A week in review

It seems a little strange to be back in Paris - all very familiar but with a lot riding on what happens over the next few weeks. We are only here for 3 1/2 weeks and don't have time to settle in before getting on with the job of finding subjects/making work for exhibitions in November and December.

The flight over on Vietnam Airways took 35 hours and we were exhausted when we arrived and using a transit bus to get from the airport to the Cite was a very welcome extravagance - just the thought of the 10 minute walk through the RER/Metro transit labyrinth at Chatelet is enough to give us the horrors. The shuttle ride was twice as much as we usually pay using train/metro but what bliss to go door to door (with a drive through the city thrown in).

Our studio comes compliments of the Finns (Foundation Finlandaise) and is very well set up. It faces NE and looks toward the garden of the Utas McCulloch studio. It took us about 2 hours to set up to our liking (moving beds, tables etc) battling bad jet lag but in the end we were set and decided we had time to get to the Bastille markets for some supplies. 

Recharged our Navigo passes at the metro station and took our first ride to Bastille station only to discover that the market was not on - we were convinced that it was on on Saturday and didn't bother to check. Oh well, a pleasant walk back to St. Paul to Monoprix for groceries (picking up a millefeuille at La Notre - Fauchons - along the way). 

Then through the back streets to collect a baguette at one of our favourite patisseries and home. It was almost as though we had never been away.

Monday we woke from jet lagged sleep at 5.30 so had an early breakfast and were out and about at 7 to try for some early light shots of Norte Dame etc. 

Enjoyed a coffee overlooking the garden at the southern tip of Ile de la Cite at the rear of the church then ventured south along the banks of the river running past the university down as far as the Jardin des Plantes. This area (Jardin Tino Rossi) has been extensively landscaped with trees, shrubs, lawns and various built features as well as bronze sculptures (an extension of the Gardens?). 

We were stunned to discover that the lawns were covered with the litter of Saturday night's partying. This, despite the multiple placements of garbage bins and small skips (I guess the students here are no different to home and expect that their mothers or someone else will clean up after them). Stopped to buy a a baguette and were tempted by a freshly baked citron tart with meringue topping (tres Bon).

Spent a good part of the rest of the day trying to access the Internet with my laptop and reviewing possible images for exhibitions before a late afternoon stroll along the Plage (beach) which is set up along the banks of the Seine during July/August (it appeared to be much reduced from what we saw in 2011  - perhaps this is a result of the economic situation?)

On Tuesday we were on the 67 bus to Pigalle by 7 - a short walk up the hill to Abbesses for some more pictures then a short stroll to Sacre Coeur (glorious in the early morning light). The atelier where Ray Arnold used to work and which had been operating for over 100 years is now an Irish pub and the famous Place du Tetre (where artists historically work in the open air) has been taken over by the bars and cafes so the artists now have to squeeze into a 60cm space around the edges - c'est tragic.

Down the narrow streets at the rear of the church we came across several places like le Lapin Agile frequented by artists such as Modigliani, Picasso, Utrillo, etc. Also, finally, discovered the last remaining vineyard on the mountain - all very interesting. 

We eventually arrived back in a modern suburb but what we didn't realise was that we were on the opposite side of Montmartre to where we had started out. While enjoying a relaxing coffee at a small cafe (E1.80 as opposed to E2.80 on Ile st louis) we decided that we would visit a fabric shop which is just near the steps up to the Sacre Coeur.
Being the smarty pants that we are we jumped on a bus going to Montmartre assuming that this would take us back to somewhere near the Sacre Coeur. Wrong - we ended up at Porte de Montmartre which is adjacent to St Ouen and equally as poor. People had their belongings spread out on the ground in the street under the Peripherique trying to make a little money to keep them going - it was very troubling. 

We eventually found our way back to bus 67 (minus any fabrics) but on the way home the road passing the old BNP (National Library) was blocked by the pompiers and sapeurs (firemen) who had multiple vehicles attending some emergency. After about ½ an hour the bus managed to squeeze between two vehicles with some direction of the pompiers with about 1cm to spare on each side (these Paris bus drivers never cease to amaze with their skills).

Wednesday was a day of confusion - an early start to catch the light for the Eiffel tower only to discover that the camera's batteries were flat. Later in the day when shopping I discovered that I had lost my credit card (shock, horror and it was only day 3). Fortunately, after back tracking our days activities we discovered that the lady in the supermarket had found it and kept it safely in the office (huge sigh of relief). I did manage to work on some images (including from our early visit to Sacre Coeur the previous day) so the day was not a complete waste.

With a change in the weather we settled into a different rhythm with me working in the early morning then heading out about 9 for a coffee and to see where our feet (and the buses would take us) then back home for lunch and a nana nap followed by more work then another outing. After coffee one morning at the Blue Train cafe at Gare de Lyon (where the Orient Express used to leave from) we were walking back toward Bastille when we finally found the access to the promenade plantee/la coulee vert (a 4.7 km elevated linear park built on top of obsolete railway infrastructure in the 12th arrondissement) something that has eluded us before. We decided we would return one morning when the sun was out in the hope of getting some interesting images.

Another afternoon we went for a stroll along the Plage where they have some Monet images located amongst others telling a story of the history of the river. Then back up to Bde. Henry IV which runs up past the national  guard headquarters to Bastille. Along the way we stumbled across an exhibition about Paris architecture in the old Pavilion de Arsenal -an amazing 6 x 6m interactive google earth map of Paris on the floor plus, amongst other things a video/lecture about the history and restoration of la Samaritane buildings - simply stunning turn of the century architecture and so good to see what it looks like inside even in it's run down state.

Having now been at the Cite for over 4 months in total we finally decided to visit the Cafeotheque next door for a coffee one morning and discovered that, not only do they serve 16 different origin coffees (one each day) but they only charge E1 for Cite residents (as long as you sit on stools at the bar). 

Afterwards we wandered off through the Marais toward the Les Halles redevelopment and stumbled across the old National Archives building (Hotel de Sourbise) where I carried out much of my research in 2005. Very surprised to discover that they have opened up all the gardens to the public - a peaceful oasis in the midst of a very busy area.

Lunch consisted of beautiful slices of quiche (lorraine and tomato and chevre)  sitting on the steps of St Eustache church with it's amazing pipe organ (not playing today but when we heard it last time it was truly astounding - although I must say that I prefer the smaller but more beautiful sounding organ in st Gervaise (our local)

Friday afternoon was mostly sunny so we walked around to the Hotel de Ville to catch the Radio City bus as far as the Pont Alexandre III bridge for some (hopefully) sunny photographs. A good move because the sun came out and we got some really useful images with great lighting

All in all it has been a productive week and I think we are finally catching up to Paris time. In some ways it is good that the Bibleotheque des Arts Decoratifs is closed and I am not able to do any research about the use of Australian Flora in French culture as I just wouldn't have the time to do so and would feel torn in not doing it.