White night, Free Sunday and a neighborhood stroll in Paris

The past two days have been gorgeous here in Paris and frankly we wouldn't imagine being anywhere else right now. Susan is working long and hard at Pascal's -- he's even got her producing her own brownies and cookies, "American'style," for sale in the shop. of course she came here to learn the fine(r) art of working with croissant and bread dough and she has certianly been doing that, among numerous other things. Everybody in the shop pitches in and the workload can often be daunting indeed. (photo: division 13 in Montmartre. In case you're wondering the bust is of Henri Riviere who was killed in "Tonkin", present'day Vietnam in the late 19th century.)

As for me, when I haven't beein in the apartment preparing my Siena website for amajor overhaul, I've been outside strolling through the city -- burning up my Metro pass and getting away from the noise of the builders in the apartment above us. Anyway, I tried for the second time to get to the Basilica at St. Denis just north of the city (at the end of the no. 13 line) but couldn't do it. I got on the no. 13 at Havre-Caumartin and it took 30 minutes to go two stops! It was the same a couple of weeks back when I tried to get to the basilica and the same thing happened. Something going on with that line I suppose. Anyway I suspect I am destined to never see the basilica so who am I to try and thwart destiny.

So I went to Montmartre instead and completed some unfinished business there. It was overcast but the sun came out eventually and lit up the changing leaves nicely.

Yesterday I strolled along the top of the Viaduc des Arts not far from our apartment, in the 12th arr. Friend Diane had asked last week or so if we knew about "viaduct of arts" and I said, yes, I was aware of the many artisan shops located in the former arches of the brick viaduct. (It is in fact the remains of a train line that once left the station located at the Bastille, long since closed and torn down.) The tracks outside of the city were taken over by the RER, the commuter rail line out to the suburbs, but the tracks inside the city fell into disrepair until the city of Paris bought them in the 1980s and made a park-like promenade on top. Very cool to be walking at eye level to apartments on the 2nd and 3rd floors on one side and hover above the street on the other.

Along the way one I saw one of the most curious, fantastic and wholly out-of-place pieces of art in a city known for its curious and out-of-place artwork. Not far from the Gare de Lyon, and perfectly visible from the promenade my eyes caught sight of a series of enormous copies of Michelangelo's Dying Slave (or Dying Captive), each with the same triangular hole in its chest. (No I have no idea the significance of that.) The building itself is unremarkable except for drab appearance and proletarian architecture, and one is not surprised to learn that it is (or at least was) a police station.


Curious, non?

I wouldn't have learned about the promenade had it not been for Diane saying that we really should do it. I did it yesterday and Susan and I are going back this morning. The promenade also figures largely in one of the walks listed in an old edition of Time Out's Walks in Paris, and we will just plan on doing the entire walk.

After we stroll through the 12th we will meet up with Diane at 4 pm at a church near the Hotel de Ville for an organ concert and then later the three of us will have dinenr at a restaurant just off the Champs Elysses. We will then stroll leisurely back in the direction of our respective apartments, and leisurely is the operative word, since we hope to spend the rest of the evening taking in some of the wonderful things that are planned throughout the city for nuit blanche, or "white night."

This is the one night of the year when many places are open until the wee hours of the morning (in fact the no. 14 Metro line, along which many of the events are located will run all night long), including some of the museums, like the Louvre and the Petit Palais. There are also many unique one-time events planned as well, such fantastic art expositions and installations and we hope to see at least a few before turning towards home and bed.

Sunday promises to be another big day.

It's the first Sunday of the month and that means that many of the state-run museums are free. It also just happens to be the same day when one of Europe's largest horse races, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, takes place in the vast Hippodrome de Longchamp, which is located in the Bois de Boulogne.

Susie and I will get an early start and hopefully get to the Musee Picasso or the Branly before heading out to the 16th arr. and meeting up with Diane at the Porte d'Auteuil metro stop. (Again, she was the inspiration for us doing this. We first heard about the horserace from her!) The three of will then head into the racetrack and maybe pick up a few extra euros!

Afterwards Susie and I will head back to the eastern side of Paris, and if time permits check out another museum on the way. Diane will join us at our place for supper and so she'll probably stop by about 7 or so.

So that pretty much brings you all up to date as to what's going to be happening here over the next 48 hours or so. I hope to post plenty of photos as well as maybe a bit of video footage online Monday.

Until then, as always,

Wish you were here,

Steve