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Post by kerouac2 on May 12, 2020 13:09:08 GMT
I went one block over to have confirmation that graffiti street rue Dénoyez has moved on with its life. Just about every decorated building has been torn down and replaced.
This is the very last of the old walls on the street.
It was market day in Belleville, but what a difference! It has been cut in half with vendors on only one side. No more pushing through the crowds which used to be wedged between two rows.
Some might say that there is a je-ne-sais-quoi missing from this new version in terms of ambience.
The products themselves look as wonderful as ever when you can see them.
This post office wasn't opening for another 30 minutes, but there were already at least 50 people in the queue.
There were extremely few unplastified vendors.
Bags of potatoes and onions had been prepared in advance, very unusual at a street market.
This woman was choosing the products that she wanted, and the vendor was picking them up for her.
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Post by mossie on May 12, 2020 14:36:44 GMT
Thanks for this little taster of Belleville. I suppose it was inevitable the rue Denoyez would at last succumb to redevelopment but it had a good run.
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Post by htmb on May 12, 2020 14:46:07 GMT
More great photos. Thanks for giving us these views of Paris as it starts to reawaken. I’ll bet you’re enjoying being outside! I’m guessing the vendors are more exposed than the shoppers since they see groups of people throughout the market hours. I think I’d be tempted to wear both a mask and a shield if I had my own market stall. It must be a real adjustment for shoppers who are used to a different level of closeness in the market areas.
As for WeWork, I’ve never been inside a French WeWork space, but the ones in NYC that I’m very familiar with (where WeWork originated) have closed-in office cubicles with floor to ceiling glass walls. Yes, there are a few common work spaces, and a few people pay to use those areas only, but most individuals and small companies working out of the Lower Manhattan WeWork building, for instance, are inside enclosed office cubicles, and are much more confined than in places where partial walls and office furniture define sections of what are usually just large rooms. In a WeWork space a company can also reserve enclosed conference rooms when needed for client meetings. Privacy and quiet working areas are most important to tenants, too, especially since there are scores of different companies working out of one building. However, workers who share an office cubicle are a bit trapped and usually have a hard time steering clear of their office mate’s nasty germs.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 12, 2020 15:29:05 GMT
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Post by htmb on May 12, 2020 16:14:57 GMT
Is there currently a charge for public transportation, or is it free?
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Post by kerouac2 on May 12, 2020 16:16:59 GMT
Metro turnstiles are back in service and require tickets, but the buses are still free.
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Post by fumobici on May 12, 2020 19:55:19 GMT
Thank you for the nice update to this. I became curious about Bornibus mustard, even thought of ordering a pot to try. In the UK it can be mail-ordered for three quid five; in the US, it's apparently $95 for the same pot. No thank you!
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Post by mossie on May 12, 2020 20:12:10 GMT
Another huge hike, your legs must be in good shape. Inotice that you diverted down ave Laumiere, I trust my favourite hotel is still there, but the cafes are having a bad time I hope they survive.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 12, 2020 21:12:58 GMT
Actually my legs were aching a bit at the beginning of the day and I was thinking "aches and pains -- oh my god, it's the first sign of covid-19 setting in!" And then I thought "no, you idiot, you have just been walking more than usual!"
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Post by tod2 on May 13, 2020 8:40:52 GMT
Any walk, anywhere in Paris is good for me. I have never heard of Square /Park Samuel de Champlain so I looked it up. I see the entrance is not on a corner like so many parks, but a flight of steps near the bus stop Muriers for buses 61 and 69. I'm guessing very few people end up here after visiting Pere Lachaise although there seems to be a footpath running through it.
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Post by bjd on May 13, 2020 9:07:56 GMT
Tod, although I find Paris is not a very "green" city, there are lots of little squares or small parks that run between buildings or busier streets. You only find them by wandering around and keeping your eyes open. And they often have gates so you don't actually know whether they are public passages or not.
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Post by casimira on May 13, 2020 11:26:44 GMT
Glad you were able to get out and about. Your leg muscles got a nice, much needed workout and I would imagine that mentally it was good for you as well.
I hope the unmasked person exposing others got a hefty fine imposed. She seems to fit right in with the high risk criteria for the virus. Age and obesity in particular.
Thanks for sharing this with us and happy for you that you were able to experience some semblance of normalcy.
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Post by lagatta on May 13, 2020 11:29:43 GMT
I did walk to that park just because of its Québec interest. I haven't actually seen the new Samuel-de-Champlain bridge; I haven't crossed the river to Longueuil this year. Here is more on the park, or garden: www.paris.fr/equipements/jardin-samuel-de-champlain-1770I'm sneezing and blowing my nose, and hope to get sinuses cleared before any jaunts outdoors. Seasonal allergies, but they could scare others.
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Post by mickthecactus on May 13, 2020 11:50:41 GMT
I know what you mean Lagatta. A side effect of my blood pressure tablets is an occasional cough which I've had for 10 years now. I dread it coming on when I'm out.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 13, 2020 12:52:19 GMT
Okay, here is my final walk on this subject. Shorter than the others because I stayed entirely in the 18th arrondissement but a bit more strenuous because I climbed the Butte Montmartre.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 13, 2020 13:06:37 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on May 13, 2020 13:18:31 GMT
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Post by htmb on May 13, 2020 13:19:39 GMT
Oh, you lucky so and so! What a treat to have that place practically to yourself. No tourists. No string bracelet guys. No souvenir hawkers. Wonderful!
I remember wandering down one of those streets a bit on the east side of the hill last fall, but didn’t realize it was a pretty direct shot to your neighborhood.
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Post by onlyMark on May 13, 2020 13:30:30 GMT
I've had to do some shopping in the centre of Bonn and the centre of Cologne today. Both are far, far busier than what I see here. A side effect of my blood pressure tablets is an occasional cough which I've had for 10 years now. Mick, I take tablets for that as well. Never thought it'd bring on a cough now and again though. Is that right? I do sometimes have one I can't put my finger on the reason why.
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Post by tod2 on May 13, 2020 14:54:05 GMT
a. A side effect of my blood pressure tablets is an occasional cough The very first blood pressure tablets my doc prescribed gave me that horrible irritating cough. I couldn't handle it so he simply put me on something that works just fine and there are no side effects. Why do you put up with it Mick?
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Post by mickthecactus on May 13, 2020 15:15:36 GMT
It doesn’t happen very often so doesn’t really bother me.
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Post by tod2 on May 13, 2020 15:27:30 GMT
Looks like your body has adapted or compensates after all the years. I'm on Dapomax or if not in stock the pharmacist gives me Mylan Indapamide. I also have to take Carloc25. The two work differently. I will admit I am terrible at keeping a steady dose going and often skip my tablets for days, even weeks. Naughty naughty!
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Post by kerouac2 on May 13, 2020 15:38:55 GMT
Looks like we need a new thread called "blood pressure and coughing" for those who have no interest in this thread.
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Post by tod2 on May 13, 2020 15:50:23 GMT
No, lets stick to the subject heading…..sorry K, got sidetracked with our illnesses.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 14, 2020 1:08:57 GMT
I feel odd saying that I'm happy to see your two latest updates, since happy doesn't quite go with the present state of Paris. But it is a real privilege to see your honest documentation of Paris as it lives through this time of virus. And it's not just a great feat of reporting, the pictures all stand on their own. I do have to single out the b&w of the cyclist overlooking the city, which is world class. Also loved the Commie headquarters, the pink butterfly face street art, & the fabulous view of the steps with their zig zag shadows, among others.
I have to say that the market vendor with the plastic face shield offered a much nicer shopping experience than those stands with the undoubtedly irritating cling film barriers. But man cannot live by potatoes alone.
Looking forward to your resting up and getting out again to continue documenting your beautiful city during its Spring of emptiness.
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Post by casimira on May 14, 2020 2:00:32 GMT
Echoing what Bix said.
Thanks for this Kerouac, our very own intrepid trooper.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 16, 2020 14:34:51 GMT
For anyone who had difficulty working out the price of the Burger King student special in the previous photo, here is a much simpler one.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 16, 2020 14:43:48 GMT
The city has greatly expanded the cycling lanes on a number of the major avenues and boulevards. Rue de Rivoli, a major east-west axis, is now forbidden to private cars.
Once you close the main street, obviously the streets next to lose all of their motor traffic, too.
Boulevard Saint Michel (north-south) transformed the bus lane into a bike lane and made a new bus lane next to it, leaving only one lane for normal cars.
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Post by onlyMark on May 16, 2020 16:05:18 GMT
For anyone who had difficulty working out the price of the Burger King student special in the previous photo, here is a much simpler one. That one I can do in my head.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 16, 2020 18:22:51 GMT
Most interesting about the new cycle lanes made up of lanes formerly clogged with cars & buses. I guess cyclists were already using those streets as they wished. Or are Paris traffic cops so strict that the cyclist didn't take over the car & bus lanes until given permission?
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