Paris Journal 2008

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Yesterday we walked all the way from the apartment in the 15^th to the top of Montmartre in the 18^th . Oftentimes I plan our walks, then tell Tom the names of the streets we will be taking. He says that just hearing the names makes him want to go. So here’s the list: Rue St. Dominique Rue Solferino Passarelle Solferino Jardin des Tuileries Rue Castiglione Place Vendome Rue de la Paix Place de l’Opéra Boulevard des Capucines Boulevard des Italiens Rue des Italiens Rue Lafitte Rue des Martyrs (steep hill!) Rue Drevet (many steep steps!) Rue du Calvaire (many steep steps!) Place du Tertre Place du Parvis du Sacré Cœur The last third of that list represents a very steep, long climb. We did stop a few times. The first was for refreshments at the brasserie at the corner of the Boulevard St. Germain and the rue Solferino. We stopped soon after, under the Passarelle Solferino, just before entering the Tuileries garden, to hear the extraordinary one-man band, Bernard Constant (www.bernardconstant.fr). This man can sing or play the trumpet or valve trombone, play the accordion, and play the drums all at once. And he does it all well. He has a stack of song lyrics in front of him, but he knows all the music by heart. He has appeared in three movies, and he won a conservatory prize in trumpet. His electronic accordion, fortunately, sounds more like an organ than an accordion. According to his brochure, he is also a jazz pianist, and he plays the harmonica. He is a composer, and a member of the SACEM, an organization for authors, composers, and editors of music. He’s played in twenty-some TV shows, and for very special events such as the UNICEF gala that was organized by Madame Giscard d’Estaing. What’s he doing playing outside? My guess is that he is retired now, but still wants to play. He wants to play what he wants to play, and he does not want to play in a smoky club at night. Under the Passarelle, he is safe from the rain, and the acoustics are good. His audience, the passers-by, are very appreciative, but probably none so much as we are. Tom is intrigued by his method and set-up for the drums. Bernard has rigged himself an extra foot pedal that operates a stick that strikes a cowbell. So he is playing the bass drum, cowbell, and high-hat cymbals with just two feet. He can play the accordion with one hand, and the trumpet or valve trombone with the other. Truly amazing. His singing voice is a little raspy, but deep and romantic. We just love this guy, and we’ve been listening to him for years. I think next time we must buy one of his cd’s. We always give him a couple euros. We stopped again for an extremely late lunch (4PM?) at a café on the rue des Martyrs. We never would have been able to finish the steep climb without this fortification. The Place du Tertre, at the top of the hill, was crazy as ever on a Saturday, so full of people you could barely move. But we got through it eventually, and went on to the steps in front of Sacré Cœur where we sat and enjoyed the entertainment and spectacular view of Paris. A Spanish-looking vocalist/acoustic guitarist whom we’ve seen/heard there before was doing his usual oldies-but-goodies repertoire (Beatles tunes, Hotel California, La Bamba, etc.), accompanied by a little Mexican-looking electric guitarist who was very talented. Off in a corner was a gymnast dressed as a soccer player doing marvelous moves with a soccer ball. It was hard to photograph him as people moved about going up and down the steps, but I did get one photo of him spinning the ball on his forehead. Most impressive were his handstands, during which he’d manipulate the ball with his legs and feet. We decided to walk home as far as we could. Going down the steps in front of Sacré Cœur to the busy little shop-filled rue de Steinkerque led us to the Boulevard de Rochechouart. There were still many shops along that north side of the boulevard, and we finally saw one that had something I’ve always wanted: a tiara. The shop, Espace Orient, has incredible, elegant and flashy costumes of all kinds. I bought my tiara for €9 and we were on our way. I had to point out to Tom that I was modest in choosing a modest tiara, not one of the really flashy ones, which probably would only have cost me €12. Anyway, at age 52, I finally own a tiara. I should have done this when I was 5. Having gone back down the steep rue des Martyrs to the boulevard des Italiens, we decided that enough was enough. We took the metro at Richelieu Drouot by the Opéra Comique back home to Commerce. The newsstand near the church was still open because it likes to sell to churchgoers when the Saturday evening service ends, so we did manage to buy the newspapers. Those newspapers, plus a fresh baguette, were all we needed to end a pleasant day in Paris. Gymnast with soccer ball spinning on his head, on the steps in front of Sacré Cœur.

Sunday, July 13, 2008 Looking toward our goal, Sacré Cœur, as we prepare to cross the Boulevard St. Germain at Solferino. The military vehicle is in town to help direct traffic during the Bastille Day parade, which will be on Monday morning. We’ve also been seeing military aircraft flying about, preparing for the airshow that precedes the parade. Rue Lafitte, as we look at Notre Dame de Lorette, toward our goal of Sacré Cœur. Bernard Constant, the extraordinary one-man band. Bernard’s left heel rests on an extra pedal that operates a stick that hits a cowbell, which is the copper-brown rectangle in the middle of the photo. Sign my guestbook. View my guestbook. Next →