dinners and receptions here, until he was forced to move out due to the beginning of World War II. In 1940 the building became the headquarters for the German Naval Command and in 1945 the headquarters of the Allied Powers. In 1948 Rothschild sold the property to OEEC which originally was created to administer the Marshall Plan and later became OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) which still resides here. Thirty countries which are supposed to accept democracy and a free market economy are represented by delegations led by an ambassador. Important renovation work of the castle has been ongoing the last years, including also annexes (for a staff of about 2500).

Some of the buildings are older and were already neighbours to the royal garden. One of them, later owned by the family Marmottan, was in 1932 donated to the French State and became a museum, Le Musée Marmottan. . Different donations by e.g. the heirs of a major sponsor of the impressionists (their doctor) and by one of Claude Monet’s sons have contributed to make this museum to the world’s richest in Monet paintings.
It’s also here that you will find the perhaps most famous one, the one that gave the name to the impressionist movement, “Impression Soleil Levant”. (See my post mentioning the first impressionist exhibition - Grands Boulevards 3). You can also find a large number of works by Manet, Morisot, Renoir, Sisley, Degas, Pissarro… . The museum which too often is neglected has also one of the world’s most outstanding collections of illuminated manuscripts from the 12th to the 16th centuries as well a great collection of furniture, statues and paintings from the Napoleonic period.

Together with Paloma, I passed by the park again yesterday. The weather was much warmer than during my previous visit and a lot more kids were playing. A few of the pictures used in the three posts about the Jardin du Ranelagh can be found on my photo blog.

Spring?

I will once more delay my additional post about the Jardin du Ranelagh. I felt that I just had to show you what the spring looked like in ”my” park (Square des Batignolles) yesterday. It seems that as well the trees as the flowers and the people (and maybe also the birds) had decided that the spring is here. However, we are only in the first half of February and the winter may be back. Anyhow we have had some fantastic days.Wisely enough, the orange tree was still inside the small orangery and the banana tree had kept its winter clothes.

Chinese New Year

Last Friday I indicated that the last post on the Jardin du Ranelagh would follow today. Well, it will probably be tomorrow.

Yesterday I watched (together with kids and grandkids) a parade, which took place in the (major) Paris Chinatown (13th arrondissement), celebrating the Chinese new Year. The weather was perfect and the streets where more than crowded. A great success!
It was quite noisy with a lot of explosions!

Afterwards it was time to go shopping for e.g. a delicious Peking (Beijing) roast duck!




I already said it last week, but I repeat:
Xin Nian Kuai Le 新年快乐 and Gong Xi Fa Cai 恭喜发财!!!

I would also like to mention that I received another blogger award! An “E” for Excellence! It was given to me by Jessica. I would definitely recommend that you visit her very nice site! It’s called “artsmarts4kids” and is as the name indicates, basically but far from only, made for a young public; it gives a very good introduction to art and artists! There are so (too) many of you to whom I would like to give the same award, but for the moment I keep it egoistically just for myself!

Jardin du Ranelagh (2)

Some more information about Le Jardin du Ranelagh and La Muette (see yesterday's post):

There used to be a railway line passing by here (see map yesterday), part of a circular railway system which was created during the latter part of the 19th century, called “Petite Ceinture” (Inner Circle), which surrounded Paris and also was connected to the major stations like Gare du Nord, Gare Saint Lazare etc…. It was partly underground and partly in open air. This was the last part of this railway to close, in 1985, but a station situated just in front of the park is still there, now as a nice restaurant, ”La Gare” (see top photo). The bar is upstairs and you eat downstairs on which used to be the platforms.

Surprisingly some state visitors were officially welcomed at this small station. You can see a photo of the arrival of Alphonse III, King of Spain, in the beginning of last century.

Part of what was the railway line could possibly become underground parking places; part is today an open wild walking space.

The park was involved in a historic moment in 1783; the first ever human flight was launched at the upper end of the park. The “montgolfière”, which had been invented by the brothers Montgolfier left from here and landed after some twenty minutes and some 10 km (6 miles) in the south-east part of Paris (Buttes aux Cailles). It was piloted by Pilâtre de Rozier (who two years later became the world’s first air accident victim, trying to cross the Channel), accompanied by the Marquess d’Arlande.

There will be a third and last post on this park on Monday. In the meantime, I wish you a nice weekend!

Jardin du Ranelagh (1)

We are now going to visit a park or garden, which is called Jardin du Ranelagh. This is in an area of the 16th arondissement which goes under the name of La Muette. My kids learnt to bike here; we are close to where I used to live until about a year ago.

The name La Muette refers to an old royal castle which once existed here and the name Ranelagh today given to the park comes from an English lord (see below). There is quite a lot to say about this area and the park, so I will make it in two or three episodes.

First a few words about the disappeared castle. It was originally built during the Middle Ages as a hunting residence (this was then far from the city) and was rebuilt several times, the last time in 1743. Among it occupants you can name Queen Margot (married for a while to Henry IV), the future Louis XIII, the Duchesse de Berry, the future Louis XVI and more especially Marie-Antoinette who spent much time here. The main building was destroyed in 1793, but the wings remained and were occupied until the beginning of the 20th century. One of the owners was a piano manufacturer (Erard) and later his heirs. The great park was sold in parcels, including an important part to a Rothschild, who built another castle (now OECD headquarters) in part of the old castle park. Also the rest was sold and the area got full of bourgeois apartment houses and “hotels particuliers” (private residences). Here below I have tried to compare what the area looked like during the 18th century and what it looks like today. One street, rue de Passy, which today is a busy shopping street, still follows the same trace. I will talk about the railway and the still existing station in a following episode.

We can see that part of what used to be a royal park is still there, now as a public park. Obviously it was here in the outskirts of the park, that Lord Ranelagh opened a “rotonde” where concerts and other amusements took place, sometimes attended by Marie-Antoinette and friends.

Let’s now talk about what the park is today: A nice green area, where children can play, where their parents or grandparents can sit on a bench, and where - depending on generation - you can play football (soccer) or at bowls, go on a pony ride, do roller skating, take a tour on a merry-go-round…and - a nice summer day – do sun bathing and picnicking. There are a few statues, including one of Jean de la Fontaine and one of Victor Hugo.

The day I visited the park last week was sunny, but cold and windy, and the activities were limited. Hardly any clients for the pony promenade, the responsible for the merry-go-round hesitated to install the wooden (sorry, today plastic) horses, the marionette theatre was closed...
… and I made an extra post today, see below!

… and at last, today starts the Chinese New Year, the year of the rat, 鼠 , so Xin Nian Kuai Le 新年快乐 and Gong Xi Fa Cai 恭喜发财!!!

Extra post

The taxi drivers and owners demonstrated yesterday all over France, including of course in Paris. Circulation was completely blocked at some central points, like here at Porte Maillot; better not be in a hurry for the airport.

There is a proposition to abandon the present licence system, which limits the number of taxis. A taxi licence gives the owner a protection… and costs a fortune in Paris. As a taxi owner you wish of course to keep the licence - and the money you have paid for it - and to avoid additional competition.

As a user you may have a different opinion… Where are the taxis when you need them?

Anyhow, this “strong” method has obviously already given some result; the government yesterday evening promised not to apply the proposed measures. This is all according to the French method. Nobody is perfect.

And in the meantime the news media had something to tell and some improvised food providers could make some money.

Aquarium visit

I picked up Paloma (For possible first time visitors; my grand-daughter.) at her school (kindergarten) today and we went to the newly reopened aquarium at Trocadéro.

It’s not an enormous aquarium, but it has the advantage of being centrally located and you can find some 15000 sea animals, 500 different species in 43 basins. Inside there are some cafés, some small cinemas (for nature or sea related films), a place for concerts, a playground for kids…We had a very nice afternoon together!

Pont de Mirabeau

From the Pont de Mirabeau, the Mirabeau Bridge, you have a splendid, somewhat distant, view of the Eiffel Tower and the (copy of) the Statue of Liberty (see previous posts).

Le Pont de Mirabeau was named after one of the greatest personalities during the French Revolution, the Comte de Mirabeau (1749-91). The bridge is also clearly linked to another name, the poet Guillaume Appolinaire (1880-1918), who wrote a famous poem, “Sous le Pont Mirabeau coule la Seine…“ (“Under the Mirabeau Bridge runs the Seine…”). The bridge has often been referred to also by other French artists and is somehow a very “romantic bridge”.

The bridge was constructed 1893-96. It links the 16th and the 15th arrdts. It’s a bit further down the Seine than where most tourists go, but it’s one of the most beautiful bridges in Paris. The bridge is decorated with four colossal bronze sculptures.

On what is called the link side of the river (“Rive Gauche”), you have a few of the modest skyscrapers which were allowed to be built in Paris (15th arrdt.). On the “Rive Gauche” side of the bridge, you can find the old station “Javel” which was built for the Exposition Universelle in 1889, to which the Eiffel Tower was erected as an entrance arch. From this station you can still take a local train towards the Eiffel Tower - and further along the Seine – or, in the other direction, towards Versailles. Some of these pictures can also be seen on my photo blog.