Paris Off the Beaten Path Tips by Norali

A ménagerie in Quartier Latin area.

A real and exciting discovery in 1984. Introduction to the Big 5 (lion, leopard, elephant, bufflalo and rhino). Really enjoyed it. Above all, bears were my favourite there, in their pits. First time I saw them too. Enclosures were so tiny that animals had to be close by (!). Oh! and these other new things: ostriches, the cats (lions, leopards.. ), lamas, girafes. Its collection of ungulates is oddly large considering its size & according to standards.

Returned again in 2000. Moving to see that so many years passed. I was sent back in time again. I remembered then I was introduced to kangaroos & pink flamingoes in 84.

I really recommend it if you visit Paris with kids. Always a real running-off. People would go to Zoo de Vincennes but this one, for me, was special. Smallness made it nice & when bored of bonding with wildlife, it's easy to walk off & stroll the University area again.

This integral part of the National Museum of Natural History was built to replace the Royal menagerie of Versailles in 1794. No wonder the still old-fashioned flair. Hereafter website is a presentation (in English) of the Jardin des Pantes and its Menagerie.
http://www.paris-trendy.com/G_/M_05/GUIDE_Musee_MNHN_1_e.html

For more pics, please check hereafter website. When in, scroll down. Choose in the list of links "Visite de la Menagerie du Jardin des Plantes", captions only in French.
http://www.leszoosdanslemonde.com/html/europe/zoo_france/paris/paris_menagerie/paris_menagerie.htm

- Opening times: Daily
Summer: 09:00 - 18:00
Winter: 09:00 - 17:00

- Entrance:
Adults: 6 Euro
Children: 3.50 Euro

Menagerie du Jardin des Plantes
57, rue Cuvier - 75005 Paris
Metro stations: Censier Daubenton, Gare d'Austerlitz, Jussieu

Oh! btw, Paris has the largest herbier in the world. As a kid, my preference went to the fauna in la Ménagerie instead of flora in Le Jardin des plantes. Anyway, following are tips about Le jardin des plantes gatherings... and free pruning roses lessons!

Leave a Comment

Phone: 01 40 79 37 94
Website: http://www.paris-trendy.com/G_/M_05/GUIDE_Musee_MNHN_1_e.html

Lebanon (watchout the multicentennial cedar while heading to the labyrinth!), Bhutan, Namibia, Chile, Iran... some of the remote lands plants gathererd at zoological gardens "Jardin des plantes" originated from. Thanks to Louis XIII- and to his doctors emphasis- who authorized in 1626 the creation of a Royal Garden of botanical plants, Parisians could get used to medicinal plants from every corner of the world. In 1641, one year after public opening, it enlisted 2360 vegetal samples. Lectures were held in French, not Latin, to be sure anyone willing to attend understand. Nearly four centuries of travelling & exploration had broadened the gatherings with samples sent by correspondents (about 800 nowadays) or fetched by botanists, scientists, missionaries & travellers in general.

Nowadays, Le Jardin des plantes, the largest herbier in the world, comprehends 9 millions samples, three greenhouses, gardens...

Trees & plants from tropical areas are pampered at le Jardin d'hiver greenhouse where the likes of banana trees, ficus, pandanus, ferns..etc.. are provided with necessary humidity & heat. Some could reach their "jungle size", others not. Tall trees can brush the ceiling 16 meter above. Even philodendrons in my yard are not that tall as the sample here. Well, as long as they keep on providing me with their delicious fruits. lol. Am a big fan of this Monstera deliciosa fruit, tastes & smells like a mix of banana & pineapple.

Cacti (pic.2) and other warm & dry areas plants are also kept under conditions. Serre mexicaine & Serre australienne (Mexican & Australian greenhouses) shelter about 15000 species within a total surface of more than 5000sq². Isn't it about time to learn about how arid areas flora use to resist drought? or however resembling to a cactus, Aloe vera doesn't belong to this family (pic. 3)?...

[Warning! It is not allowed to take pictures w/ tripod there.
No pictures from my 84 visit: took pictures of plants that I have in my area & that I saw there.]

To be continued

Leave a Comment

Phone: 01 40 79 36 00: book group tours
Website: http://www.mnhn.fr/museum/foffice/transverse/transverse/accueil.xsp?cl=en
Other Contact: Greenhouses re-open 2007

Strolling in the alleys, notice one of the oldest Parisian trees: this Robinia pseudoacacia was brought from US East Coast. Planted here in 1636! About common trees & plants (to European mainstream, i.e). Most of them used to be real globe-trotters. Basil, so dear to Italians originates from India & China. Tomato, from Mexico (but... oh! it is a fruit). Those platanes, dear to Parisians, fill their tree-lined boulevards but are North Asia natives.
Banana, common Western World daily fruit & Carribeans poster boy, originated from India! Who said "rhum" ? Sugar cane originates from Borneo & Sumatra. Hit South China. Alex the Great discovered it in India. Introduced to Romans, spread out through North Africa by Arabs, it finally hit Brazil and Carribean thanks to Portuguese navigators. A whole past of globe-trotting !

Jardin alpin gathers plants from the many mountains of the world. A real challenge to tackle as they don't share the same natural environment. Plants from Himalaya, Japan, China hills are neighbours of Morrocan, Arizona mountains. For each biotope having been restaured, Le Jardin scientists & gardeners joined efforts allowed, for instance, botanist Sébastien Vaillant to study & demystify plant sexuality in early XVIII cent. It also allowed to house endangered species.

I guess it's great to bring kids there to know about what their delicious hot chocolate, coffee, refreshing mango juice should be made of. Or that this beautiful blue poppy belongs to the opium family...

And.. you, you could make a halt from browsing the 240.000 sq². To "smell the rose". Just saw on the web that you could learn pruning roses for free there. Booking is necessary at 01 40 79 33 25 as it is reportedly the craze of the moment. I just love roses. Maybe about time to learn to care about those beauties in my yard ? There are pretty on pictures, aren't they ?

[Warning! It is not allowed to take pictures w/ tripod there.
No pictures from my 84 visit: took pictures of plants that I have in my area & that I saw there.]

Leave a Comment

Phone: 01 40 79 36 00: book group tours
Other Contact: Greenhouses re-open 2007

From a person who has only ever uttered those "Je t'aime" to her Mum, this tip could seem odd. Still, it's in Paris that I could expect such a thing & it's only in Paris that I would love to see this "I love you" wall one day.

For the many loves this world could count ~ old love, mutual love, generous love, torn love, ephemeral love, the one of a lifetime... ~ there are the languages. "I love you", "Je t'aime", "Ik hou van jou", "Ich liebe dich", "Te quiero"... 40sq² and 311 languages to declare it.

I guess I'll look at it, one day. I just don't know how I would feel, what I would do.
I think I'll give flowers to that special guy! Look at my flower pictures and guess which flowers I will give.

The wall is on Square Jehan-Rictus (18e) ... Métro Abbesses... Don't rush that much ! While you are at it, don't look over that Guimard design. I use to love Art Nouveau.

Leave a Comment

When my dad suggested on this Friday of September 2004 that we would nip over Paris, one of the pictures of the Parisian marina immediately came to my mind: a guy jumping and diving from a bridge with yachts in the background. That's what Geo can do to you: trigger the desire to explore, to go beyond their depictions and accountings, even those dating back to years ago. And yes, I showed to my Mum the 2001 Geo pages with the descriptions of both Bassin de l'Arsenal and Canal Saint-Martin and listed them as places to experience.

Eventually, we chose 4 things to see during our stay: Bassin de l'Arsenal followed by Canal Saint-Martin, Winter greenhouses of Jardin des Plantes (again) and les Batignolles. We wanted to experience the lives in some lesser known villages. We experienced the parklife in Batignolles, the walk along the Bassin and skirting Canal Saint-Martin. The winter greenhouses were closed for reparations for an unspecified duration but we were not running out of cool spots. In the contrary, we were spoilt with choice.

We were amazed by how little we know about those areas though I can say my parents know Paris. It's just that the city is big and it takes a will to cross the boundaries of the known areas (the monuments, your homeplace, your workplace, your favourite shopping areas, some sport facilities) to get out of the metro stations and visit the other Parisian villages. So, here we were, sore feet but happy to have seen a little of this part of Paris we didn't know & didn't even think about.

That's how I like it most, unplanned, very loose schedule. Still, I am aware that it was only possible because we knew a bit of Paris so that we could afford to just have some details in mind, let our feelings decide about the rest & make the stay evolve by itself.

Leave a Comment

Yep, you've read it right, Paris has a marina.

It took us 1h30 to reach Paris from Brussels. After our Thalys ride, we headed to our hotel, put down our luggage and went in the III arrondissement's Chinatown to have a quick, cheap lunch. From there, we took the metro to Bassin de l'Arsenal. It is located in the XII arrondissement, in the urban area of Paris.

We stepped down at Metro Station "Quai de la rap?e". Despite the fact that I knew beforehand how to reach Quai de la rap?e, I nearly run to the exit, very excited to see what I saw in the Geo Magazine.

To sum up, I went seeing the Bassin since that was the initial purpose. Still, the result was a memorable walk along the Bassin. Eventually, it was not only about "seeing", it evolved into "experiencing".

Walking there brought some thoughts to my mind. How comes some can live in those small homies for the whole year and nearly run the world within them ? Still a mystery to me. It is part of local customs there. Also, compared to other marina in Parisian area (talking about Saint-Cloud's for instance), it seems to host real globetrotters who do live in there and really enjoy travelling in their yachts/boats.

Leave a Comment

On Quai de la rapée, we had to head to Boulevard Bourdon. Bassin de l'Arsenal is edged by Bd de la Bastille and Bd Bourdon. Luckily it was this latter that we had to choose. It was hot and the trees along Bd Bourdon made it enjoyable to walk along the Bassin, under their shade.

On Quai de la rapée, you'll have a view on the column of Place de la Bastille. I enjoyed this view of the bassin with the colonne in background. It is like a surreal picture to me. It shouldn't though. It shouldn't, since in 1985, I had stayed in an apartment on Rue de la cerisaie that looks on the Bassin. I knew "Bastille" was close to our "place" but I don't remember having had this view.

Anyway, walking along Bd Bourdon (540m long) can take some time. We didn't want to rush out to reach another place to visit, we wanted to experience Paris as the many locals did. Walking along the banks of the Bassin took us almost two hours. There were benches where to sit under the trees and some people sat there, just to read, to enjoy the scenery of a marina day-to-day an the garden along the banks, the yachts passing by.

But my favourite thing is, while leaning against the fence, to watch the yachts, imagine their many lives: in the Bassin, roaming the waters of Europe. Imagination, fantasy bring you very far, till you utter, like if it were only to yourself, "I don't want to leave this place".

We were watching the boats, comparing their different sizes and styles, imagining, dreaming when, first, my father said "I don't want to leave". He said it, after realising that we had spent 40 min walking the first 100m of the bassin. Then, we decided to continue our walk, our eyes set on the marina in its day-to-day business.

After some tens of meters, we stopped again to watch the boats, then fantasize, guess the price of some of the jewels... Repeat it along the quay and you'd soon realize you had spent a whole afternoon walking along some 500 meters. Amazing !

Leave a Comment

My dad said it, so did I. It was after saying it, looking at the yacht folks at their "homies", that I realized that he had said it earlier. Oh! But after some hours there, we had to leave because we wanted to see Canal Saint-Martin. To reach this canal, we had to pass Place de la Bastille and choose another boulevard to skirt along the canal.

Anyway, we were still at the end of the Bassin, as we got close to Place de la Bastille, my eyes searched for a street. A very special one. I can't read all plaques from far (bad eyes) but I suddenly recognized the entry of Rue de la Cerisaie. We saw it! We saw it! "Dad! let's just cross the boulevard and enter our street"... "Just to see our apartment, to see the inner court (I loved this inner court)"... "OK... just watching, then". We actually crossed the boulevard, to reach "our" street, saw the huge entrance door but it remained closed. The building next to "ours" had its entrance gate opened. I saw its inner court, the yellow walls and cement pavement. Ours was different: back then, it was a cobble stone pavement and the walls were white, with pots red and pink geranium on windowboards.

Some minutes to reminisce... Two persons were missing there: my two sisters. They are in Madagascar, only my parents came for the holidays. I guess there would be some times to do the Cerisaie pilgrimage ?. lol

Anyway, just at its other end, the street looks on Bd Henri IV, the size of a typical Parisian boulevard. A "Haussmanian Boulevard" they say. With huge stone facade buildings. Seems like low maintenance materials but quite clean and elegant.

We saw a terrace in the nearby and sat. It looks on the boulevard so it was an appropriate place to watch Parisian life.

Leave a Comment

Soaking up the ambience on a terrace on Bd Henri IV gave us some interesting opportunity to watch Parisians. People watching is one of my favourite pasttime when exploring a place.

At past 4pm on a monday Sep 6, it was the right time to see scholar kids passing by. With their mothers or baby-sitters (nannies ?), they were returning from school. In fact, September 6 was the 2004 jour de rentrée in France. Scholar kids started their 2004 academic year on that day.

Also, September is the beginning of the high season in Paris. At least, this was what I understood seeing the rise in the hotel tarriffs (compared to July-August) while searching for hotel rooms on the net.

Anyway, it was still on this boulevard that I saw the tourists, sitting next to us. They had finished their lunch when we arrived, at 3.30 pm. They were on holiday so they could afford that. So were we, still we finisihed our lunch at a more "decent" time. That's a typical scenery of Paris: the view of tourists everywhere. But less usual is finding them in a non-highlighted area as this one. Well, who knows, Bd Henri IV is close to La Bastille, after all. Also, I noticed that during our walk skirting the marina, we haven't noticed any tourist, I was probably the only person with a camera there. Most of the marins d'eau douce mooring there are, however, foreigners.

At a time, when plunged into some people watching, we found it nice and wondered ourselves why, living in the area for nearly two months in 1985, we had never thought on sitting on a terrace along Bd Henri IV. Why indeed ? Yet, I liked it there, rather expensive (not that I like that), off the touristy area (me think) but bustling. It was while sitting at the terrace of Baz'Art.

Leave a Comment

We left Baz' Art after some refreshing and well-deserved drinks and headed to Canal Saint-Martin.

On our way, we passed Place de la Bastille and la colonne. As usual, any tourists there, with their cameras, adjusting the view from their lenses. Two steps back, at the right, more on the left, standing, kneeing... We nearly elbowed our way through the crowd. I am polite and don't elbow but God! crowded it was.

The only time I thought I would plan a tad better for the next visit was while walking along Boulevard Richard Lenoir. I knew from what I had read that from the marina, we would walk a bit to reach Canal Saint-Martin. I knew that. Still, walking on Bd Lenoir, I expected a canal with water running but never saw some water. A little worried and disappointed, I thought I would have taken a wrong direction. Still, thinking of what I remembered of the small map in the Geo page, I couldn't have missed it. It was obvious that, from Bastille, we took the right direction.

But.. where are the water, the ducks and the locks ? OK, as soon as I knew we were in the right direction, I suspected that the canal has a rooftop untill we reach some level. Now, how to explain that to some worried Mother ? ;-) I enjoyed my walk, watching people living the village way: some place to play cards, another where to play boules, some African women babysitting. Still, I kept in my mind that I had to check the maps near the metro stations.
That's what I did and as we got closer to the level where we could see the water of the canal, the maps got more and more accurate. And, that I could explain to my Mum to reassure her. The last map I saw showed that the Canal has a rooftop up to Quai de Jemappes.

Leave a Comment