Tango dancing

If you wish to go for some free tango dancing, you can do it every evening, as long as the the weather is warm and nice. It takes place in open air on Quai (or Port) Saint Bernhard, Place Tino Rossi. It has been going on for some 10 or 15 years.

The photos are far from sharp, but I hope that they show that people are really dancing.

I wish you a nice weekend!

Extra post - July 14th - fireworks

I already posted today (see below), but I thought I must show you the July 14th fireworks, which this year were splendid! The Tower celebrates its 120 years.

After 30 minutes it was over!

I was together with Virginia on the Pont de Grenelle. When it was over we dicovered that my family was on the same bridge.

Mid-month theme - subways.

Ming has left NYC and blogging - at least for a while and I'm not sure how our common mid-month theme about subways in different cities will continue, but for once I had some own pictures, so I continue.

The mid-month theme is still shared by bloggers from Stockholm, London, Budapest and Sydney. You can find today's and related posts by using the following links:

New York City Daily Blog (earlier posts) - Stockholm by pixels - Fresh Eyes on London - Budapest by Andrea Gerak - Sydney Eye - Peter's Paris.

(You can also find some older related posts on my previous blog via this link: PHO.)

Most ot the Paris metro lines were created in the beginning of last century, the first one, line number one, in 1900. The design of the metro entrances and the stations is thus old. In some cases, certain stations were redesigned, "modernised", especially during the 1960's, but there is now a tendency to try to bring them back to their original design. This is e.g. the case with "my" station, Brochant. I posted about it in April last year. The job is still not finished (possible to work only a few night hours when the metro is closed), but the tiles are now soon back, which possibly may be seen on the right photo below.The last line, number 14, came partly into operation in 1998, has progressively been extended and allows now, since 2007, to travel from Gare Saint Lazare to the Olympiades .

It's driverless, has a high frequencey, rather few stops, runs quicker than the older metro lines and allows e.g. a quick connection between the Gare Saint Lazare and the Gare de Lyon. It's the only line with platform edge doors, preventing accidents and suicides. There are plans to extend it futher, as well south- as norhtwards.




Obvioulsy, the design of the stations, platforms etc. is here different. There are even some green areas at some stations.

Broken chains

In a recent post Olivier talked about the General Dumas. This gave me the idea to return to an open space, a park-like square, called Place du Général Catroux (named after a general who joined Charles de Gaulle in London). On the place, you have the statues of Alexandre Dumas père (the father, the elder) and Alexandre Dumas fils (the son, the younger).

General Dumas was the father of Alexandre Dumas père and the grandfather of Alexandre Dumas fils. I will revert to them further down, but first I must say a few words about the life of General Thomas Alexandre Dumas, which is quite fantastic.

He was born a slave at Haiti, the son of a French nobleman and his slave servant Casette. When he was 8, his father returned to France and sold him, but later regretted it and made him come to France. In the meantime the mother had died. Thomas Alexandre got a reasonable education, enrolled the army. This is when he took the name Dumas (meaning “from the farm”, which was the nickname her mother had had). As we were then around 1789 and as the French Revolution left room for a non-nobleman to become an officer and thanks to his bravery he advanced quickly and was the first black man to become a general in the French Army in 1793. The Austrians nicknamed him “the Black Devil”. Slavery was abandoned in French colonies in 1794, but reinstated in 1802.

General Dumas participated in Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign. On his way back he was captured, stayed in prison some three years and got seriously ill. He later refused to participate in an expedition to fight a rebellion at Haiti. That meant the end of his military career and he received no pension. He died in 1806 at the age of 44. His son Alexandre was then 4 years old.

Thanks to his wife, his son and grandson, General Dumas was later granted some recognition. He got a statue erected at this place which was however destroyed by the Nazi occupants during WW II.

So, we can find the statue of Alexandre Dumas père, author of - among tens of novels – “The Three Musketeers”, “The Count of Monte Cristo”... He had a rather complicated life also, but has at least received all the honours and is buried at the Pantheon (see previous post) together with other French leading personalities.

His (illegimate)son, Alexandre Dumas fils, has also his statue here. He’s buried at the Montmartre cemetery (see previous post).

Alexandre Dumas fils is more particularly known as the author of “The Lady of the Camelias” (“Camille”), inspired by his relationship with a courtesan, Marie Duplessis, who died young. Alexandre made the adaption to what became Verdi’s opera “La Traviata”, first time performed at the Fenice theatre in Venice (see previous posts). Marie Duplessis has also her tomb at the Montmartre cemetery (see previous post).

To replace the disappeared statue of General Dumas, a new sculpture to his honour was installed at this place earlier this year (see also top picture). It symbolises the broken slave chains. So, now, it’s again the place of the “three Dumas”. (In the building you see behind lived Charles Gounod, composer of “Faust”, “Ave Maria”...)

There is a fourth statue on this place, of Sarah Bernhardt, who of course also played the role of “The Lady of the Camelias”. She lived for some time in the building you can see below (with some surprising decorations) in the neighbour street, rue Fortuny (see previous post). Sarah is buried at the Père Lachaise cemetery (see previous post).

Another link between the personalities here is also that the statue of Alexandre Dumas père was created by Gusatve Doré, who had a love story with Sarah Bernhardt. Gustave was perhaps more known as an engraver and illustrator, including e.g. of Charles Perrault’s fairy tales, “Tales of Mother Goose” (“Little Red Riding Hood”, “Sleeping Beauty”, “Puss-in-Boats”... later retold by the Brothers Grimm).

Hopefully this picture can give you an idea of how the above personalities were linked to each other.

The Place du Général Catroux is surrounded – including the neighbour streets - by some magnificent mansions (hôtels particuliers). This includes more particularly maybe the “Hôtel Gaillard”, now belonging to the French National Bank (see previous post).

I’m sorry, this was long, but as it was all linked together... This is where you can find the place.

Rue de Menilmontant (2) ... plus...

I mentioned in my last post that I would come back with some photos of some nice little streets around the top of Rue de Menilmontant (see map on previous post).

There are e.g. some small and more or less private alleys – Cité Leroy, Villa de l’Ermitage...- with individual houses and small gardens; the way many of us would like to live. Even in this traditionally “popular” area, it’s getting expensive and the original type of population will probably soon have disappeared. The whole area is getting more and more fashionable. At least, some of these alleys and houses will remain, partly due to difficult ground conditions; so much plaster stone has been extracted here that the ground is like a gruyere cheese.

I recently discovered another little alley close to the Montmartre cemetery, Cité Pilleux, with some kind of continuation on the opposite side of the perhaps not so immediately attractive Avenue de Saint Ouen. Here the gates are more or less closed.

I wish you a nice weekend!

Rue de Menilmontant (1)

I have been showing quite a bit if “urban art”, “street art”, “graffiti” - or whatever you call it - in previous posts. I could not omit visiting an official and indoor exposition of some of the most famous urban artists with works visible all around Paris, more particularly Nemo, Mesnager, Mokko & associés.

To reach it, I walked up the steep Rue de Menilmontant, passing by some of the more spectacular official wall decorations by Nemo and Mesnager which I illustrated already in a previous message about the Belleville / Menilmontant area. Here I have added another complete wall illustration by a famous French cartoonist, Trez (actually in one of the smaller sidestreets).

So, when you reach the top, behind an - of course - illustrated wall, you will find a building which differs a lot from the surrounding more normal or modest buildings. This is where the exposition takes place (until end August).

There used to be lot of mansions like this around Paris, in what was then countryside. They were called “folies”, certainly something extravagant for wealthy people, maybe a place for permanent living or just for the "weekend". This one has its origins from the 18th century and is named “Pavillon Carré du Baudoin”. It was for a long time inhabited by the Goncourt family, a name linked to the leading French yearly literary prize. It was later taken over by the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul it and served, with annexes, as hospital and a place for medical help until the end of last century when it was taken over by the City of Paris. It was reopened quite recently and serves now as a place for exhibitions and other cultural events. The little park in front of it is now open to public.

You can see that Mesnager has made his own version of Botticelli’s “Spring”.

It’s normal that these artists exhibit here; they have been very active in the area.

Around the mansion, there are some very nice little streets to which I will revert on Friday, but part of the area is under renovation. This has given the opportunity to some more anonymous graffiti artists to excel. Here you can see one in operation, actually on the wall of a small theatre or club, called “Studio de l’Ermitage”.

The renovation of the area is obviously also the reason for what you can read on these mailboxes: “Mail for nowhere”, “To Monsieur who has left without leaving his address”.

The area has some old cultural background. Still on the top of the hill, you can find a big complex called “La Bellevilloise” which still offers a lot of cultural activities (and bar and restaurant). It was founded in 1877 as a cooperative to give people of more modest origins living here a chance to open to culture. It’s neighbour, “Théatre de Menilmontant” also dates from 1877 and is still very active with interesting performances. A lot could be said about these, but maybe another time. Very close you can also find “Le Vingtième Théatre”.

I got another award, by James, "Blog de Ouro". Sincere thanks! I should forward it, but as always have difficulties to do it personally - too difficult -, so once more I will not follow the rules! (Hope James doesn't take it back!

Montmartre ... again!

If you want to get a view like the one above or like these...

... you have to use some stairs. Here are some samples of what they look like on the way to the top of Montmartre. Some are the monumental ones in front of Sacré Coeur; some are the more modest ones often on the “back side”, the northern side of the hill....

A more lazy solution is of course to use the teleferic which you may see a bit of, at the left on the left photo below, or the small bus. Forget the car!

I have already posted so often on Montmartre on this blog and on my previous one, but I have still a number of photos in reserve. Here are a few more, mostly from the not so much visited northern part of the hill, which I recommend ... also to avoid the crowds!

I have also to remind you that there is a Dali Museum at the top (rue Poulbot) with some 300 original pieces of art!