Destination Radio France

The Guimard door that Betty had told us about is located on the right bank of the Seine but beyond Trocadero and the Eiffel Tower and quite near to Radio France. Bus 24 operates from Hotel de Ville to Radio France via a large portion of the left bank that we have not visited before so is an obvious choice for our trip.The re-development around the Centre Commercial Beaugrenelle just opposite is amazing - multi story buildings being torn down by massive machines that can reach up three stories and rip out huge slabs of reinforced concrete and glass and steel buildings going up in their place. As we cross the Pont de Grenelle we see that the small model of the Statue of Liberty that used to live in the Tulleries is now located here to one side in the middle of the bridge. Rue la Fontaine is only a short walk from the bus stop and we are stunned to discover, not just a door, but a whole apartment block designed by Guimard called Castel Beranger built in 1890. It is the most stunning Art Nouveau building that we have seen anywhere. Everything from windows and doors to gates, railings and posts is a tightly integrated design and nothing seems to be overdone - even the small occasional balconies don't look out of place. Very glad that we took the time to visit.
Friday, a big cleaning day before inspection at 4.30 after which we visit our favourite Kosher shop to buy pastrami and pickles for dinner (the best I've tasted since Ben's in Montreal aeons ago). Just made it to evensong in St Gervaise (our local church) for a final listen to the singing and their unique 17th century French Baroque organ.
Next day we set off for Invalides and Pont Alexandre III (last visit to old haunts) considered by many (including us) to be the most beautiful bridge in Paris. It was built for the universal Exposition of 1900 and links the Petit Palais and Grand Palais exposition buildings on the right bank with the old Gare d'Orsay (now Musee d'Orsay) and Champs de Mars and Eiffel Tower on the left bank. The day was perfect and included a surprise visit to the Grand Palais which has just re-opened after a massive overhaul. The Iron and glass work is striking and from inside you get a good idea of what it must have been like at the time of the expo. Despite the refurbishment there is no permanent use for the building and it is used for many different things from car expos to fashion and today, Pandas and roller skaters.
One last Party to attend. The Marche des Fiertés is the Paris Gay Pride march which leaves Montparnase at 2pm and wends its way through the left bank to arrive at Bastille at 5.30pm and we have heard that it is quite spectacular. Since we have only ever seen TV reports on the Sydney Mardi Gras we thought that it would be interesting to compare these with the real thing in Paris. Pont de Sully at the tip of Ile st Louis was where the parade would cross the river and was in easy walking distance of the Cite so we set off at 4pm expecting that the parade would have reached there by that time. There were lots of people milling about with many walking in the opposite direction (to join the parade?) but no sign of the parade itself so we settled down on the footpath to watch proceedings. In the event the parade was something of a let down. The floats were mostly just trucks or vans operated by various organisations such as Amnesty International, AIDS, Centre LTGB and l'Autre Cercle (who had two words to add to the French motto - Légalité and Diversité). Some people had gone to a lot of trouble to express themselves and add a touch of colour but in general it was just ordinary people marching to stand up for their rights and we were very impressed - Sydney certainly has nothing to fear as far as spectacle is concerned. In the end we decided that the easiest way to get back to the Cite was to join the parade and march across the bridge to Bastille - in a way this was an opportunity to march on behalf of our gay, lesbian and transgender friends back home. At Bastille we were astounded to see more than two dozen riot police vans standing by - but by now this should not really surprise us in Paris where any event can potentially become threatening for the Government.
Last day and we finally get to the book market at Vanves which I visited in 2005. The market is interesting not only because of its size but because it caters for all types. From antiquarians looking for early editions to contemporary books, magazines and comics (one man specialised in the journal L'Illustration which goes back to 1843). Prices range from many hundreds of Euro to one Euro so something for everyone (except me as I can't afford any more baggage and can't find any copies of Art et Decoration anyway). Just across the road we discover one of the famous Poilâne bakeries from 1932 and buy a scrumptious almond croissant to eat in the nearby Parc Georges Brassens (a fitting farewell to Parisian pastry and our two month stay in Paris).
Monday is CDG and the start of the journey home and although we are sad we feel that we have accomplished what we came here for and look forward to coming back sometime in the future.