Paris Journal 2010 – Barbara Joy Cooley Home: barbarajoycooley.com

Photos and thoughts about Paris

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Remember that I wrote on Saturday that we’d had dinner the night before, on Friday, at Le Commerce Café? That’s where Tom wanted to go, but at first he was a bit confused and said that he wanted to go to the brasserie across from the church, St. John the Baptist of Grenelle. That church is situated at the end of the rue du Commerce, in a square called Place Étienne Pernet. Now the rue du Commerce has become very trendy and chic over the 13 years we’ve been coming to Paris for the summer. In the beginning, it had lots of modest mom&pop kind of businesses that sold things you really need in everyday life. Now there are trendy chain stores, lots of clothing boutiques, etc., and much has been invested in the infrastructure to change the street into an attractive, pedestrian-friendly way. While I do miss the practical little mom&pop shops, there is something to be said for the attractiveness of the rue du Commerce as it is today. It also is in keeping with the overall “gentrification” (gee, I hate that word) of the 15^th arrondissement. On Friday, when we reached the Place Étienne Pernet at the end (or is it the beginning?) of the rue du Commerce, Tom realized his mistake and we backtracked a little bit to Le Commerce Café, where he really wanted to be. Later, when I read Saturday’s edition of Le Parisien, I discovered that earlier in the day on Friday, at about 1AM, a young man was killed on Place Étienne Pernet! This was shocking, especially considering how trendy the area has become. It gives, at least, the illusion of being a perfectly safe place. I’m sure that’s what the young man thought as he sat on a bench, chatting with two of his friends. The young man lived in the neighborhood, according to the newspaper. A man approached the three friends and asked for a cigarette. The three refused to give him one (or they didn’t have one to give). So the man turned and left. The story should have ended there. But instead, the man returned with two accomplices. They picked a fight with the three friends. At some point during the fight, one of the malefactors drew a knife and stabbed the young man. When that happened, the three malefactors took flight and “vanished into thin air.” The friends of the young man called for help. The young man was taken to the Pitie-Salpetriere hospital, where he died from his wound. Last night, Tom and I decided to go for Indian food at Banani, which meant that we walked down by Place Étienne Pernet. Then I could see what I think the problem may be. It is nothing new to me; I’ve noticed this for years. Behind the church, the Place becomes a tiny little park with mature trees and several benches. Usually, inebriated homeless men are hanging out here, two or three at a time. I’ve always thought they are there because the church must feed them. They can be obnoxious, loud and aggressive. I assume now that this tragedy has occurred, the police will crack down on the obnoxious activities in the Place behind the church. Banani, by the way, is now closed on Sundays, in spite of what their web site still says about being open 7 days a week. So we walked back up rue du Commerce and dined at Le Tipaza again, on avenue Emile Zola. The food was excellent, and the ambiance lovely. The brasseries on the street were full to overflowing with people because the finale of the World Cup was showing on their TVs. Only one other couple was dining at Le Tipaza, which is unheard-of on a Sunday. Everyone was somewhere else, watching the World Cup. The other couple left Le Tipaza well before us. When we were almost finished with our meal, our friend Mohammed came in. He manages the place. We exchanged greetings. Then it was apparent that Mohammed and the two servers were preparing to close up, very early (9:30PM). So we paid up and bade farewell. Our sport to watch is the Tour de France. Yesterday’s stage was very exciting, in the Alps – not one bit boring, even if it was disappointing for Lance Armstrong. But soccer is so popular here, even more than cycling. Surely the young man who died on Friday would normally have been having a great time, watching the end of the World Cup with his friends and neighbors on Sunday evening. Perhaps the church should re-think the way it is ministering to the drunk, aggressive, homeless men who hang out behind it. By the way, it was poor working people that Father Étienne Pernet especially cared for. He was from a poor family in the country, where his father was both a farmworker and an ironworks laborer, and his mother was the beloved midwife in the area. Pernet co-founded the congregation of the Little Sisters of the Assumption, a religious order that focused on nursing the sick poor in their homes. Sign my guestbook. View my guestbook.

Monday, July 12, 2010 Cute, fat, little birds in a detail above a doorway on the rue de Sevres. The Allée de Cygnes, in the middle of the Seine. The Place Charles Michels in the 15^th arrondissement. An attractive jewelry shop and workshop on the rue de l’Échaudé in the 6^th arrondissement. Often, when a historic building is covered with white stucco, some of the old stone is left exposed to show what is really underneath. ← Previous Next → Note: For addresses & phone numbers of restaurants in this journal, click here.