Paris Journal 2014 – Barbara Joy Cooley Home: barbarajoycooley.com
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The ever-present clouds were still in the sky, but the various weather forecasters all agreed: it would not rain that afternoon in Paris. So we went for a hike on the Petite Ceinture (a place where you would not want to be in a rainstorm). This greenbelt opened to the public last year, and we were there then, among the first flaneurs to explore the latest pedestrian wonderland in Paris. I wrote about it on August 25 in last year’s Paris Journal. This time, we accessed this promenade from the end of the rue Lecourbe. Then we walked to the westernmost end of the Petite Ceinture, which is now next to Place Balard. But the area beyond the gate there looks like it is being prepared to extend the public space farther to the west, still following along the old tracks. This morning, I translated some of the information from the expository plaques along the Petite Ceinture, so let me share that with you. Some of it is repetitive with my August 25, 2013, entry. The Petite Ceinture in the 15th In
the mid-19th Century, a railroad was constructed around Paris to transport
passengers and freight [the “Petite Ceinture,”
meaning “little belt.”] Passenger
service continued until 1934, and freight service ended in the late
1970s. In the 15th
arrondissement, this railroad served the Citroën automobile factory and the slaughterhouses
of Vaugirard. Since
then, native vegetation grew on the slopes beside the tracks and on the rocky
surfaces around the rails, forming different vegetative strata with different
habitats for numerous species of wildlife.
To
allow the public to have access to the former railroad site, the City of
Paris has implemented a land management scheme that preserves the railroad
heritage and values this biodiversity.
This promenade is reversible in case the railroad is needed again. The
promenade is closed at night, and the slopes are not accessible to the
public. When trees are trimmed, the
cut branches are left to harbor micro-organisms, fungi, mushrooms, and
insects that help to decompose the wood; all this is essential to the balance
of the forest ecosystem. Explore the
Ecological Richness! The
Petite Ceinture of the 15th reunites the
varied and interesting natural habitats of Paris, such as the new-growth
woods, the prairie, the fallow lands, the forest edge, and the pioneering
vegetation in the rocks and on the walls. Each one of these habitats hosts
different species of animals. 220
species of plants and animals live there or pass through there, between the Parc André Citroën and the Parc
Georges Brassens.
The Petite Ceinture is an ecological corridor. In
the wooded slopes, 21 species of birds, including the endangered spotted
flycatcher, make their nests. The more
open spaces -- such as the edge of the woods, the prairies, or the rocky areas
-- are where bees, wasps, butterflies, ladybugs, and beetles live and collect
nectar and pollen. The Cooling Effect
of Green Spaces During Heat Waves The
City of Paris has implemented a summer program for measuring the cooling
effect of certain green spaces and wetlands within the city. This program includes seven sites where
data is collected in the event of a heat wave. Why? The
presence of vegetation and water in the city theoretically permits a cooling
of the ambient air, and then conveys a greater comfort during heat waves in
the city. The
City of Paris seeks to quantify the diffusion of this cooling effect to be
able to use green spaces (gardens, parks, etc.) and water features
(fountains, canals, etc.) as an adaptive vector in the face of climate
change. The
changing climate will augment the number, the duration, and the intensity of
heat waves in Paris from now until the end of the 21st
Century. In its Plan for Energy and the Climate, the City of Paris considers
adapting its territory in dealing with climate change and ameliorating life
for its inhabitants. How? The
Petite Ceinture and its environs are equipped with
three stations to collect data at different distances from the vegetated
spaces. The effect on the thermal
comfort of this vegetated site is measured in order to know its effectiveness
in terms of cooling the neighborhood. We passed one of those data collection stations, which we had not noticed last year. Very interesting. As survivors of the deadly Great Heat Wave of 2003 in France, we deeply appreciate this project. We turned around at Balard and walked all the way to the other end of the 15th’s Petite Ceinture, the rue Olivier de Serres. In the last stretch, the elevation of the land around us was much higher, rather than lower, than the track level. Suddenly, we felt the cool air of the forested hollow, because here the coolness from the vegetation was collecting in the space between the high slopes. We did not notice the cooling effect when we were walking on the top of the slopes, where the cool air fell down and away from us. For me, this noticeable coolness brought on a warm feeling of validation, because I’ve planted so many trees in my life (especially in the 1980s), and because I advocate keeping as much space as possible devoted to native vegetation on our properties in Sanibel. It really makes a difference to go green; plant and nurture the natives! Forget the overly manicured look. Letting the native vegetation take over also helps the City of Paris to keep maintenance costs low in this greenbelt. There is no need for irrigation, and the men in the green suits have far less planting, trimming, and weeding to do. In fact, the biggest job would probably be to pick up any litter and to keep any invasive exotics at bay. I didn’t notice any obvious invasive exotics growing along the way during our walk. At the closed-off underside of the bridge that conveys the rue Olivier de Serres, we turned around and walked all the way back to Balard, and then walked up the familiar avenue Félix Faure from its terminus to its beginning. All in all, it was a two-and-a-half hour walk. We saw only one bicycle during our entire walk. Because of the elevation changes, the stairs at the access points to the promenade are inconvenient for bicycles. So if you are a pedestrian who would like to avoid bikes and Segways, the Petite Ceinture is for you. At the apartment, we freshened up for dinner, then strolled up to the avenue de Suffren, where I’d reserved a table at Vin et Marée. A hefty 40 percent discount was available via LaFourchette.com. I like to use this as an opportunity to order sole meunière, which is a relatively expensive dish in Paris. We were seated in the front window, which is a spot I wanted to try out in this resto. Our shared starter course was a plate with four prawn croustillants and a little side dish of homemade mayonnaise. The shrimp was still tender, even though the pastry was crisp and hot. Tom ordered the lamb chops, and he savored every bite. I had my sole meunière, and I told the server that I’d like to debone it myself. The kitchen did it for me last time I was at Vin et Marée, and while they did a beautiful job, I realize that I have more fish on my plate when I debone it myself.
I was not given a plate for the bones, however. Tom cleverly thought to remove the plate from beneath our side dish of puréed potatoes so I could use it for the fish skeleton. Excellent! The sole meunière was very fine, and so were the accompanying veggies. Tom was given a huge pile of green beans with his lamb chops; he could not possibly devour them all. Our shared dessert was the baba au rhum, with the excellent Clément vieux rhum agricole. The server very nicely split this dessert for one onto two plates for us. I think she gave us extra rum-soaked raisins and whipped cream. So sweet an ending to a sweet day!
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Wednesday, September 3, 2014
The Petite Ceinture of the 15th arrondissement.
Looking down at the Place Balard from the westernmost end
of the Petite Ceinture.
Native vegetation is allowed to grow along the tracks.
The slope up from Place Balard to the Petite Ceinture. Notice the elevator as well as the steps.
The lambchops, green beans, excellent sauce, and puréed
potatoes at Vin et Marée. |
