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

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

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

 

La Basilique du Sacré Coeur de Montmartre

Sacré Coeur

This notable basilica made of travertine stone displays its white stamp on the Paris landscape.  This sacred landmark sits high on the butte of Montmartre overseeing all of Paris.

The photo was taken from my perch at the Temple of Sybil which sits on Buttes Chaumont.

bon dimanche

La Basilique du Sacré Coeur de Montmartre

35, rue du Chevalier de la Barre

75018, 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

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

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

 

 

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

Suspension bridge

This suspension bridge leads to a large rocky cliff with a 32 meter waterfall.  The nature of the bridge construction means that there is a sway as these people walk to and fro.  

If you are afraid of heights this might be one to avoid. 

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

Rue Botzaris

75019, Paris

Metro Botzaris, Metro Buttes Chaumont

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

The first time I viewed this scene it seemed impossible that I was still in Paris, well within Boulevard Peripherique.  On this Sunday afternoon, the park was full of people enjoying a sunny afternoon of leisure.

(Put it on your list)

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

75019, Paris



Parc des Buttes Chaumont

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

What a great spot for water play on a sunny day in Paris...

I just hope that it is warm enough

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

75019, Paris



Parc des Buttes Chaumont - le dimanche

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

This large public garden (as it is referenced) is the third largest in Paris with more than 5km of trails and paths.  The main feature of the park is the Temple of Sybil which sits at the top of an island in the middle of a lake.  In 2009 a suspension bridge, about 200 feet long and over 70 feet above the water, was built to allow access to the island.

There are three restaurants, reception halls, and two Guignol theatres. 

Perhaps most enjoyed are the green grassy slopes on a sunny weekend afternoon.

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

75019, Paris

Métros Buttes Chaumont, Laumière, et Botzaris