Paris Trip 2012

I am not going to worry about the pole today. I decide to visit Parc des Buttes Chaumont, built under Baron Haussmann for the 1867 exposition. I want to see Gustave Eiffel's bridge, erected 20 years before the Eiffel Tower. The park is in northeast Paris. I have an espresso at Le Petit Cafe. There are men drinking beer at 7:30 in the morning. I watch as the proprietress leaves the store, returning with a newspaper which she gives to a customer. That would never happen in the US. She doesn't have any croissants.

There are many people in the park jogging, walking, practicing Tai Chi and Chi Gong, some with swords. The artificial waterfall that leads to the lake looks fake. Around the temple (Belvedere of Sybil) at the topmost point of the park, three Chinese people are performing Chi Gong in the fresh air. I stop halfway across Eiffel's bridge to look at the lake. I see clouds form in the water, then 2 enormous carp feeding on the mud bottom. I wish I could fish them. Two runners cross the bridge and set it bouncing violently.

I leave the park and travel back to the 4th arrondissement. It is time to find Count Scarlioni's castle, where Doctor Who and Romana saved Paris from destruction in the City of Death. The doorway of the "castle" is a large double wooden door with carvings of medusa on the main panels. It is located at 31 Rue Vieille du Temple. I find it easily. I can't believe I am touching this door! It is the biggest thrill I've had yet.

I eat lunch at Bar de Marche, ordering a galette au jambon and coffee. I initiate a conversation with an American couple and their daughter. They were visiting the Dordogne for several weeks. When they leave I have a conversation with a woman from New York. She stared at her iPhone for most of lunch, hardly aware she was in Paris.

Sated, I head west to the Hotel de Ville. I attempt to take a picture of the Tour de Saint-Jacques but am foiled by its asymmetric geometry. I see Église Saint-Eustache in the distance. Because of the destruction of Les Halles, the building seems to float like a ship against the horizon. Between it and the Bourse de Commerce, I can't decide which building I like better. I try but can't find an entrance to Saint-Eustache. It is closed for construction.

As I leave, I see a street named for one of my favorite writers, Blaise Cendrars! It turns out to be a simple alley with no markings anywhere, except on this sign. Yay!

At this point, I am drifting. I find Église Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois by accident. Behind it, unexpectedly, is La Samaritaine, a deco building. I feel I need to have some direction and choose to visit Sainte-Chapelle. I cross the Pont Neuf to the Île de la Cité. Somehow I bypass the entire island and find myself in Saint Germain des Pres. Oh well. Let's be flexible. I decide to take pictures of the old wall and tower next to Procope's.

It is 2 in the afternoon. I go home early as I am meeting Anna for dinner. Back at the apartment, I research more fish stores and find one in the 6th arrondissement, although I suspect they are primarily salt-water.

I meet Anna about 6:30. We take Lucy out for a walk and stop at the Zig-Zag cafe. While we have dinner and some beer, Lucy eats her bone on the sidewalk. It is late when I arrive home. I fall into bed and a deep, trouble-free sleep. I dream of the past.