Place : Paris - Venturing to District 11
Date: Oct' 8th 2019
Exactly a year ago, on our previous trip in 2018 to Paris, we discovered, and had tremendously enjoyed, the digital imagery exhibit we saw on Gustav Klimt, at the L'Atelier des Lumières, and which I wrote about.
Thus today, we ventured to the 11th district, known for its many restaurants and bars, social class communities coexistence mix of: hipsters, ethnic (Chinese, Arabic and African) and wealthier, as to view, this time, the the Van Gogh exhibit, and as well as to explore few other points of interest of the district. Known, are the République and La Bastille squares, the Bastille Opera and the Le cimetière du Père Lachaise- the largest Parisian cemetery – where several legends such as Molière, Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf and Jim Morrison are buried.
(38 rue Saint Maur 75011 Tel 01 80 98 46 00)
This monumental digital magnificent mobile imagery of Van Gogh's life and art, is screened onto walls, floor-to-ceiling of Paris Imagery Center, situated in a former iron factory's large rectangular space, followed by two other short films. The factory was refurbished, transformed, and inaugurated as a museum this April 2018. The screening is accompanied by most befitting classical music which adds so much to the entire sensual experience
Tickets should be ordered online only.
Putting mileage onto our newly acquired Metro card, we entered the district through Saint Ambrose Metro station, and "surprise surprise".. the first impressive structure, that stroked our vision was
Located at 71 Boulevard Voltaire, Catholic Saint-Ambroise was built in a neogothic, neo-Roman neobyzantine styles, between 1863 and 1868, and gave the neighborhood its name, the quartier Saint-Ambroise
Le Perchoir -Roof top restaurant -14 rue Crespin du Gast
Way up on the 7th floor of a typical unremarkable industrial Hausmannian building (Baron Hausmann was a French official who led the city's planning transformation of Paris, and there are many like is in the niegborhhod)
a hidden spot made into a non assuming rooftop garden bar/ restaurant, worth the elevator ride, not for the food, but for the great panoramic vistas of the city, and it's chimneyed terracotta piped roof tops.
Further up the same street - rue Crespin du Gast - at the Ménilmontant neighborhood, a very small brass plaque on the building , next to a desirable Cookie Store, announces of
Musee Edith Piaf - 5 rue Crespin du Gast
If you are an admirer of the famous chanson singer of 'La Vie en Rose' and 'Milord', you will appreciate this tiny and intimate museum tucked away in 2 rooms of a private apartment, which Edith Piaf lived, in the start of her career. It includes collection of her personal mementos, belongings, and correspondence.
"Scoop me a Cookie" - Cookie place 5/7 rue Crespin duGast
Only specialty cookies being sold there with or without caramel, vanilla, nuts and all kind of chocolate.
Further walking in the district we encounter the round beautiful structure known as:
Cirque D'Hiver building - Winter Circus -110 rue Amelot
Designed by architect Jacques Ignace Hittorff, (also designed gurd the nord and redesigned the Concord and many cafés and restaurants on the Champs-Élysées) the circus/theatre was opened by Emperor Napoleon III in 1852, as the Cirque Napoléon.
Renamed in 1870 to Cirque d'Hiver it is one of the oldest constructed circuses in Europe. Every winter, the Bouglione family presented a new show with an international cast of artists, clowns, animals, acrobats, trapeze artists, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magical show., live orchestra and dancers.
It has also been a prominent venue for exhibitions of dressage, fashion shows, musical concerts, and even Turkish wrestling.
Heading back via the Marise district , stroling via Temple street
on its small quint non assuming stores, was a sheer delight.
Rue Bielefeld du Temple.
The 1335-meter long Temple street located in the Marais district is one of the oldest streets of Paris named after the order of the Knights Templar, from the middle of the 13thc . Remains of fortifications dating from Philippe Auguste are preserved at # . 69 and 71 of the street.
It begins at the south end in Rue de Rivoli and ends at the north end at Place de la République . In its northern part the street includes many Chinese shops.
Walking through the street, we passed The National Archive elongated beautiful building with its romantic garden
Clisson hotel - hotel of Soubise -hotel of Guise
The hotel of Soubise, formerly hotel of Clisson, the hotel of Guise, is a Parisian mansion with beautiful garden in the back which opened in 2011 to the public, is the building that houses the French national archives. It is located at the corner of the current 87 Rue Vieille du Temple st of in Marais.
Also an old Market stone structure can be spotted when walking the street
Hall des Marche de Blancs The Blanc-Manteaux market -White
A beautiful stone made, old covered market of the 19thc, which since 1992 became the White Mantles animation space, and is used for exhibitions, workshops of drawing, painting and modeling, courses and spectacles of theater and dance or collective sports and martial arts.On the site of the present building stood in the 16thc Governor of Paris, François d'O hotel. He was a favorite of Henry III . In 1656 , the nearby hospital's nuns bought O's hotel making it a hospice for the poor.
That was more than enough for one day which we cut short for the eve of Yom Kippur.
Mode Ani - Saying Thanks and Expressing Gratitude
I am full of Thanks and Gratitude:
to my tin-age daughter
who complains about doing the dishes
since that mean that she stays at home and does not run in the streets
To the taxes I dutifully pay
since it confirms I have work
To the mess that needs to be put back in order after a party
since it tells I am surrounded by friends.
To the cloths that are a bit too tight on me
since it reveals I have enough food
To the shadow that reflects me when I work
since it confirms I am out in the sun-light.
To the grass that needs trimming
To the windows that requires cleaning
To the gutters that should be fixed
since it all tells I have a house
To all the complaints that I hear about the Government
since it attest that we have a Freedom of Speech.
To the parking I find
at the far end of the parking lot,
since it confirms that I am capable of walking
and am blessed to have a means of transportation.
To the huge electric bill I need to pay
because it confirms that I keep warm and protected
To the one behind me that is ton-deaf when singing
since it confirms I can hear
To the pile of clothes required washing and ironing
since it confirms I am capable of hard work
To the bell-ring of the alarm clock in the early morning hours
since it confirms I am Alive
At times, man may feel desperate, exhausted and out of energy.
Really, we run out of strength ? “we don’t have it?
Because once we utter “I don’t have streangth” says Rabbi Haim from Volozin, we are doomed.
It is forbidden to utter a sentence that starts with “I don’t have “ since it set our fate.
Always say “I DO have” in a positive form, so you will realize all the blessings coming your way!
Shana Tova and Gemar Chatima Tova
To be Continued....