Place : Paris -Ille de Saint-lLouis
Date: - Monday Oct. 28th /2019
My morning was spent on maintenance - hair day.
It was already inevitable. Enjoying the city's beauty and aesthetic didn't justify compromising mine... So I put my trust into this French-Swiss hairdresser working at a nice neighborhood's salon close by to where we rent . The lovely hairdresser resides in a village, an hour and a half train ride away from Paris, she told me, because she can not afford the crazily high city's rental cost. She was good at her job, could even communicate in English, and charged less then it costs in Israel. After all.. Paris is still the center of Europe
That made me think of the completely unjustified inflated Israeli "Villa in the Jungle" prices...
Once feeling re-beautified, I felt proper to show again my face- now framed in a new hair due, out in the streets of Paris.
Exploring ILe Saint-Louis
The Île Saint-Louis is named after Louis IX (Saint Louis), King of France from 1226 to 1270.
One of two natural islands in the Seine river, (the other is Ile de la Cite the Notre Dame one), connected to the rest of Paris by four bridges to both banks of the river, and the islands. It was once used for the grazing of market cattle and stocking wood.
It is now populated by about 5000 inhabitants, many of whom are artists and intellectuals , dwelling in the island's end to end, in most authentic elegant 17th and 18thc preserved residential townhouses of reigns Henri IV and Louis XIII urban planning.
The buildings from start were orientated towards the outside, rather than towards an inner courtyard, with windows and balconies facing out to river views.
The island's relatively calm narrow streets are one-way direction, has one large church (1622), and on few, at the building's ground floors tucked in are several restaurants, hotels, shops, cafés and famous Berthillon ice cream parlours, that can not be missed, when visiting this island.
On my favorite street Rue St Louis en Ille, I especially enjoyed the fabulous galleries, and the more elegant gifts shops, like that of
A quint Gift shop
Pylones Saint Louis 57 Rue St Louis en Ille
Hotel Jeu de Paume - rue Saint-Louis-en-Ille
info@jewdepaumehotel.com 33 (0) 143261418
Also hidden away from the street, behind a huge arched wooden door, nests this most quaint boutique Hotel, an historical building, which 3 centuries ago was used as “real tennis” court.
Built in 1634 by Louis XIII, who was a keen player and practiced enthusiastically, the structure witnessed many matches played there until 1747. After that the craze for the game declined and the court was converted into business premises. In 1987 the majestic old beams and stonework caught the eye of architect Guy Prache. He decided to build a hotel while retaining the character of the vast hall which is listed as a French Historical Monument.
A wonderful gallery on the street displayed art of Richard Burlet - an abstract figurative French Painter inspired by Gustav Klimt work
And there is a plaque on 26 Rue Ile Saint Louis , once a residence of George Moustacki (1934-2013)
Born Giuseppe Mustacchi in Alexandria, to Greek Jewish parents from the ancient Romaniote Jewish community, (originally from the Greek island of Corfu then moved to Egypt where they owned the Cité du Livre − one of the finest book shops in the Middle East)
Moustacki - an Egyptian-French singer-songwriter of Jewish Italo-Greek origin, was fluent in French, Italian and Arabic and was schooled in French. He is best known and very liked by many Israelis for the poetic rhythm and simplicity of the romantic songs he composed and often sang, on his many visits to Israel.
Moustaki gave France some of its best-loved music by writing about 300 songs for some of the most popular singers as: Édith Piaf, Dalida, Françoise Hardy, Yves Montand, Barbara, Brigitte Fontaine, Herbert Pagani, France Gall, Cindy Daniel, Juliette Greco, Pia Colombo, and Tino Rossi.
And we even witnessed in live the famous British actresses, model and singer - Charlotte Rampling - coming into the street out of a building she resides in. She is best known for her work in European arthouse films in English, French, and Italia.
in Luchino Visconti's The Damned (1969) in Liliana Cavani's The Night Porter (1974)
With the crossing by the connecting bridge in front of the island, to the Île de la cite where the Notre Dame is, the atmosphere immediately changed, as did swell up the tourists' volume.
Though the Cathedral is still decorated with scuffles and other building material and is closed for renovation due to the recent fire that damaged it, the masses squeezed into the narrow partly blocked streets along the cathedral, frantically clicking their phones' cameras taking photos of the bruised and blackened exterior.
It is more cheerful to end this log with a more colorful painting from
the gallery at Ile Saint Louis.
A painting by Richart Burlet
To be continued....