Fleurs de Paris

The flowers are abundant in Paris

and so are the flower shops

(Happy Pi Day

 3.14159265359....)

rue de Belleville

75019, Paris

 

Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste-de-Belleville

Église-Saint-Jean-Baptiste-de-Belleville

Beautiful and sturdy iron hinges on the

massive doors of this neo-gothic church 

are offset by the soft visage

bon dimanche

Église-Saint-Jean-Baptiste-de-Belleville

139, rue de Belleville

75019, Paris

Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Belleville

Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Belleville

Believing that there was only one neo-Gothic double-spired 

church in Paris (Basilica of Saint-Clotilde), 

we found this one in November 

just on the southern edge of the 19ème.

Click here to see an interior view and 

a bit of history of the church.

There is an abundance of churches in Paris

and I am convinced that it would be impossible to see them all.

The same applies to cemeteries.

bon dimanche

Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Belleville

139 rue de Belleville

75019, Paris

Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Belleville

Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Belleville

Built between 1854 and 1859 in the Belleville area,

it was the first Gothic Revival Churches in Paris.

These historical grounds are built on a foundation of

an early Bellevillois chapel of 1548 which was

replaced by the "first" Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Belleville church

in 1635.

During the construction of this current structure, the foundation

stones of the earlier churches were uncovered.

bon dimanche

Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Belleville

139, rue de Belleville

75019, Paris

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

So who says you cannot play on the grass in Paris parks?

You can in this park and in certain areas of other gardens and parks.  

Just check out the signs, and if you step in a forbidden area,

 the shrill whistles will quickly bring you back to reality!

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

1, rue Botzaris

75019, Paris

Bassin de la Villette Petanque

Bassin de la Villette

Where you find the smooth "Paris dirt" 

which I believe is a fine limestone gravel,

you will find people playing Petanque.  

It is not a game limited to the "old timers" you see in Louxembourg Gardens

 or Tuileries, but a game enjoyed by friends 

and family of of ages, gender, and generations.

bon weekend

Bassin de la Villette

75019, Paris

Place Armand Carrel - un cycliste

Place Armand Carrel

If you saw my post yesterday with a reference to Le Tour,

you will likely agree that this cyclist was not a contender either.

Taken on a Sunday afternoon just outside Parc des Buttes Chaumont, 

we saw many cyclists of all ages enjoying the blue-sky weather.

Place Armand Carrel

75019, Paris

Métro Laumière

Bassin de la Villette - la vie quotidienne

Bassin de la Villette

 

 

 

This is a scene far from the tourist crowds of Paris,

but is a favorite spot for the Parisians on a Sunday afternoon.

 

 

Pétanque (more games than I could count),

picnics among friends,

multi-generation families out for a water-side stroll,

children at play riding trotinettes...

 

 

There is something here for everyone.

 

 

 

Bassin de la Villette

Quai de la Loire

75019, Paris

Métro Laumière

 

 



 

 

 



Parc des Buttes Chaumont

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

On a slightly cool, but clear Sunday afternoon in May 

I happened upon this young man on a quiet slope in the park.  

He was enjoying his beverage, the gentle weather, and his book.

The book:

Ecce Homo, by Nietzsche

bon weekend

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

75019, Paris

Pas assez de sièges?

Métro Laumier

The metro was not crowded at all, 

but sadly the young lady had no place to sit.

This is not an unusual scene and the woman on the billboard 

peering out adds a bit of humor.


C'est Paris!

Métro Laumier

75019, Paris

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

Parc des Buttes Chaumont



This lovely park frequented by Parisians
is not the only spot in the city to find a profusion of flowers. 
Do not forget to explore.


A hand-picked bouquet of flowers today
to each of you

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

75019, Paris

Bassin de la Villette - la vie quotidienne

Bassin de la Villette

This is not a place frequented by tourists...

which is why I love it so.

It is a place where Parisians can enjoy a relaxing afternoon:

sunning, strolling, having a picnic, playing games...

It is a great place to observe the best of Paris, 

to see the locals as "not so different" from you.

However, do note that there are no guard rails 

and a meter drop to the surface of the water.

Bassin de la Villette

75019, Paris

Bassin de la Villette - pétanque

Bassin de la Villette

On a Sunday afternoon 

you will find many groups of people playing pétanque.  

We found a foursome of twenty-somethings 

enjoying a game with a man and a woman on each team.  

So much for thinking that only 

little old French men play pétanque.

Quai de la Loire

Bassin de la Villette

75019, Paris

Rosa Bonheur - Il pleut!

Rosa Bonheur

Bucolic delights reign at Rosa Bonheur, a bar set in a former guinguette in the heart of Parc des Buttes Chaumont. Its name loosely translates as ‘pink happiness’ but refers in particular to 19th-century French painter and sculptor ‘Rosa Bonheur’, famous for her depictions of animals and her role in the early feminist movement (alongside George Sand and Sarah Bernhardt).

Sunday evenings are packed.  A group of us were there last May, enjoyed the music and the party.  As we left in a driving rainstorm, the serious night party crowd was just arriving.  The people in the queue did not seem the least daunted by the line or the rain.  C'est Paris!

Rosa Bonheur - Parc des Buttes Chaumont

2, avenue de la Cascade

75019, Paris

 

Paulownias en fleurs - Avenue de Laumière

Paulownia trees

In an explosion of color, 

the view of Avenue de Laumière is obstructed 

by the mass of Paulownia trees 

lining the street from Métro Laumière

 to the end at Parc des Buttes Chaumont.  

If you are in Paris this spring, 

take a trip to the park walking along this street for a few blocks.  

It makes for a grand promenade

14, avenue de Laumière

75019, Paris

Parc des Buttes Chaumont VIII

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

Temple of Sybil

Although the Temple of Sybil may not appear so high on the cliff, 

it is indeed a hike and a suspension bridge away.  

How can all of this be only a mile or two from the center of Paris?

If the weather cooperates for this last weekend in March, 

the Parisians will be here with friends and family.  

How I wish that I could join them!

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

75019, Paris

Métros Buttes Chaumont, Laumière, et Botzaris

Parc des Buttes Chaumont - le carrousel

Carousel in Parc des Buttes Chaumont

It was only on my third visit to this park 

that I discovered the petite, colorful carousel.  

The top makes me think of le Petit Prince 

with its stars, moon, and rocket ship.

The rides are over-sized rabbits, cats, and other animals, 

along with a rocket and a fire truck.

The park itself is beautiful, particularly in the spring, 

but has a checkered past.  

It is close to Gibet de Montfaucon, 

a notorious site where criminals were hanged 

and their bodies put on display 

from the 13th century until mid-18th century.  

After the French Revolution it became a refuse dump,

and then a spot for cutting up horse carcasses.  

Baron Haussmann chose this site for a new park 

for the rapidly growing population of the 19th and 20th arrondissements.

Work began in 1864 and the park was opened on April 1, 1867.  

To see the park today one would never imagine its nefarious history.

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

75019, Paris

Métros Buttes Chaumont et Botzaris

Parc des Buttes Chaumont VI

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

Although it would appear from this photo that every bench is occupied, 

the park is large enough to hold many Parisians on a weekend day.  

I have never felt crowded in this park,

 and on my last trip walked up to the Temple of Sybil 

for a panoramic view of Paris.

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

75019, Paris

Métros Buttes Chaumont, Laumière, et Botzaris

Bassin de la Villette - pétanque XXII

Bassin de la Villette

If you really want to be among the Parisians, take a stroll along the quais of Bassin de la Villette on any weekend.  It is a delightful spot for a picnic and for watching people.

Perhaps you will stop in Bar l'Ourcq for some 

boules and a game of pétanque with friends.

Bassin de la Villette

Quai de la Loire

75019, Paris

Métro Laumière

Parc des Buttes Chaumont V

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

It took several visits to Paris before I made my way to this park which as the name indicates is sitting on a hill.  There are waterfalls and a limestone quarry, a suspension bridge, and more.  You will find more Parisians and fewer tourists here on a Sunday afternoon than in many of Paris' more famous parks.

It is not as large as Tuileries, but the terrain makes it seem more so.

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

Rue Botzaris

75019, Paris

Metro Botzaris, Metro Buttes Chaumont