Last days

We were dazzled by the flowers in the Jardin des Plantes when we visted this time (in 2009 it looked very bleak but we have since discovered that it was between plantings then) such and profusion of colours and forms all jumbled in together (obviously, but not evidently, by design). Many familiar friends from our owns gardens over the years but also many unknown and interesting ones - it was a pleasure to spend an hour or so strolling amongst them (and occasionally acting as photographer for other tourists who wanted to be photographed together amidst the splendour). It was good to see that they have finally completed renovations of the main greenhouse (only five years late) and it looks spectacular. One can imagine it filled with Australian plants in the 1880's as described in the documents of the time (alas there are but a few Aussies in the garden these days and they are hidden away in another part of the gardens out near Versailles). Caught up with our botanist friend, Maite who was happy to see us back in Paris and happy to hear that my research work goes on (she is hoping to use my findings in a paper later in the year about the use of flora in art - hopefully I will have something useful put together before then).

I wrote before about the numerous passages in Paris and their place in C18 society but it was the opening of department stores like Bon Marche (the largest on the left bank, designed by Gustave Eiffel and opened in 1852 - it is now the Harrods of Paris). The food hall, La grande épicerie, is a foodies wonderland filled with an amazing array of foodstuffs from around the world but especially from all over France - the most fabulous collection of cheeses (hard, soft and medium - cow, sheep and goat) and wines, that one is a little overwhelmed (so hard to choose when time is so short but we have made a decent inroad into it all). The other major department store of the time was called La Samaritaine (first opened in 1869 and expanded over many decades in to the Nouveau/Deco building we see today). The interesting innovation with this store was that it was actually a collection of boutiques operated by individually owned stores who operated, 'in concert yet autonomously' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Samaritaine (sort of like David Jones or Harvey Nichols today).

Met up with some friends from NZ whom I haven't seen for 30 years and spent a pleasent hour or so over coffee catching up (they are doing the usual frantic racing around trying to see as much as possible in a few days before heading off to drive south). Where has all the time gone? Afterwards we wandered off to the Pompidou to look for a book on French Art Nouveau (no luck - the man actually said, 'but that was published in 2002' as though it was 50 years ago!). Heaps of art books at reduced prices but I was strong and walked away without a purchase because I have discovered the Book Depository in London who have reasonable prices and send them postage free (no hassles with exccess baggage).
Just around the corner (actually about two blocks) is the Forum des Halles, a modern shopping complex which replaced the original wholesale markets in 1971. We were stunned to discover that it was in the process of being demolished to make way for a new 21st century complex (it's amazing to think that in only two decades this place had been built, lauded as ultramodern and torn down to make way for the new). In nearby rue montorguil we were surprised to discover that a number of the older cafes and patisseries that we had visited two years ago have also disappeared to make way for 'modern' fast food places (what is this place coming to). We consoled ourselves by buying a quiche and pastry from the patisserie that HM the Queen frequents when in Paris (and jolly good it was too).
Actually we've eaten out and had more coffees this week than the rest of the time in Paris (perhaps we are trying to make sure we imbide enough atmosphere to keep us going for the next year or so). On Saturday we had a Jewish lunch (pastrami, cornishons, bagel and fromage blanc) purchased from a Yiddish shop which specialised in food from cerntral Europe and Russia - it was wonderful. We went to look at but not eat at the very posh Tour d'Argent restaurant on the left bank where you can purchase the obscenely processed 'pressed duck' for only 70 euros (and they have a 22.5 million euro wine cellar which is presented on a 400 page menu)

Friday was a big clean up day getting ready for pre-departure inspection then a farwell drink with Milan who was leaving for London the next day. Back to the Musee Carnavalet (also on Saturday) for a last look at the history of Paris (surprisingly we discovered a whole section of paintings dealing with the Paris Commune of 1871 which we had not seen before - very interesting). Actually it was fascinating to look at the paintings of life during the late C19 and see them in the political context of the times e.g. a painting of a soiree in 1867 (during the Franco-prussian war), then an image of the shelling of Paris by the Prussians in 1870 followed by images of the commune period of 1871 (and the shelling of Paris by the Republican Guards from Butte Montmatre - where they subsequently built the Sacre Coeur) then of the Exposition Universalle of 1878. Sometimes it is hard to comprehend how these things could happen in such quick succession.
Off to the pont Alexandre III (our favourite - and everyone elses I think) for a final photo shoot then to the Musee des Arts Decoratif (saving the best for last) before finishing our packing for an early start tomorrow. It has been a wonderful experience, I have progressed the research somewhat and there is new work in the pipeline but it is now time to bid adieu to Paris and the Cite and head off for our holiday in Prague and Istanbul. Au revoir

Heading into the straight

Where have those days gone? Here we are with only five days to go and too much still to do. Nancy was brilliant but was almost a disaster - we arrived at the Gare de l'Est (a 14 minute metro ride) with  40 minutes to spare when I realised that I had left my bumbag with tickets, money, etc in the studio - a mad dash, leaping on and off trains and we arrived back with seven minutes to spare (thank goodness the studio is next door to the metro station or we would not have made it). The Musee des Beaux Arts in Nancy had a whole bunch of material for me to go through including copies of newspapers from 1894 with articles about various members of the Ecole de Nancy.
We discovered some Art Nouveau buildings that we had not seen before (and collected a brochure on one of them - now a bank - that had recently celebrated it's 100th anniversary). To top it all off, there was an amazing light show in Stanislas Square each night which told the story of the city - it was projected across the facades of five buildings on three sides of the square and ran for 20 minutes. Anyway, with all that, we managed to get everything done a day early and changed our booking to return to Paris on Thursday (the cost to change our ticket was covered by savings on the hotel and food so ended up costing us nothing - plus, for one extra Euro we could travel in first class - what a bonus). We had a last coffee in the Excelsior Art Nouveau brasserie just near the station which seemed a fitting way to end our visit to the art nouveau capital of France.

Friday was spent chasing up references from the Nancy material at the Bibliotheque Forney (to no avail) and frantically making new work (not a lot of progress on the research but new work is coming along nicely with lots of new ideas). In the afternoon we paid a visit to the Cultural Attache at the Australian Embassy (where we were married 25 years ago) and dropped off a set of prints as a thank you for their assistance both then and in recent years.

Then, a stroll down memory lane as we wandered along Rue Saint Dominique (7er - a short walk from the Champs du Mars and Eiffel Tower).  We stopped for a Millefuille and coffee at a fabulous pattisserie next door to the Hotel Saint Dominique where we used to stay in days of yore (absolutely the best pastries in Paris - we even took a Tarte Citron with us for later).
 Saturday was the Montparnasse market to stock up on fruit, veg and cheese (we are surprised how the markets change from week to week - some stall holders being there one week but not the next - maybe they are off on August holidays "en famille" like many of the shopkeepers) some work, then off to an outdoor cafe in the Marais for coffee with Milan . It was a very hot day (32) so we were happy to find a cafe that was shaded by trees (a rare find in Paris).
The next day also promised extreme heat so we went out early to visit the famous Shakespeare and Company (bookstore) just across the road from the Notre Dame - an amazing oasis of English writing in the middle of Paris with an extraordinary past (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare_and_Company_(bookstore).

Worked on some new images for four hours (the only time I've sat at the computer with sweat dripping off my face - but when the muse calls...). As this was the last day of the Plage we thought we would set off late (when it had cooled a little) and take a last stroll along the 'seaside by the Seine'  but alas, we were met at the gate by a security man who told it was ferme. We could only look down on it from above as we worked our way back along the quai de l'hotel de ville to Pont Neuf where we crossed onto the end of the Ile de la Cite and had a lacklustre look around for the bistro where Simenon (and his character Maigret) used to sit with his calvados (a few pleasant eateries but nothing that grabbed our attention).

Across the river to Boulevarde st Michel for a look at the night lights of one of the two famous Haussmann boulevardes on the left bank (the other being B. St Germain). Some interesting art nouveau buildings and the famous Saint Michael fountain in the place st Michel (which is crowded with tourists and students day and night). Just off the square is the most nauseating conglomeration of eating places that I have seen anywhere in the world - every square inch of space in every lane and back alley has been set up as some type of eatery - and it was filled to overflowing with people (it's what Andrew Harper would call food porn). We were happy to escape and made our weary way back to the Cite via Notre Dame which was painted by the sun's dying embers.
In 2009 we visited Guimard's famous Castel Beranger, an exquisite art nouveau apartment block near radio city in the 16th but I had since read about a number of others in that area that he designed so we set off next day, map in hand, to see them. It was a pleasant day and it is a very up market area so we had an interesting walk around but most of the buildings were a disappointment as they had none of the flair of Castel Beranger.

Mostly they were apartment blocks but there was a very nice house along rue la Fontaine which was very impressive (sublte use of Art Nouveau motifs). I think that Castel Beranger, being Guimard's first builing in the new style, was a bit of a showpiece and later commissions probably couldn't afford the extravagance of it and settled for something more reasonable (perhaps they are more extravagant inside, I don't know as we could only see them from the street). Guimard was the man who designed the famousd Metro entrances (although there are only two originals left in Paris). Six days to go and counting.

Here and There

Paris has a long tradition of street art; as protest or as social comment in a similar vein to that of Banksy in London (http://www.banksy.co.uk/newoutdoors/index.html) (although we have not seen much of it this trip) but like everywhere else the street scene is being marred by tagging - not much on the main thoroughfares and certainly not on the Metro trains like New York but in the back streets it is endemic (we have even seen it sprayed on statuary and  marble and, believe it or not on cars and trucks!). It is obviously worse in the poorer outer suburbs than in the inner city areas where we are.
However we have also seen some pretty amazing graffiti in both London and Paris. In London at Southbank under the Queen Elizabeth Hall there is a whole area set aside for skateboarders which is covered with graffiti/tagging and two days ago at Montmatre we came across some pretty amazing stuff. 
I suppose it seems a bit pointless talking about tagging when the protests have now turned into riots in London (is tagging a sign of discontent perhaps? should it be seen as an early warning sign? Perhaps someone will do a PhD on the subject and turn it all into an academic excercise!).
It is astounding to realise that we have just over two weeks left here (and four days of that in Nancy). Even though we have been busy, the time just seems to have disappeared and we are left wondering how we are going to finish what we set out to do. The weather has begun to turn autumnal and we can see by the thinning of the trees outside our window as the leaves start to turn and fall that change is on the way. It is a bit strange that we came expecting really hot weather but it has generally been rather mild with only an occasional hot day in the high 20's but it has made it most enjoyable (even the rainy days have not been bad as they have forced us to do more work. It has probably been a bit problematic for those wanting to make the most of the Plage along the banks of the Seine but it seems to be quite busy whenever we visit or pass by (it is open until midnight and even the rainy days tend to clear in the late afternoon).
One day we walked around the Butte Montmatre (according to Wiki, a butte is a conspicuous isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top) and came into the back of the Place Tertre (that's the square where all the artists used to hang out to paint and which is now just a major tourist trap where you are pestered every few steps to have your picture drawn or silhouette cut out). There are some pretty steep roads/steps around the butte but one is rewarded by discovering interesting artist's studios and things such as the last of the windmills which were painted by artists such as Van Gogh. After pushing our way through Place Tertre we avoided the milling crowds around Sacre Coeur and rewarded ourselves with a trip down in the furnicular (covered by our rail pass). At the bottom we turned left toward the old Halle Saint Pierre which looks as though it used to be an artists venue of some sort but now appears to be abandoned (a pity).

Anyway, the street that runs back from there toward the main road with the buses and Metro etc is filled with haberdashery shops (I love that word) and we chanced to wander in to the first one we came to (drawn in by the 1Euro sign). It turned out that it was a very old store of five floors with every imaginable type and style of fabric. We went to the top floor in a creaky old lift with it's own driver (like the big department stores in the 50's in Sydney) to check out the wallpaper but unfortunately it was a very old sign and they no longer stocked it, so we spent the next hour or so making our way floor by floor to the ground and checking out the huge range of fabrics and patterns (we managed to buy some lace curtains for the verandah and some remnants which will probably be turned into shawls). The upshot of this long story is that it has renewed my simmering interest in Toile de Jouy and the possibilities it presents for telling stories in print so I have been developing a couple of themes for new work based on this concept (as well as continuing my research).

On another day we set off with Milan to the bibliotheque of the Musee des Arts Decoratifs to do some research only to discover that it is closed in August (like many places in France, including our favourite Pattisserie, where people take their family holidays at this time) damn. I sugested that we should introduce him to the Passages so that he could get an idea of how life was (for the rich) almost 200 years ago. The oldest of the remaining Passages dates to 1823 and, in a time when the streets were filthy and muddy, it was a way of life for those visiting the city; a place where Madame (or Monsieur) could be dropped at the entrance and spend the day (or days - there are hotels, restaurants and theatres in some of them) shopping (a bit like todays mall really). Apparently, at night time, some passages were frequented by prostitutes and hotel rooms could be rented by the hour for those in need. Some are now in a sad state of repair while others are well looked after (the oldest, near the Palais Royale - which is considered part of the Passage system - is apparently undergoing renovations to become  a very upmarket boutique shopping arcade (thankfully they have retained the original architecture and beautifully painted ceilings).

Anyway we found the Passage Vivienne (one of the best maintained) and decided to have a coffee in a fabulous old bar - which was much better than pouring over dusty old tomes in the bibliotheque. Just across the road from the Viviene and leading to the Palais Royale, is a very short Passage where Colette (the writer of Gigi, possible lover of Josephine Baker and performer at the Moulin Rouge - she also wrote an opera which was scored by Ravel) is reputed to have lived during the second world war when she wrote her book, "From my Window", an account of the German occupation of Paris and source of one of my favourite quotes, "The true traveler is he who goes on foot, and even then, he sits down a lot of the time" (for more information on Colette http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colette).

Just across the road is a beautiful building called the Hotel de Sens (Hotel being the old title for a grande house). Built between 1475 and 1519, the medieval residence originally housed the archbishops of Sens, the order of bishops that Paris belonged to during the middle ages. While it is a magnificent example of the architecture of the time it is also of interest because it houses one of the ten specialty bibliotheques (libraries) of the City of Paris. The bibliotheque Forney specialises in studio arts, graphic arts and decorative arts and covers everything from ancient books and manuscripts up to contemporary books, magazines and journals. This is an amazing repository for anyone studying these subjects so I made sure I got a library card this time and have spent some time trawling through both the archival and contemporary material in the library (there are still another 66 libraries that the card gives me access to that I haven't visited yet!)

Off to Nancy tomorrow to do some sleuthing - will report back in a week.

London

Dr Johnson said, "...when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life..." Having just returned from six days there I can't say that I agree with him. In fact my comment would be to use the words of Ewan MacColl's song about industrial Northern England, "Dirty Old Town". Although much is being done to spruce up the old place for the Olympics next year (building and road work everywhere) it is very dirty - not just the usual dirt and grime of the old buildings etc but there is rubbish everywhere - people seem to just dump their litter where ever they happen to be - at the railway stations, in the streets, on the trains and buses. Every day when we returned to our hotel we felt covered with the grime of the city (and had the dirty clothes to prove it). Don't get me wrong, London is still an amazing place but we are overjoyed to be back in Paris where the streets are swept every day and the garbages emptied twice a day; it is not as crowded and the people are polite. My grandfather may have been a Cockney but I am a Francophile at heart.
Our trip started with a 4.30 wake up and a walk to the RER  station just opposite Notre Dame. Check in went smoothly and by 6.43 we were on our way on the Eurostar (only $100 return). At St Pancras station we picked up our Oyster cards for a week's unlimited travel in zones 1-2 and headed for our hotel in Chelsea (which turned out to be about two blocks from where Marcia had lived in the 60's). After settling in we headed into the city to visit the summer exhibition at the Royal Academy - a mixed bag but two rooms full of prints kept us occupied for some time and there was an amazing piece by Kiefer featuring a 15ft model of a submarine. - it was all a little overwhelming actually so we headed along Piccadilly to Green Park for a picnic lunch. Afterwards it was Regent Street and Hamley's before heading for Leicester Square to catch up on the last episode of Harry Potter (it was only showing in 3D and cost $25 each so we gave it a miss). However, while in the area we discovered that the spoof on the 39 Steps was showing in the Criterion theatre so, for an extra $10, booked tickets for that evening (we had previously missed it in New York and Melbourne in 2009 and 2010). It is a terribly English show so it was good to see it with British actors. Crashed into bed exhausted at 11pm.

 

I won't bore you with all the details of every day but here is a precis; Friday - Victoria and Albert Museum (couldn't get to the print room but saw a beautiful dress by Alexander McQueen made from digitally printed silk fabric), Royal Albert Hall (middle of the Proms season but no tickets for anything that interested us), Royal College of Music (beautiful old building but nothing on), Royal College of Art  (taciturn porter who advised that all information was available online), then, to avoid the weekend rush, the London Eye (a giant ferris wheel) in the Southbank precinct. It was crowded but they kept everyone moving along fairly quickly and the wait wasn't too long - not sure if it was worth it but they did a good 3D video introduction and you do get great views over London which helps to orientate you to the layout of the place. Afterwards we stumbled across a Vintage festival in and around Festival hall which was celebrating it's 60th birthday. There was a 3 day program over six floors within the hall which included music, dance, make-up and dress (we had wondered why we had seen so many women dressed in 50's  clothes wandering about). We didn't pay so we didn't get to see what it was all about. There was a small patch of sand along the broadwalk where children could play and all the usual seaside tat which Marcia referred to it as Blackpool by Thames.
In the adjacent building we stumbled across a band who were playing 60's style music so well that it was like a time warp (except for the incredible bass volume) - these guys not only looked the part but had all the moves - the drummer was brilliant and the lead singer/synth player was like Billy J Cramer on speed. A great end to a great day.
Saturday we met up with our friend Peter, a cockney who we had met on safari in Zimbabwe in the 80's. He had spent most of his early working life in and around the west end of the city so we spent the day wandering about his territory while he regaled us with tales of his London in the 60's - Law Courts, Covent Garden, Charing Cross road, Fleet street, the Old Bailey, the old meat markets, St Bartholomew's and Saint Pauls. What an amazing day, narrow lanes, hidden squares (including one with Dr Johnson's House and a statue of his cat) and very old pubs (one had the smallest bar that I have ever seen but then descended via steps and stairs over about six levels with a larger bar at the bottom - despite the signs I still managed to bang my head twice). Much of the 60's buildings that he remembers have now been replaced by modern concrete and glass towers and of course "Fleet street" has moved to the Docklands precinct. Although we stopped for coffee, lunch and afternoon tea we covered a lot of territory and were grateful to head back to our hotel at 6 and dinner at a local pub (perfect cottage pie with seasonal vegetables).

Sunday was Camden Lock Market (apart from all the tat a very interesting place because it is still an operational lock for the narrow boats that ply the canal and has a great history as a major interchange for goods between the South and the North of England - the old stables, warehouses and workshops have been converted into market stalls and there are bronzes of horses and workmen all over the place - a little too many perhaps). Then the Tate Modern - a converted 40's power station further down river from Southbank which houses a changing selection of the Tate's contemporary art followed by a bus trip down to and across Tower Bridge. This was the hottest day this summer so, once again, we returned home exhausted.

Finally, on Monday, we got to visit the archives at Kew gardens. A disappointing experience in some ways but it did show that the English were not interested in growing Australian flora. Amongst the few archives available there were only three references to Eucalypts and Acacias and one to a Grevillia (the French had dozens over an extended period of time). Anyway we did find a nice pub by the river overlooking the cricket fields where we had a leisurely late lunch before returning to dirty old London for our last night.

I had intended to get back to the V&A print room on Tuesday afternoon but after experiencing the heat and the crowds on the tube and buses we decided, after a picnic lunch in Hyde Park by the Serpentine and a little shopping in Oxford Street, to return to the hotel and head for St Pancras early for our return to Paris.