PARIS - A Flaneur's View at Halloween

In the spirit of the haunting season, the following images are from a flaneur's walk through Paris near All Hallows' Eve, or Halloween.


Notre Dame Cathedral

A Pigeon at dusk in Notre Dame Square by DG Hudson

A looming tower of Notre Dame lends an ominous air to this photo, as does the lighting. The pigeon showing its beautiful wingspan was hotdogging it for the camera. Shortly after, a great flutter of these birds rose in the air around the statue of Charlemagne. There is much history in this one spot. Several churches have existed here before. The center of Paris is in Notre Dame Square. Roman ruins can be found beneath street level and are visible in the Crypt Archeologique.


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Montmartre Cemetery

Montmartre Cemetery, Paris, by DG Hudson

As we made our way with a walking tour group up the hill to Sacre Coeur, we stopped at the Montmartre Cemetery. In the photo above, note the design of the rounded monument on the right with the pinkish exterior. It has the look of Victoriana, but I couldn't confirm that. At one time, this cemetery would have been outside the Paris city limits.



Montmartre Cemetery corner, Paris, by DG Hudson

In certain parts of Montmartre Cemetery, Paris, our modern times encroach on the stately tombs of the past. Those lying beneath the overpass lived in times when only the sound of horses' hooves hitting the cobbled streets could be heard. A statue of a man lies in repose on that solid white block in the foreground.

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Pere Lachaise Cemetery

In Pere Lachaise Cemetery, monuments date from many different eras. Some commemorate horrific events, such as war, or disaster where many lost their lives. This is grief.

Memorial in Pere Lachaise, Paris, by DG Hudson

In a place like Pere Lachaise Cemetery, a story exists behind each portal, door or entrance shown. These are family tombs.

Pere Lachaise Cemetery, Paris by DG Hudson

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Hope you have a pleasantly creepy Halloween! Are you fond of cemeteries, and if so, do you write horror? Have you every been into a crypt or cemetery on Halloween? Would you want to?

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PARIS Walks

The Moulin Rouge, Montmartre, Paris - by DGH

Walking in Paris is the best way to discover the charm of the city, from the cafés tucked into the Ile St. Louis, to the bridges that cross the Seine River. From pop-up stores to a hidden vineyard in Montmartre, from a graffiti wall to a bit of old Rome underground, something unique is waiting around every corner. Our daily walking on average was five to six miles with café breaks. Wear comfortable shoes, and watch the locals when crossing the streets then, do as they do.



Walking tour of Montmartre (a booked tour)



The Moulin Rouge sits across from a Starbucks in Montmartre and seems less glitzy by day. The big red windmill serves as a landmark, as does the wooden Moulin Galette further up the hill. Full scale dinner shows can be booked at the Moulin Rouge through tour agencies. We paused here to take a photo as we walked up the Rue Caulaincourt to meet the tour group of 12 people near the Blanche Metro station. After all, an icon is an icon.
 

Au Lapin Agile, an original cabaret /café from the past that in earlier times was known to allow the exchange of art as payment for food & drink. It helped the artists and gave the art more exposure.



Le Bateau Lavoir, the studio and sleeping quarters of many artists, including young Pablo Picasso, was one of the sights our tour guide stopped to talk about. At the height of the studio’s usage, beds were used in shifts in the shared accommodations so the artists struggling to make ends meet could stay in Paris.






Le Bateau Lavoir - Paris - by DG Hudson


 

The Wall Passer, a sculptural representation of a character from a local Paris story that tells of a man who could pass through walls; the work was commissioned to honour the local writer who lived in the area (Marcel Aymé).





The Wall-Passer, Montmartre, Paris - by DG Hudson


 

Sacré-Coeur Basilica sits majestically at the top of Montmartre, fronted by wide steps for relaxing and observing the city of Paris spread at your feet. You can visit the ever-white stone cathedral that has offered shelter for over a century, or you can begin the steep descent down the hill, past street buskers, petition hustlers and old style cafés.

Head East from the Marais. . .



The Cimetière du Père Lachaise is in the 20th Arrondisement; we walked from the 4th (the Marais) past the Place de la Bastille, and up to the Rue du Chemin Vert. The trip covered 2.5 kilometers, uphill but manageable.


This cemetery was the final home for some celebrities: Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, Chopin, Jim Morrison, Stephane Grappelli, Isadora Duncan, and Georges Bizet. There are many others. Maps of the layout are available to help you find your way through the streets of cobbled stone -- each one approximately 4 inches square -- reminiscent of the Versailles courtyard.




Oscar Wilde's monument before the cleaning - by DGH


 Some traditions we noticed from the locals and tourists: leaving a rose on Edith Piaf’s grave, leaving a pebble or other item on grave markers as if to say ‘I was here’, leaving a red kiss on Oscar Wilde’s monument -- BUT this last one is no longer allowed, now the bottom half has been encased in glass to prevent damage to the stone through two mediums: waterproof lipstick and graffiti pens.





Latin Quarter

The Church of St. Germaine des Pres, situated near Les Deux Magots is the oldest church in Paris, built in 542 AD, and it retains one of the original bell towers.



Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore

Two well-known cafés in the Latin Quarter are famous for their past lives as  gathering places for the Lost generation and the Existentialists (and a lot of writers were in those two camps).  They have always enjoyed a friendly competition in vying for the students and the literary crowd.  Prices are higher here, according to a local insider. You go for the atmosphere and for the history, all the while hoping to absorb some of the literary magic that hangs in the air of these two cafés.  Think Midnight in Paris and go from there. . .

 Île de la Cité


Notre Dame Cathedral (Our Lady of Paris)


Visitors and locals lounge around the square facing Notre Dame enjoying the statue of Charlemagne, the people, and the pigeons.  Others, visibly identifiable as tourists, contemplate whether it's worth the climb of 400 steps or more for a photo opportunity.


This is the oldest spot in Paris. When the Romans arrived, the Parisii lived here.  A circle design embedded in the square facing the church identifies the exact Centre of Paris. It’s made of brass which is set into granite, then into concrete.  Most of the visitors missed seeing this important spot, simply because they were too busy looking at everything else.





Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris - by DG Hudson


 


Crypt Archeologique (Roman Ruins, and the Parisii)


This underground museum sits under the square fronting Notre Dame, protecting ruins of the Roman city of Lutetia, and the original settlement of the Parisii.  The lighting is designed to highlight the structures and information is available on each part of the exhibit.  A must-see if you’re a Roman history buff.



Roman excavation in the Crypte Archiologique - by DGH


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Have you explored a city by walking through the streets?  If so, what city?


The Centre of Paris, Notre Dame Square by DGH



Strong Women in Culture

What did these women have in common? A strong sense of self and enough confidence to pursue their dreams. They lived in different times, and sought their own way, oblivious to those who said they couldn’t.



French Flag in the Arc de Triomphe, by Green Eye

Simone de Beauvoir - (1908 - 1986) France

Philosophy and Literature  

Compatriot of Jean-Paul Sartre, professor at the Sorbonne in Paris, and a member of the early existentialist movement, she examined women’s rights and through that, influenced a generation of women. In her book, The Second Sex, feminism was defined.

 Many of the feminist ideals of the 1960s and afterwards found their roots in the writings and musings of de Beauvoir. All through her life, her attitudes, her writings and her relationships were under scrutiny. She said she lived her life to please herself, not to please others.

After Jean-Paul Sartre passed on, Simone had to recover.  His sickness had depleted her reserves.  Simone still showed that pragmatic frame of mind in an interview in the mid-1980s. She was more interested in ensuring that Sartre’s unpublished writings made the light of day than in continuing her own writing.

Her reply to why she wasn’t interested in writing more about her own work: “In a creative profession, one does what one feels like doing. ... It takes inspiration to create...”

For more information:

Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simone_de_Beauvoir

Ref:  Article, Who's News, New Woman Magazine, July 1984.

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Totem Poles in Stanley Park, Vancouver - by DGH

Emily Carr -  (1871 –1945) Canada

Artist and Author

Growing up in Victorian times, Emily survived by using her own wits, and running a rooming house (with help) in Victoria BC; she had her studio in the upper quarters of that same house on the main street near the current site of the Empress Hotel.


She travelled to the Queen Charlottes (now called Haida Gwaii), north of Vancouver Island, BC, lived in the area and painted many of her famous Northwest Coast totem and forest paintings while immersing herself in the culture of the Haida natives. Her art showed the raw beauty of western Canada when viewed through the lens of a perceptive artist, she tried to capture the spirit of the huge towering evergreens and of the carved traditional totems. An art school, the Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver, bears her name. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Carr

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Pere Lachaise Cimetière - Paris - by DGH

Isadora Duncan - (1877 - 1927) USA

Dancer; forerunner of interpretive modern dance

Isadora’s style was much more appreciated in France and Europe, she was too modern for North America in 1899.  Her choreography and movements set the stage for modern dance. She had the audience on their feet when she danced to the Marseilles in France. The fluidity of her movements came from a mixture of various dances and from the sheer, flowing fabrics she wore.


One of these, a long scarf, was blamed for her untimely death in 1927 when it caught on the spokes of a Bugatti wheel in Nice, France.  She rests in the Pere Lachaise Cimetière in Paris, France, near violinist Stephane Grappelli and in the company of other residents Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, Georges Bizet, and Jim Morrison. We checked in 2010 and none had changed their addresses.

Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isadora_Duncan

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Lena Horne - (1917 - 2010) USA
Singer & Actor

An American singer foremost, as well as an actor in early movies showcasing the music popular in the 20s, and 30s, the music coming from Harlem and places like the Apollo Theatre. She had more class and sass than most.

Lena was a mix of African American, Native American, and European American, and lived in an upper middle class stratum of educated sensibilities. Her political views and her involvement with the Civil Rights movement illustrated that she was no shrinking violet.

Outspoken, and fighting for the rights of those less fortunate, she battled the mores and the attitudes of the day, getting blacklisted by an industry too dependent on government approval. She survived into the 21st century, but her voice singing “Stormy Weather” will be with us always.


Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lena_Horne

Ref: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCG3kJtQBKo
(Lena singing Stormy Weather)

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These four diverse women influenced many other women during their lives as well as afterwards through their books, or the changes they helped bring about.   There are many more and they come from many countries.

Never underestimate the power of a woman with a goal in mind. 

Have you been affected or influenced by a particular woman's story? Or has there been a woman in your life that made a difference in how you perceive others or yourself?

We can't all lead armies, but some of us are good at it.

Joan of Arc, near the Louvre in Paris  - by DGH