New Vibes in Paris - Our 11 day stay in the 19th Arr.

[tod2]

Trying to decide where to stay on our 14th trip to Paris was definitely influenced by Mossie in a big way.
He sensibly sticks to what he knows - not like us, who always know very little about the area we are about to invade. Call it adventure or curiosity, I seem have this helpless radar guiding me away from what I've seen and experienced to something verging the discovery of some little corner that not even Kerouac knows about.
So, the 19th was our choice but unfortunately the Hotel Laumiere was full so the next best choice was not far away in rue Crimee and namely Hotel Crimee.

It is the usual smallish Parisian hotel building with rooms front and back. The pearl in this oyster is that it has been renovated, when I don't know, but had an elervator, a nice modern entrance lounge, rooms that were spotless with nothing tatty or worn, complimentary soaps and shampoos, a hairdryer, airconditioning, and a very comfortable bed.
We had a street facing room which lent itself to daily entertainment when we were at 'home'. The double-glazed windows shut out the very busy street noise, but were only closed on two occassions at night.
Breakfast was not included in the daily rate of 102euros but we took the opportunity to spend 17euros on three mornings to indulge in the usual fare which is served in their basement. It wasn't just the cost of 8.5eur each, but the stuffy atmosphere which put us off somewhat. On our first breakfast the dining area was deserted but looked like a whirlwind had blown through. Every table was littered with dirty plates and cutlery. We scrounged around and found a few clean knives and spoons - even going into their little kitchen to wash some.
There was adequate food still and we could so easily have packed a picnic basket if I had had a bigger bag!
This did not put us off from trying again and the other times a lady came to enquire about coffee - she had some 'real' coffee on a filter machine but anyone was welcome to use the Nespresso machine at which she pulled a face and shook her head. Even though I protested that I was happy with my cup she marched along and insisted I have some of hers. Oh well OK if you insist........
The remainder of our breakfasts were once at the rather large McDo's and the other mornings at Cafe Richard on Ave. de Flandre. There we shared a 6.50 le petit dejeuner plus an extra tea. Quite sufficient.

This was our neighborhood -

[mossie]

Well done Tod, I trust we will now be treated to your adventures further afield. Sounds like you made a reasonable hotel choice.

[tod2]

As we had arrived off the Eurostar in the early evening - it was already beginning to get dark. The taxi made two attempts at finding the hotel because of the one-way street, even though the driver had tom-tom showing the way.
Travel weary we settled in and later ate the baguettes we had bought at St.Pancras, hung out the window and eventually flopped into bed.

First explorations: An Air of Russia
I had done my homework and the very first place I wanted to find on our first day was the church of Saint Serge de Radogene. Why? Well, you will see.

We walked up the hill along rue de Crimee. Just after rue Meynadier, at number 93 rue Crimee, a very small rustic passageway with a grapevine trailing along the wall leads to a small house decorated with Saint Serge de Radogene. Walking on past some small apartments an enormous concrete wall with steps leads up to the church.
Now I won't go on about my incredibly painful knee, but this sight almost made me weep.

A short history:
Built in 1861 the chapel was Protestant with a congregation of Prussian emigrants until 1914. Then it became Orthodox. The property belonged to the Germans, was requisitioned after WWI, and then sold by auction. In 1924 the Orthodox Church announced plans to buy it on July 18th, Saint Serge's Day, as the inflow of Russian emigrants fleeing the October Revolution had made it necessary to open a new religious center.

The decorative work:
Between 1925 and 1927, Dimitri Stelletsky supervised the work.
The interior is splendid. Scenes from the Old Testament can be seen on the walls of the narthex - Noah's Ark, the Burning Bush, and the three adolescent boys in the blazing fire.
Pictures of twelve saints, symbolizing Orthodox Feast Days are painted on the walls of the nave. On the icon wall at the far end, Christ in majesty is represented, surrounded by the symbols of the Evangelists.

One is able to leave the premises (or enter them)via a back gate which leads onto Rue du Rhin, in spitting distance of the entrance to Parc des Buttes Chaumont.

I must mention that it has two services daily from what I gathered - or at least has Vespers each evening but that is not the time to visit. Best is to go to the office (down a leafy archway) for an appointment.
We had no such thing but the lady clerk enquired where I was from and upon hearing South Africa, got her keys and said she would allow us a few minutes to view the interior. Look what an opportunity she gave us!
Does ANYONE notice something significant about this chapel??





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[Deleted]

Fantastic to finally see that. I lived on rue de l'Ourcq at metro Crimée from 1976 to 1991 and never had an inkling that there was anything worth seeing in that area other than the canal -- which was mostly an industrial zone on those days, so you couldn't even walk along it. One of the factories was operated by Nestlé and it was where they made Nesquik for most of Europe in those days (I wonder where it is made now). And yes, all along that part of the canal, it smelled like chocolate.

[tod2]

Thanks Mossie for the heads-up!
Thanks Kerouac for giving me a big "YES!!" to finding something you haven't...I know you know that I'm just bragging a little! (No.1 member of the Kerouac Fan Club)

[mossie]

Thanks for showing us this church, although I've always stayed in this area I have never been there. Must rectify that one day, the decoration inside is fab. I can remember that my pilot could always scrounge off church parades as he claimed to be "Ortodox" (not a typo, that is his pronunciation.)

[mich64]

Fabulous so far Tod! Eager to read and see more and more. The painted ceilings must have been stunning in person.

[htmb]

Off to a great start, Tod!!!

[Deleted]

As I told tod2 when we had the pleasure to meet, I had a friend who was night receptionist at the Hôtel Crimée, but that was back in the 1980's when it was a very modest two-star hotel. There was a mattress behind the reception desk for him to pull out to sleep on the floor during the dead of night when no one was coming in (hopefully). I remember that he told me that the guests who stayed the longest time while he worked there were Dutch street pavers. This was when Paris first began to create all of the pedestrian streets that we know and love today, but there were not enough French pavers to lay down the stones artistically, so they were imported from the Netherlands to do it.

Dozens of time I spent hours in the hotel lounge talking with him in the late hours (since I lived about 4 minutes from there), engaged in the usual French philosophical jousting, sometimes heatedly. He was a student at the Sorbonne at the time and had not yet travelled much, so he was very intrigued by some of my views imported from another continent.

[tod2]

Thanks all, but did anyone realize what main feature is missing from inside the chapel?
Unfortunately there are no prizes for the first correct answer, but I will admit you are sharp!

[tod2]

Of course to get to the chapel one has to walk across this beautiful old drawbridge of Crimee. I've long wanted to be up close and personal with it so we spent a half hour or so watching even the smallest craft been given the "lift" to let it pass through.

In 1885, when the bridge was built, Paris marvelled at this ingenuous hydraulic system which required a mere 4kg weight to set the bridge in motion.
Today one marvels at the antiquated aspect of this last remaing drawbride in Paris and at the very fact it has survived amidst high-rise towers.












Lots more to come...

[mich64]

There are no pews or chairs?

Hopefully the drawbridge will always be kept as a historical site and not dismantled.

It would be fun to be in that little boat putting along the river.

[Deleted]

I can't play because I've already been told the story.

[tod2]

Well done Mich64! The reason, said the church secretary who let us in, was to have the congregation standing throughout the long service and not able to nod off to sleep.

[fumobici]

I love the stairways outside the little church and I've watched that same bridge go through its routine, fun unless you are in a hurry to cross it I guess.

[lagatta]

That little church and especially its garden are beautiful. It would be lovely to see them when it snows (I know, not so common in Paris, but there has been quite a bit of snow some recent years). Are there many Russian (or other Slavic) Orthodox in South Africa? (Of course I know there are people from the Levant there).

Unfortunately I can't view your first video - the notice says it is "private". Bizarre, the second one of the bridge is fine.

You haven't been to les Buttes yet, but I expect that you will. I once had the wonderful opportunity to stay for a few weeks in a flat on one of the little streets up the hill from rue des Pyrénées between Buttes-Chaumont and Père-Lachaise. It was a great area for daily shopping, and a spectacular bus trip down the hill into the city centre.

[Deleted]

That bridge goes up and down 9000 times a year. Even though it is the last drawbridge in Paris (and probably one of the last pulley bridges in Europe), there are one or two bridges on the Canal Saint Martin that swing aside to let the boats through. Those must be getting pretty rare, too.

[tod2]

Lagatta, sorry about that. Thanks for alerting me - I have since pushed the correct 'publish' button.
Yes, we certainly visited Buttes-Chaumont and I hope to show the photos soon. Lots more inbetween stuff first.
I don't know about any Russian or Slavic churches in South Africa but we do have Greek orthodox.

Kerouac - can you tell me how the bridge is operated. By that I mean is there a person sitting in a booth that gives the green light to boats wishing to pass? I was too mezmerised to think about it at the time.

[Deleted]

I think that the bridges are automatic now, but I don't know exactly how. I know that the locks on the Canal Saint Martin are operated by using a push button control box facing the vessels, so it would make sense if the bridges work the same way.

[lagatta]

Thanks, Tod. I enjoy looking at clips like that, simply everyday life, people (and a dog) going about their business.

Hope you are enjoying a pleasant springtime back home. And yes, the Orthodox website www.orthodox.org.za/ indicates Greek and Coptic, not anything Slavic. All the Orthodox churches in Africa seem to come under the patriarchate of "Alexandria and all Africa", which is logical, historically, though of course at the absolute opposite end of the continent. I did find this Russian Orthodox parish, though, in Midrand: www.st-sergius.info/en/our-church/ The church (building) is very new.

I've enjoyed picnics with friends at Buttes-Chaumont and at Parc de la Villette.

[tod2]

I had a couple of things I wanted to show my husband which I had seen some years ago with friends but somehow on our last couple of trips to Paris, never seem to have got there. So today was the day to achieve at least one!

Many of you have probably been to Galleries Lafayette on several visits, but for the first-timer it is an awesome sight when you first step forward to the edge of a balcony and peer upwards, then downwards. My husband was bowled over by the glitzy spectacle!












It was interesting to be able to see the huge dome from the outside.







Then up a short flight of steps onto the terrace for the lovely view.










Guide book in hand, we climbed on a bus and headed off to a new adventure.
For several years now I have wanted to see the interior of the Academie De Billard at 84 rue De Clichy, just off Place De Clichy.
It's been a veritable institution since opening in 1947.
Unfortunately since the printing of the guide book, things have taken a turn for the worse and it this beautiful old building has been turned into a Poker Palace.
No longer is there a row of large billiard tables underneath the vast and decorative skylight ceiling.
I was not allowed past the small hallway with a lady sitting behind a glass kiosk selling membership cards for a price, but as others pushed open the doors I was able to glimpse the wood paneling and framed mirrors and the enormous skylight which sports a pretty stained glass border.



Here is the link to the interior:
www.pokerccm.com/

Photos 6 & 7 on the top row give a splendid view of the ceiling.

A bit further back from Place De Clichy we passed the famous Moulin Rouge.

[bixaorellana]

Tod, this is glorious! I thought nothing could top that wonderful chapel*, but the GL is certainly as splendid in its own way.

What a great choice of neighborhood, which seems to have quite an international flair to it. Super choice of restaurants, lovely allée, and that flower shop -- wow!

Can't wait to see more of your explorations.

*I thought that what was different about the chapel was that it has no altar. Obviously I was wrong. Must go back to see if I can see the altar.

[tod2]

Bixa - You are quite right about a 'main' alter. It does seem to be missing and replaced with numerous small 'supports' all around the chapel. To me this has something to do with the way the service is conducted. You are very observant!

[lagatta]

Yes, the 19th is a very cosmopolitan neighbourhood, or rather arrondissement (district, borough) with cosmopolitain neighbourhoods. Some time back, K2 started up this thread about the very Sephardic Jewish rue Petit in the 19th: anyportinastorm.proboards.com/thread/5603/new-jewish-areas-paris

As tod wrote:

Jan 4, 2012 8:34:12 GMT tod2 said:

This is terrific Kerouac! - and a surprise that there is a large Jewish community somewhere else other than the Marais. Maybe now I can have that falafel or shawarma without standing in a long line of tourists ;D What I will have my eye open for is somewhere that offers a mean cheese blintz! It years since I got stuck into a warm sugary crepe that oozes sweet cream cheese - and maybe sometimes a blob of strawberry jam or cinnamon on top

I have two restaurants (non - Jewish) on my list in Ave Corentin Cariou - One is Au Cochon de Lait which serves a specialty of the house, l'Onglet Vilette. Next door is Dock's which might be good for a glass of wine and some people watching.
Directly opposite is a humongous long very modern building on stilts which ends in a sharp point on the corner.
Is this just a block of apartments?

Blintzes are a typical food of Jews (and other people) from Northeastern and central Europe, though I imagine that the mostly North African Jewish community in that area has adopted some foods and customs of their co-religionists.

There is also an area with a lot of Chinese and southeast Asian restaurants in Belleville. Rue de Belleville is right on the boundary of the 19th and 20th.

The posher Buttes-Chaumont neighbourhood is also very cosmpolitan.

[tod2]

I have put one of the links to the Acadamie de Billard to my last post because when you click on the many little photos below the main ones of poker tables, you can see the fantastic skylight ceiling that I wanted to photograph.

Just scroll down the page and you will see them - click on any and they will enlarge.

[htmb]

Tod, both Saint Serge and Galleries Lafayette have been on my list of places to visit, but I haven't made it either yet. Maybe next trip. Your super photos certainly have got me thinking about them again.

[tod2]

After several days in Paris my wonky knee started to become unbearably painful from all the walking. It was time to see some of Paris ( and beyond) from the comfortable seat of the wonderful Tram system. If you haven't experienced this form of transport in Paris I highly recommend you do. It is easy to transfer from one tramline to another at any terminus.
My photos are not in any particular order but mainly show the stations at which we transferred or got off. The scenes of vegetable allotments are along the T2 line to La Defense.
Regrettably we could not do the journeys full justice as Kerouac had done on his T1 and T3 reports.
They are indepth and a fantastic guide to sightseeing by tram, enabling one to 'jump ship' as the tram pulled into another stop along the way.

Our tram journey included the T1, T3a and 3b, and the T2 taking us to La Defense. At Esplanade La Defense I went to see how 'my vineyard' was doing.
I have watched these vines grow from the time they were planted about 6 years ago and was thrilled to see the bunches of black grapes ready for picking! Netting covered the precious baubles from the birds. I wish I could have seen them actually being cut off their vines.









































The first sighting of this wonderful little vineyard planted above the metro station of Esplanade La Defense.


And look how we have grown!

[tod2]

On our first Sunday in Paris we took a stroll along the Bassin de la Villette to familiarise ourselves with the meeting place with Mossie and Kerouac on the coming Thursday. It was a beautiful sunny day and groups of boule players converged on the sandy ground beneath the trees.
We were delightted to see some beautiful swans daring a small dog to take them on!














The magnificent Rotunda but once the sad scene of France's capitulation to the Allied armies, signed on 1st March next to the Rotunda at the present Place de Stalingrad.





The lunch date was set for 12.30 at the Rotande Restaurant. We took the bus up to Stalingrad metro stop and found Mossie sitting at a shady table. Kerouac arrived and we all enjoyed a super lunch with lots of laughs & chatting before taking the bus up to Parc Buttes Chaumont for a slow stroll around the lake. It is certainly the most beautiful park in Paris.

[Deleted]

What a fabulous report Tod in every way. The pictures are gorgeous, the narrative succinct and informative.
Well done!
Thank you for taking the time to do this and share with us.
(And, thanks to Mossie for his astute guidance!)

[mich64]

Fabulous Tod! I like how your photos show urban life. People living, portraits of daily life.

You are correct, the park is lovely. The grotto or cave is unexpected to me, is it a preserved site?

How wonderful that you all had lunch together, I am sure your time together will be unforgettable and one of the many highlights of your holiday.