It is easy for a trip to Paris to fall into a groove of the
standard, admittedly spectacular, sites. This time we decided not to follow
that path, but instead to explore some areas that we have overlooked in the
past. This decision was made easier by
the fact that it was Monday and everything else was closed!
Canal Saint Martin
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| Grey Nomads at the Helm |
First on the agenda was Canal Saint Martin, starting at
Place de la Republique and walking along the line of the canal which was the main
delivery artery for grain, building materials and a range of consumer goods, as
well as a supply of fresh water for Paris.
Construction took place in the first quarter of the nineteenth century
with the final structure linking the Ourcq River and the River Seine. The canal infrastructure, including swing bridges and locks are still functioning, but the main users appear to be the
occasional leisure boat with the French version of Grey Nomads at the helm.
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| Swing Bridge |
The area of the canal itself has that slightly gritty feel of a quarter which is in the process of gentrifying, but somehow is trying to resist the change. It is characterised by a high volume of graffiti side by side with chic cafés, emerging fashion brands and art bookshops. It also provides a (slightly frightening) vision of what Paris may have been had the international enthusiasm for urban renewal in the 1960s taken hold in the 16th Arrondissement. There are examples of 60s and 70s apartment buildings next to the more traditional French buildings which demonstrate that even the French fail in taste sometimes. At least they had the sense to limit the extent of their failure! The area is generally safe, but the occasional sideways glance makes the wary traveller check the security of wallet and phone on regular occasions.
Nonetheless, the canal has been important in Parisian post
war culture. The footbridges over the
canal and the squares and streets in the area are instantly recognisable to
anyone who has seen too many French movies from the sixties and seventies.
We fell for all the recommendations of the tourist website,
and had a Sauterne at the Café Prune and took pictures of the standard scenes.
However, it did not feel as bad as holding a camera above a crowed Louvre to
take a picture of the Mona Lisa, because it is impossible to see through the
crowd in front of you.
Bibliothèque Nationale de France
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| Rabin Garden |
We set out to visit the Bibliothèque Nationale de France by catching the Metro to Gare de Lyon and
walking through the area of Bercy where the French Finance Ministry has
established itself in recent years.
Wandering through the Park de Bercy we happened upon the Yitzhak Rabin
Peace Garden which, as its name suggests, is a park devoted to the memory of
the former Israeli Prime Minister who was assassinated while trying to
negotiate peace with the Palestinians. I
could not help thinking of Andrew Bolt, who would probably have had several problems
with the park, including the overall peace message, the theme of sustainability
and the location of the Climate Change advice centre within its confines.
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| SDB Footbridge |
We approached the Bibliothèque by way of the very impressive
Simone de Beauvoir Footbridge across the Seine. On the East bank of the river
was a series of statues which recognised the various nationalities from around
the globe, and provide an ideal place for racist graffiti.
BnF, as it is known to the regulars at Quay Bercy, is a
completely different experience to Canal Saint Martin. Commenced by Francois Mitterrand and opened
by Jacques Chirac, it is the new(ish) home for the archival library of
France. The institution promises to « Partageons la culture » and
a thoughtful contributor reminds the institution that this sharing should remain
« Gratuitement ». A
warning sign on the way cautions that it will take 150,000 years to read all of
the books in the library. We are sure
that this does not include the time to navigate the French bureaucracy to
acquire a reading card, nor does it allow for the closure on Mondays and the
August holidays, all of which have priority over the actual reading. In fact, we did not come to read, but just to
absorb some of the atmosphere of this impressive building and its contents.
The
architect has placed four towers on the corners of the site to house the books,
and developed an underground world for the human access in the centre of the
site. The library, apart from storing
and providing access to books and manuscripts, holds a wide range of cultural
events, none of which are accessible on our visit.
One interesting surprise was the discovery of the Coronelli globes
inside. They were commissioned by Cardinal
d’Estrées in 1683 as a gift to King Louis XIV and were originally destined to
be kept at Versailles, glorifying the sun king. The size of the globes meant
that they have been difficult to sort and display effectively. In recent times they have been displayed at Pompidou Centre and Centennial of the Grand Palais in 2005 but have proven impractical as permanent
exhibits due to their size – they are each 3.84m in diameter. Now they have an appropriate home at the BnF.
A worthwhile visit, but don’t expect to read much.
Opéra Restaurant
A more traditional but at the same time modern Parisian
experience rounded off our stay. We ate
at the new(ish) Opéra Restaurant, located within the opera house – within but
not of. Although the original design of
the Opéra envisaged a restaurant back in the late 1800s, it was only achieved
in 2011. The architect, Odile Decq, a
highly awarded French architect, was required to build the restaurant without touching
or using any of the existing structure of the historic building. The design is a masterpiece, the food is
worthy of the building, and the service was great.
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