Phew, what a walk! From the 4th, through the 5th and 6th, along the edge of the 14th and through the 15th. Thank goodness for the metro home.
It was a beautiful day, clear and sunny, and the Parisians were out in the streets and parks soaking up the sunshine. Some say you should visit the gardens of Paris during the week when they're quiet, but I disagree - it's a joy to watch the locals enjoying their city, and they certainly do.
Headed off today to suss out the location of Gare Montparnasse - the station we depart from later this month for Mont St-Michel. Navigated our way through Saint Germain, via the Luxembourg gardens, to Place Saint Sulpice where a local market is being held this weekend. Browsed the market, then back through the gardens and on to Gare Montparnasse. Now know where we have to be for our 7.05 am train - soooo early when you're on holidays!
Bought coffee and sandwich for lunch and ate in the solitude of Cimitiere Montparnasse. Paid our respects to Serge Gainsbourg, Simone de Beauvoir and Jean Paul Sartre.
Walked on to the Parc Andre Citroen. This was initially a munitions factory, then the Citroen car factory, which was recreated as a park when the car factory relocated outside of Paris. In the park there are two enormous greenhouse-type structures, one of which currently recreates the climate (summer, that is) and native vegetation of Australia. So here we are in Paris wandering through the grevilleas and the eucalyptus!
Home on the metro (oh, my aching legs) with a quick stop at Monoprix for wine, beer and cheese and a baguette from Boulangerie Saint Antoine. The streets are filling with kids out for Saturday night but these two geezers won't be moving from the canape.
Bonne nuit.
PS We know it's the weekend because Fi, Paul and Ruby have entertained themselves for some time with blog comments! Merci, ma famille!
3 comments:
Hi Sally & Brent, Quelle belle journee - walking through parks and markets, there is no better way to see parisiens at play. No wonder you were footsore and weary, and the sofa looked so inviting.
All the 'photos are great. L&G
Hi Sally & Brent
I think if I was in Paris on this day the highlight would have been lunch in a cemetery with Jean Paul Sarte, his partner and Serge Gainsbourg.
Your cup of coffee was certainly appropriate when standing next to Satre. If an existentialist who no longer exists can be imagined to have some spirit hovering around he must have been yearning for just one more expresso in his favourite smoke filled cafe sitting next to Simone.
Sadly there was probably only air above his grave. A philosophy based on existence and shaping it through thought and action doesn't leave much when the existence ends - for a brief moment as he passed out of this world I suppose he became an exit - stencilist.
Serge on the other hand is probably still hanging around, a bit of a problem for his poor parents since they are in the same grave and would probably like a bit of peace and quiet in the afterlife.
If you put your ear near his photo I'm sure you'd faintly hear 'Je taime..moi non plus' wafting across to the nearest grave with a female buried in it. If anyone was going to jump someones bones in a graveyard it would have to be Serge Gainsbourg.
I like his grave but while the flowers and the little koala and octopus are cute I am amazed that no one has left a bottle of whisky or wine - that seems a little more appropriate.
Looking forward to your next entry!
Fiona, Ruby & Paul
It is 7:35am in Melbourne on Tuesday 14/09/2010 and my day has started off in the most wonderful way - reading your blog! Just knowing you are there and reading your story gives me goose bumps. The pictures are stunning. Have enough fun for all of us. xoxo
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