Fête de la Musique

Saturday, time to see one of the two remaining original metro entrances by Hector Guimard at Abbesses (I have a memory of visiting this place after lunching with Raymond in 2005 but it is a little dim - perhaps it was the wine with lunch). Bus from outside the Cite to Pigalle then a short walk up the hill to the "village" which is located on western side of the butte (hill) of Montmartre. The station's entrance was originally used for the Hotel de Ville metro station near the Cite, but transferred to its current location in 1970. Abbesses is also one of the deepest metro stations in Paris at 36 metres and, although you can walk down the stairs and admire the poster images of the area (the original artwork was heavily covered by graffiti) most people (including us) use the lift.
Up a narrow street we spotted the sails of a windmill so continued to climb the hill to look at one of the last remaining examples these workhorses made famous by Van Gogh, Signac and Renoir. We passed an interesting example of brickwork within the wooden frame of an old shop and finally arrived at the gates of the park only to find them closed and marked propriété privée. Disappointed, but happy to at least have discovered this remnant of old Montmartre, we headed back down to the village to use the metro to get to Passy to look at an old covered market.
Just across from the station was an unusual "modern" church which attracted our attention. It turns out that the old church had fallen into such disrepair by the late 1800's that it was pulled down and a new one built and opened in 1900 which is why it has a Nouveau'ish appearance.
The Passy market was a let down but the area was interesting as it is not far from Trocadero and the Eiffel Tower and is very upmarket. By now the skies were threatening and we decided to jump on a bus heading in our direction - just as well, as a few minutes later the heavens opened and we could hardly see anything out of the bus window (thank goodness for the bus/metro pass).
Sunday is the Fête de la Musique when musicians, choirs, orchestras, bands and anyone who has a yen to, are performing in streets, parks, churches, public buildings (including the Opera and Conservatoire). There is so much going on that it is hard to make a choice (I think I read somewhere that there are over 350 performance happening during the day) so we decide to take the easy option and stick to a walkable area from the Cite i.e.within the Marais. We are keen to hear the choir and organ in St Eustache (near Les Halles, the site of the old Paris Markets) so head there first - they are as good as we had heard and I manage a couple of 3 minute videos on my camera before we have to rush off to the Market at Bastille for our weekly shopping before they pack up at 2.
After lunch it is off to Place des Vosges (which was built by Henry IV between 1605 and 1612 and is believed to be the oldest square in Paris). There is so much history attached to this place and many famous people, such as Cardinal de Richelieu (the first 'Prime Minister'), Victor Hugo (writer), Théophile Gautier (poet) etc., etc. have lived here and it was on our list of places to visit. It is impressive, from the first view up the short rue de Birague and through the portico into the garden filled square. The three levels of uniform housing are built over vaulted arcades filled with restaurants, shops and galleries and there is music everywhere - choral groups, lone artists, a rock group and a young family group - it is a feast for the senses. Back home to recharge the batteries and it's time for a classical concert in the auditorium of the Cite - mind blowing performances by a Japanese opera singer and Japanese classical pianist. Afterward we wander around to the Hotel de Ville where an African drum group are performing and up through rue des Archives and back home via rue Vieille du Temple (this is the gay heartland of Paris, the streets were crowded and the music was really pumped up). Everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves and just happy to be 'dancing in the streets' but we were happy to head back to our quiet haven for a quiet drink to celebrate the day - a day of musical extremes, a feast for our auditory system and all within walking distance of our home. Unfortunately the camera had died at Place des Vosges so we have no images from the evening.