Weeks 4 and 5: Discovering New Parts of Paris

These past two weeks, I've decided to visit parts of

Paris that I had never visited before. This has remained one of my 

primary goals for the summer as I had left my study abroad experience 

one year ago feeling that I knew Paris well, but not very well. 

While I know that it would take a decade (or maybe even a lifetime) 

to truly know this city, I have been making strides in exploring the parts

of Paris that are not found in the city's center. 

Below are photos from these different adventures, and the order is as follows:

#1: Promenades in the 9e arrondissement 

#2: Tuileries Gardens (albeit touristy)

#3: France vs. Germany semi-final experience

#4: A lovely park and market in the 15e

#5: Musée Rodin in the 7e

#6: The great parks of the 19e: Parc de la Villette, Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, 

and Parc de Belleville

Other updates: Work continues to go well, I am getting to know

the other interns, and the home life is swell!

After I finished reading the "Devil Wears Prada" in French,
Gautier and I watched it together!

#1: Promenades in the 9e arrondissement 

These photos were all taken during my lunch breaks as I use every minute of my hour lunch to walk all throughout the 9e and (sometimes 18e) arrondissements. 

Rue La Fayette

Square Monotholon

Ibid. 

Rue Semard 

Rue La Fayette

Paroisse Saint Vincent de Paul, 10e

Art Nouveau Apartment on Rue d'Abbeville

Little Square on Rue Clauzel

Avenue Trudaine

Place d'Anvers 

One of the many cute cafés on Avenue Trudaine

Ibid. 

Rue des Martyrs has become one of my favorite streets in Paris:
It is situated right behind Notre Dame la Lorette and is home to
many well decorated and nice boulangeries, gourmet food shops,
cafés, clothing stores, and more. What I particularly love about this street
are the attention to details in both the product and display, and will showcase
more examples of what I mean in the coming weeks. 

One of the best boulangeries on the street as they always
have a line out the door, and after eating the grilled vegetable foccaccia down below,
I can now understand why!

During one lunch break, I walked from work to Sacre Coeur:
I walked to Notre Dame La Lorette, found Rue des Martyrs just behind it, turned
left onto Avenue Trudaine at the end of Rue des Martys and continued up to Sacre Coeur
upon reaching the 18e. It was a solid 25 minute walk each way and will happily do it again!

Another shot of Avenue Trudaine

#2: Tuileries Gardens (albeit touristy)

After one day of work, some of the interns decided to visit both the Tuileries Gardens and the Louvre, and here are some photos from that excursion!

The over-exposure on this photo shows you how hot it still was
at 7:00 at night!

Musée d'Orsay

Tourists and locals basking in the sun 

3: France vs. Germany semi-final experience

For the France vs. Germany semi-final game, two interns invited
all of us to their home that borders the Champs des Mars. As a result, we were able to view the fan zone
screen from their roof top and take part in the fan zone's energy, without physically being in the fan zone.
Overall, it was a great evening, and we were all very content that France won
and is now in the Euro Cup final vs. Portugal! 

Their roof. 

#4: A lovely park and market in the 15e

Yesterday, I decided to visit two of the largest and most populous arrondissements in Paris: the 15e and the 19e (while taking a break at the Musée Rodin in the 7e in between). While these two arrondissements are not home to many historically significant sites as other arrondissements, I still wanted to walk around them in order to broaden my experience and understanding of Paris. Not all of  Paris is glitzy and glamourous, yet there is much to appreciate and observe in these other arrondissements. 

A street in the 15e

Parc George Brassens, a recommendation from my host father

Le Marché aux Livres in the park

The 15e is a mix of old and new architecture, which (I
believe) this photo depicts well. 

Walking underneath the tracks that lead to Gare Montparnasse

#5: Musée Rodin in the 7e

The Musée Rodin remains as one of my favorite museums in Paris. From the garden and the landscaping to the sculptures and the artwork, there is so much beauty and inspiration to be found at this museum, which (I hope) is reflected in the many photos I took during my visit. 

The Three Shades

The Musée Rodin is situated right next to the Invalides (the former
military hospital and the tomb of Napoleon) and not far from the Eiffel Tower 

The Burgers of Calais as they contemplate
their decision to die at the hands of the British in exchange
to spare their city from harm during the Hundred Years War. 

I visited the museum with my French friend, Ally, who
herself had never been here before and walked away too
loving it! 

The thinker

Saint Honoré Balzac

The museum's interior

I loved the way in which the light differed in each room and how
each sculpture's feeling and expression changed depending on the light it received. 

#6: The great parks of the 19e: Parc de la Villette, Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, 

and Parc de Belleville

Parc de la Villette: Although a visit to Paris' most futuristic park won't be appeal to everyone (myself included), the space is nonetheless an interesting example of the city's efforts at urban renewal and the repurposing of obsolete buildings. Once the city's slaughterhouse district, la Villette was transformed in 1987 into a public green space quite unlike any other in the city--and ignited no small amount of controversy. It is home to many museums, a canal, and modern artwork and attracts a large amount of Parisians due to the immense amount of attractions it has. 

Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie

An amusement park

 A dragon-inspired slide

     
                                                                                

Parc des Butte-Chaumont: After visiting Parc de la Villette, I walked 20 minutes to another great park in the area, Parc des Butte-Chaumont. Here, one can appreciate stunning views of the city from this hilly setting, especially of the Montmartre district. Its layout gives it a particular charm: caves and waterfalls, a suspended bridge, a belvedere, a high viewpoint, and great green lawns to sit, chat, or tan on. 

Montmartre is to the far left

Parc de Belleville and the neighborhood of Belleville

According to my city walk cards, "you'll find few tourists in this famously diverse working-class neighborhood (except at Père Lachaise), but this walk includes the highest point in Paris, a thriving outdoor market, the city's most famous cemetery, and a hip bar scene. It is also where Edith Piaf grew up."

The graffiti-covered Rue Dénoyez

Rue Jouye-Rouve

Parc de Belleville

A rap contest that I listened to while in the park

Dinner at Le Bouillon Chartier in the 9e with Daisy and some friends
(and from there, I went to some great kick-backs with the interns before heading home
at 1:00 that day---which is quite early for Paris standards, but just fine
for me and having walked all over Paris that day)