My Paris Pilgrimage #10

La Vie En Rose--Searching for Edith

La Vie en Rose by Edith Piaf

Those of you who know me well, know that I adore Edith Piaf. She's another holdover from my youth and my years in Maroc as a little girl. My mother loved Edith and she would play her music after returning to the States (athough I don't remember her having any of Edith's records). No matter how, I still have a connection to the "little sparrow" of French romantic ballads. I've included a live recording of her singing "La Vie en Rose" above. Just now, listening to it, I began to cry. Her voice and her music, like few others, touch my soul and bring a depth of emotion to me that I can't quite explain. And, as a result, part of my quest while being here was to visit her grave and see where she lived. I have now done both.

On Saturday, the 15th, I visited the neighborhood of Belleville. This working class area of Paris isn't even in all the tourist books. It's a little seedy, the streets are narrower and dirtier, the people in the streets were dressed simply, and even the cafes were hard to find and not situated in large open boulevards, but along streets where the people sitting outside had to move their legs to let passersby walk past.

Upon emerging from the depths of the Metro at the Belleville station, I immediately saw the red neon sign advertising the Aux Folies Bar, a small place that was once a bistro/theater where Edith sang. She also is said to have sung on many of the street corners and I can envision her in a Metro station singing out her heart to any who would throw a few centimes into her hat.

I spent several hours walking around the Belleville of today, viewing the impressive street art that we would call graffiti and probably paint over in San Diego and window shopping at pawn shops and second-hand stores and what equates to discount stores where prices were decidedly cheaper than any I had previously noted in my wanderings. My enchantment was rewarded a thousand-fold when I made my way up the hill to the Parc de Belleville, a lovely greenspace high on the butte above Belleville and at one of the highest spots in the city. For there, in various spots along the path and at the apex, I could view the city of Paris, including the trite and too-often photographed Eiffel Tower. Here's a short video of the view from the entrance at Rue Piat, at the apex of the park, complete with church bells ringing and requisite kissing couple!

Not one to buck tradition, I too succumbed to taking too many photos of the tower, but a few of them actually almost look professional and will be a dear reminder of the day for me for years to come. I had few encounters with people that day. I spoke to a woman smoking on a bench in the park about the feral cats that seemed to be prevalent throughout the park...the two I saw actually were tuxedos and brought my sweet Charley to mind...maybe her little spirit was there with me in Paris...who knows?

I spoke to the woman at the cafe where I finally alighted for a late lunch of couscous (accompanied by a bowl of vegetables and broth) and beef brochette--the portions of which were so large that I had mistakenly thought I'd ordered two main dishes by accident!  Before I left, though, I noticed that a gentleman nearby had also been served the same huge dishes of food, and I took solace realizing that I hadn't been quite as stupid as I had thought! The food was simple, delicious, and in too-great measure for any one being.

Oh yes, my other encounters were in the Metro. In the caverns of one area where I was transferring from one line to another, a young woman stopped me from taking a pathway clearly marked to go where I was going and insisted that I go down a different hallway. To my surprise she led me to an ESCALATOR that descended the 3-4 levels that I would have otherwise been walking. The Metros do have occasional escalators, but I've not found any rhyme or reason as to when or where to find them. Once I had gone down to the bottom of the escalator, I realized the two paths (the other from the stairs) converged.  Now, if only I could keep that lovely woman nearby when I had stairways to ascend!

The other encounter was with a woman who was probably American. The Metro was so full that I had to stand for several stops, and my balance is not good. I was able to hold on to one railing with my right arm at a weird angle, and I noticed that it wasn't as strong as I would have liked and I was swaying quite a bit when the Metro had its fits of starting and stopping. I had heard her talking English and mentioned to her that I hoped I wouldn't fall in her lap!  She responded that it would be preferable to falling on the ground--but to be honest, doing so wouldn't have been possible: The car was too crowded to have any floor room open!

Ad on wall of Metro from Coke that I liked!

So, that's the gist of the day. I managed to not spend any money except my lunch and a new packet of 10 Metro tickets, so it was an inexpensive day with some experiences that were invaluable beyond measure.  Here are a sampling of pictures from the day.  I hope you enjoy them.

An alley in Belleville showing street art

More street art

Looked like John and Yoko to me...but the street sign was really what caught my eye; EUH?

Sign at entrance to park showing hours, no smoking (YAY) and no dogs (Nay)--no wonder the feral cats were everywhere!

More street art looking down from one area of the park

Much of the park was covered in bushes and pathways

Near the apex, I noted an amphitheater, these paths, and several fountains and ponds

From the apex, the view of Paris.  You can see it was the perfect day!

More views of people enjoying their Saturday in the Park!

The entrance at Rue Piat had these lovely columns all painted with various people in colorful dress

I happened to see this lovely composition of the Tower between the columns and had to snap a pic

One of the narrow streets in Belleville--this shot shows a bookstore and flower shop side by side

Along one of the little traffic circles, I saw this lovely church--St-Jean-Baptiste de Belleville

I thought the stained glass windows juxtaposed with these interesting lights somewhat incongruous

My brochette of boeuf and couscous lunch--with a lovely Affligem Blanche beer!

One of the more interesting beings in the bar/restaurant where I dined...

Historical plaque noting that the first mention of Belleville in history was in the year 862...from 1815-1859 it grew from 3,000 to 70,000 people and was the 3rd largest city in France.  Then, in 1860, it was annexed to the capital city of Paris.

Crowded subway platform at Republique on my way home

Once back in my neighborhood, I stopped for a Coke Zero and a little time for writing.

My building is across the street just to the right of the red banner at Dominos!

The statue of Jean d'Arc at the corner of my block (been meaning to snap this since I got here!)