Elections

We were interested to be visiting Paris for the second run of the election of Deputies which followed the Presidential Election in May.  As the President’s ability to deliver his program depends on the agreement of the Deputies, this was a critical vote.  However, it did not seem so critical at the polling booths we saw, with only 2 voters and the security guard confirming that activity was slow. 

In the end the new President completed the Macronisation of France, but with only a 50% turnout.  The apathy was so great that LeParisien ran a headline suggesting compulsory voting – around 100 years after it was introduced in Australia. 

The enthusiasm for food was a little stronger.

A restaurant on polling day

Tour Eiffel

The Eiffel Tower has become the symbol of Paris, and given that it can be seen from almost anywhere, there is little wonder why.  However, every time we visit, we seem to start at the TE, and this time was not different for us, or for many thousands of other visitors.

 

The full set of photos is hereTour Eiffel Album

The 16-ème

The 16-ème arrondissement is a quiet area in the west of Paris near the Bois de Boulogne, which houses many embassies.  It is relatively untouched by the tourist hoards that consume many other areas around the city, and so it is possible to experience life as a local with only a little imagination. 

The streetscapes are very French, and even the names are familiar, at least to Dominique Bruneau. 

Rather than endless standard meals at cheap Bistros, the market provided plenty of fresh and interesting food, served with vigour by the locals – one slice at a time if necessary.

Although we did find the maker of the best éclair in Paris, he had made enough money from his fame, and closed for the holidays.

One feature of the area is the statue of Jean de La Fontaine, who watches a scene from one of his fables, an exchange between the crow and the fox in the Jardin Ranelagh, Paris. The fox gets the cheese by telling the crow that he would like to hear his wonderful singing voice. The crow opens his beak to sing, the fox gets the bounty.

Paris at a Different Pace

After many visits to Paris over the last thirty-five years, we decided to visit at a different pace and from a different perspective. We chose AirBnB in the 16-ème arrondissement. We spent five days walking – from the 16-ème to the 1-ere and half way back, across the Promenade Plantée, around the Bois de Boulogne and following Pissaro and the Aqueduc de Louveciennes. We also found time for a ride on the Bateaux-Mouches along the Seine at sunset.

Instead of the big galleries we visited the Rodin exhibition at the Grande Palais. We also found our neighbour in the 16-ème, the Musée Marmottan Monet, which is the best permanent impressionist museum in Paris. It houses a permanent exhibition of the best works of Berthe Morisot, the often-ignored woman at the centre of the Impressionist Movement. The current temporary exhibition featured Pissaro including several works from his Louveciennes sojourn in 1871 which sparked the visit to what is now an outer suburb of Paris.

We finished on a high note (not necessarily an accurate one) by joining in the Festival of Music on 21 June, singing along with popular French songs while celebrating the longest day of the year.

On the way, we went back to basics, finding good French traditional food in the markets and one very fine restaurant, and moved at the pace of the locals, slowed by the 35 degree heat of early summer.