In between my final exams as they took place over a (stressful) 10 day period,
I spent time walking around different arrondissements
in Paris to better familiarize myself with their layouts, their
streets, their sites, their cafés, etc. Instead of wandering aimlessly
in these neighborhoods and stumbling upon new places--although
that in itself is something fun to do--, I used my Mom's self-guided walking cards
to lead and orient me in these different sections of Paris I had yet to discover.
You might be wondering: well, Natalie has been for 5 months, should she know
Paris by the back of her hand by now? The truth is that I do not as Paris is so
large and has so much to offer that I simply cannot visit every park,
see every museum, eat every café all while having the plan of each arrondissement
memorized. True, I have seen quite a bit-- my loyal and few blog followers
would know--- but I would argue that seeing different monuments in
different arrondissements and understanding how each
arrondissements is laid out are different and not necessarily related.
Thus why I decided to really start to delve into little neighborhoods and
memorize street names and layouts, which is a task that I know I will have
to continue and improve upon
in my coming years in Paris.
CHATEAU DE VINCENNES:
One of France's oldest, most important, and better preserved castles
dating back to the Middle Ages.
For more information: http://en.chateau-vincennes.fr/
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| A view from outside of the castle walls |
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| The front entrance |
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| The wall that surround the fortress itself |
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| The chapel: unfortunately, my pictures do not do justice to how austere and beautiful this chapel was |
PROMENADE PLANTEE
Created in 1988 by Philippe Mathieux and Jacques Vergely on the former railway line, which linked Place de la Bastille to Varenne-Saint-Maur from 1859, the Promenade Plantée mixes areas of wild vegetation that has sprung up alongside the railway line with more modern landscaped areas.
The length of the park is roughly 3 miles long and was a very pleasant experience to walk!
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| As you can see here, the park sits above the viaduct and below currently lie cutting edge artisan shops, galleries, and studios. |
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| A flower market by Bastille |
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| Back at Place de la Concorde for the end of the year Middlebury reception which both Muriel and Nicolas graciously attended! |
10E, 11E AND 12E ARRONDISSEMENTS
Both of these arrondissements are located in the east of Paris, on the right
bank, and near Bastille, Republique, and Nation. Moreover, they are young and trendy
as they are home to alternative cafés, hip clothing shops, and great nightlife.
Over the course of 4 days, I came back there 3 out of the 4 because I was so intrigued
by what these places had to offer, and I hope that my photos
reflect that.
MARCHE ALIGRE, 12E
Located just 7 minutes away from Bastille, Marché Alligre
is a bustling, high-energy, and noisy market that has an incredible amount of goods to offer.
You can't walk a few feet without someone yelling at you from their stall that
they want to sell the best, the freshest, the cheapest XYZ. What was also interesting is that
this market caters to the neighborhoods' large North African population and
many of the goods and stores around this area reflected that influence.
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| Anyone hungry? |
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| Looking through the photo books on a variety of subjects was probably my favorite part of the market |
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| Hand's down one of the best lunches I have had in Paris at La Ruche au Miel, a Moroccan restaurant right near the marché Aligre: Curry chicken with spiced, cooked mangoes, apples and a prune, delicious and sooting mint tea, homemade focaccia bread, and a flaky small honey dessert All for 15 euros! |
RUE DE LA CHARONNE
and surrounding streets- 11e
About a month ago, I read a NYT travel article about the best
undiscovered streets in Europe, and the author named
this street for Paris given its understated-cool and boho vibes.
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| The most famous Parisian ballet flat maker |
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| The "Without Underwear" Bistro |
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| Bastille in the distance |
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| Place de la Republique, 11e |
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| Cool café |
12E ARRONDISSEMENT
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| Stumbled upon the Element Skateboards Store |
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| A famous boulangerie in Paris |
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| A few years back, this place was voted to have the best chocolate croissants |
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| Eating a goat cheese and tomato bread roll (from that place) along the Canal St. Martin |
Hôpital St. Louis' Hidden Square
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| Does this design make you recall another famous square in Paris? It should! The architect of this hospital was also the architecture of Place des Vosges in the Marais. |
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| Children playing and laughing |
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| Quite frankly, not a bad view to have from a hospital room! |
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| Canal St. Martin |
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| When you sight see alone, you end of having to take a selfie to have proof that you were actually there and the one taking the photos |
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| Parc Bercy, 12e |
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| Up, up, up, there Aaron goes! |
EXPLORING MORE OF THE
LATIN QUARTER -
5e and 6e arrondissements
Although I have spent a fair amount of time
here already, I spent this past Sunday afternoon
walking down every little street and trying to understand how it
all connects and layouts, while stopping at various
shops and parks along the way.
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| One the many art galleries I passed on Rue de Seine |
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| The petit choux de La Maison de Choux (Bottom right are some of my self-guided walking cards- the front has the map of the walk while the back gives an explanation of what you are seeing along the way) |
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| Square next to Saint Germain des Près Eglise |
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| Assouline- the fashionable book publisher |
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| A Lost Generation Literary Haunt |
