Spectacular Settings - WEP: A Slice of Montmartre, Paris

A quote about Paris, from David McCullough, in The Greater Journey.

". . .Paris was a place where one wanted to walk, where to walk - Flâneur* . . .as the French said - was practically a way of life." ('Ah, to wander over Paris!' wrote Honore de Balzac, 'what an adorable and delectable existence is that.  Flânerie is a form of science, it is the gastronomy of the eye.")

I concur.

***

A Slice of Montmartre Life

Paris - A Montmartre Street Still Life, by DG Hudson

A man in the left foreground of the image above, stands behind his wife who is framing a photograph.

"Oh honey, just take the photo. . .quick before the tour group leaves us behind."

"But I just noticed that street performer on the other side of the street. . .where did he come from?"

"Who knows? Be sure to get Sacre Coeur's dome in the shot, that's what we want - the church looming over the hill, reminding the people of its past. . .as the Mount of Martyrs."

"Of course, the camera is set for wide angle. I have included the church, the performer, the tourists, even the mother and child."

“Great, let’s catch up with our tour group. The performer is headed that way."

***

 The young mother watches the performer with his tell-tale long legs and wonders at his purpose.  Her son in the stroller sees him too.

"Maman! Maman! Look!" the child points to the street performer in stilts.

"I see him, ma cherie, do you know what he is?"

"Street play man? I want to see, ple-e-a-s-s-e, Maman!"

"We will see if he stops, little one, he may be headed for that tour group up the hill. . ."

***

The performer focuses on retaining his balance and stride as he climbs up the hill towards the tour group. His black and white ensemble is de rigeur for his occupation.

These new stilts are slowing me down a bit. . .but no matter, that must be the tour group ahead. What a disjointed collection of travellers. . .but I will charm them. I would much rather entertain that child and its mother, the little ones always love me, but the tour group will pay better. I have to eat too. 

I know what will appeal to this older audience, I will present the French tour guide view as he tries to interpret the Franglais and other mashed languages that most of the visitors speak.  I will be diplomatic as they say, of course! Ah, Paris!

***

*Flâneur - an aimless idler, dawdler, a dandy with time to stroll; one who observes life and offers his opinion on what he has observed.

***
From DG:

As I walked the steep hills of Montmartre, I saw the little things that bring a place to life and imprint upon the memory: the blue door to the residence where two brothers Van Gogh lived, an inner city vineyard, Lapin Agile - a café which swapped meals for art, the wall-passer - an author's story brought to life by a sculpture in a small square, and the view from  Sacré Coeur. I saw the areas which had declined with time, but they faded behind the historical aura of Impressionist artists painting turn of the century dances in courtyards tucked in the shadow of the windmills. I could almost smell the fresh bread made from the milled flour.

WC = 501

Feedback = MPA


***

August WEP Prompt: Spectacular Settings

A setting can infuse our imagination. The visual prompts the sensory and the memory follows along. What is spectacular will vary with each writer. 

WEP = Write, Edit, Publish - this worthy challenge is back!

WEP has been revised to allow more time between prompts and more opportunity to read the work by the writers who join in the challenge, WEP offers the writer an opportunity to test their short writing skills. The word limit is 1000 or less.

The hosting job is now shared between two writer/bloggers, Denise and Yolanda, who have tweaked this challenge to make it more interesting. Read more about the changes, the prompt and how to participate at the WEP blog site. Also check out their blog sites to find out a bit more about our two hosts.

Join us! Hope you enjoy reading all the entries via the web site and giving feedback where indicated. 

**********

Have you heard of WEP? Are you interested in joining? Do you like reading short fiction?

Please leave a comment just to say you were here, so I know you dropped by!  Constructive feedback is welcome. Hope you enjoy the reading!

Thanks for reading my entry, and don't forget to visit the other writers on the list at WEP - Write, Edit, Publish! 

*******

PARIS - Apartment Rentals and Booked Tours



Eiffel Tower framing Trocadero - by DGH 2010




Paris is an intriguing city, offering something unique to each person who visits. This post details a couple of ways to enjoy your trip and perhaps save time or money. We had two weeks, a rental apartment, an itinerary, Paris guidebooks, French phrasebooks and maps. We wanted to walk the streets where so many historical and literary figures have gone before us, we wanted to see the museums, the palaces, the artist hangouts, and the local cafes. Our favourites: the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, Monet’s Garden, the Seine River and its many bridges, the Isle St. Louis, Montmartre, and the Marais. It’s hard to pick just one.

View from our Paris Rental Apartment  - by DGH 2010

Rental Apartments

Our rented apartment was in the Marais, 4th Arrondisement, right on the Rue de Rivoli. This area has many townhomes and manors which have been converted into combined private residences/designer rentals and boutique hotels. Renting an apartment in Paris is highly recommended, but do your research well. Some places are suitable for students and groups of friends on a budget, others for couples or families looking for a bit more. We selected the company A La Carte for several reasons. They were offering the types of apartments that we wanted in the areas we wanted (on the Right Bank, near the Marais and near the Louvre Museum). Costs vary by size of apartment, high or low season rates and location.

A La Carte’s website provides all the information you need including availability for booking. What we saw online was exactly that in reality, and the location was perfect for us. The costs are comparable and in some cases better than equivalent hotels in the same area. Our apartment was between the Louvre and the Place De La Bastille, a few blocks over from the Seine River right on the famed Rue de Rivoli. We booked a one bedroom with a tidy kitchen/dining area, living room, shower, wifi connection with flat screen TV, microwave, and apartment size laundry. Being on the fourth floor we knew the view would be great, but we made sure there was an elevator. We just didn’t know it was truly a petite Parisian elevator. Cozy.


The rental agency supplied their own customized guide in the apartment (suited to that particular area). It was a lifesaver. The rental company also left a complimentary bottle of wine and a bowl of fruit to welcome us. We enjoyed being able to locate the small grocery nearby that had everything we needed, finding the local boulangerie (bakery) where we bought our first and daily baguette (or two) and discovering the many local bistros and cafes nearby. The sounds of Paris drifted up to our window every day as soon as I opened the windows. September is a great time to visit with mild weather and fewer crowds. The only time we left Paris was on a one day coach tour to Monet’s Garden and Versailles.

Our taxis, with English speaking drivers, were booked by our rental agency for our arrival at CDG airport and for our departure. The cost was 80 Euros one-way. We were driven to our apartment in large comfortable European sedans. Luxe. The drivers contracted with A La Carte escort you and your luggage up to the apartment and carry your luggage to the taxi when you depart. So much better than my expected visions of haggling with the taxi drivers. For someone used to hauling her own luggage, it was nice.

***




Monet's Water Garden, Giverny - 2010 by DG Hudson



Booked Tours

All of our excursions were booked with Viator Tours - Paris.  This company offers an excellent selection of tours, and friendly staff. The office we visited was near the Tuilleries.  Our tour guides were well-informed, multilingual and managed their groups well. Very professional.


Tours we selected:

• Monet’s Garden, a day trip by coach to Giverny, includes a tour of Monet’s house, with access to his famed Water Garden and the flower gardens. Included are two additional stops. Lunch at Le Moulin Fourges, an old mill location that provides a seated lunch with a pre-planned menu served by staff. This is a welcome break in the coach trip between Giverny and Versailles. 

Versailles, France, Hall of Mirrors - by DG Hudson

Later, we arrive at Versailles, the golden palace. The grandness of the estate cannot help but awe those who see it for the first time. In 2010, the gilt was fresh and the palace was crowded, but our intrepid blue leader guide led us through the Hall of Mirrors, the royal bedchambers, and some of the galleries. From the natural to the gilded, the French celebrate both.




Paris - Bridge over the River Seine 2010 by DGH



• Paris Illuminations Tour (Group access to 1st level of the Eiffel Tower, an evening  Seine River cruise on the Bateaux Parisiennes with the return City Illuminations tour). We had plenty of time on the Eiffel Tower for photographs and the gift shop, but no meals. If you want to eat at the Eiffel Tower or while cruising, look for casual or formal dinner cruises. There are many variations to suit everyone’s taste.

Paris - a Montmartre Cafe 2010 by DG Hudson

• Walking tour of Montmartre starting at the Blanche Metro station. We walked past the Moulin Rouge, on our way to meet up with the group of about 12 people. The tour took us past Van Gogh’s house, a hidden Montmartre vineyard, the famed Bateau Lavoir, Tertre Square and ended at the Sacre Coeur. I detailed this one in Paris Walks.

Getting Around: Hop-On Hop-Off Bus

Les Cars Rouges - (the Red tour bus) the stop nearest us was on the Isle St. Louis near Notre Dame, you can buy the tickets online or on the bus, get on and off for two days @ 24 Euros per person, good value, great orientation to the city on arrival. They stop at all the major tourist sites and allow you to get on and off with your pass. A fellow traveller recommended it over the Metro. It’s nice to see where you’re going aboveground, and it’s much easier going around the L’Etoile when there’s a French driver at the wheel.





Paris - Arc de Triomphe 2010 - by DG Hudson



Whether you prefer an apartment or a hotel, the right accommodations can make or break a vacation. Location, cost and the personal touch are important. We were located in the middle of Paris, but the apartment was as quiet as could be when the windows were shut at night. We leaned out our 4th floor apartment on October 2, 2010 at midnight, gazed down the Rue de Rivoli and watched the celebrations of Nuit  Blanche  (a Paris street party) promising ourselves that we’d be back.

Paris -Nuit Blanche, Oct 2, 2010 - DGH

REFERENCES

A La Carte Paris -- Designer Rental Apartments in Paris
http://www.alacarte-paris-apartments.com/


Viator Tours booking site

http://www.viator.com/Paris/d479-ttd

***

Have you ever rented an apartment in a city you’re visiting? Which city?

***
Disclaimer: The businesses mentioned in this post are recommended based on our experience. We were satisfied with their service and would use both again.

Immerse Yourself in the Moment

Eiffel Tower -D.G.Hudson

'Immerse yourself in the moment. Use your five senses to fully experience that moment.'

Not verbatim but paraphrased, that advice came from an author of thrillers who teaches advanced novel writing on the side. He suggested using the senses to add depth and enrich the story.

 Another author called it ‘zooming into the scene’ and using the senses to enrich the narrative or dialogue. Use the five senses to enhance the memory of the actual experience.


In this post, a place generates those images and sensory details of events. My apologies for the length, but the subject matter is lavish.

PARIS - filtered through the Five Senses

Sight

Versailles - golden spikes and gilded sun king emblems blaze atop the black wrought iron fence, square cobbled stones set unevenly cover the expanse of the courtyard behind the imposing entrance gate, multiple mirrors reflect the surrounding gallery in endless repetition

Eiffel Tower - first sighting causes involuntary intake of breath while one decides if we love it or not, elegant lines and delicate ironwork inscribe the lower portions, clothed in its bright night colours, the Eiffel decorates the evening sky

Stone Temple Pilots on guard - DGH

The Louvre - Medieval foundation of centuries old cut stones in basement, paintings from small to large wall size in dark tones or vivid washes of colour, rooms bursting with statuary, beautiful lady Mona guarded by 3 layers of bullet-proof glass and a velvet rope, Egyptian artifacts -- funerary, urns, weapons, jewellery - all lined up for review, blue Paris sky fractured by the glass pyramid above while the sunbeams warm the lobby below



Fractured sky - under the Glass Pyramid- D.G. Hudson

  

  Montmartre




#54 Vincent lived here - DGH

  Outdoor displays of local artists in watercolour, acrylic, and oil with bright or pastel colours, residence #54 big blue door where Vincent Van Gogh lived with his brother, the crimson Moulin Rouge without the glamour applied, peering in the windows at Bateau L’Avoir studios (home to Picasso & other young artists), looking up at Sacre Coeur Cathedral, the bright ever-white stone commanding the mount of martyrs

The City at Large

16th and 17th century buildings with contorted, winding drainpipes in enclosed courtyards, boldly painted double gargantuan doors with brass trim -- sized for grand comings & goings

Leering gargoyles on Notre Dame Cathedral peering over ledges at the human ants below, minute sculptural detail on every side of this Gothic church; romantic couples strolling and kissing by the river, endless bridges of stone, wrought iron, and a mixture of the two crossing the Seine River every few blocks as it snakes its way through the city; a painting of grumpy aggressive steers staring at the diners in Bistro Marguerite

Smell


Fresh baguettes - everyone carries one on their way to work, or soft Nutello-Banana crepes sold by street vendors in front of the Musee D’Orsay, open produce and food markets, local bistro fare-French onion soup, curried chicken, steak and frites, fluffy omelettes, and chocolate desserts, slo-mo explosion of pepper shaker as it went cartwheeling onto the iron steps, breaking into glass chunks and sending a plume of pepper wafting up into the air at least 15 inches



Le Voltaire Cafe - Latin Quarter - DGH


Taste

Crunchy chewy baguettes, Breton crepes, chilled French wine with water on the side, dark French expresso laced with cream, broiled creamy ham and cheese sandwich called a ‘Croque Monsieur’, the caramel flavour of crème brulee, frothy beer and light quiche in Le Voltaire, French cod - a baked comfort dish of precooked whitefish, caramelized onions, and mashed potatoes

Hearing

City noises - soft voices, polite greetings upon entering and exiting establishments, many languages but little English, homeless men sitting and talking in the cool morning air after sleeping over heating vents, musical language and soft laughter flowing out of small bistros with intimate sidewalk tables, the loud clear voice of the passing tour guide

Paris Traffic - No beep or honk of a vehicle goes unanswered in this rush hour cacophony of sound, screech of tires as traffic lights change, the buzz of the motorized scooters zipping between the lanes of autos, police sirens in the distance or under the window ledge

Touch

- soft, bunchable scarves wrapping male and female necks

- smooth statues in milky white, inset walls of marbled stone in burgundy, charcoal grey, or pink,

-rough stone counters, 6 foot tall double thick glass windows covered by wooden shutters in older buildings, cement stanchions in tiny side streets protect building corners

- enamel blue street signs mounted on the sides of buildings, 8 foot doors in the old town houses of the Marais district, unique wrought iron window and balcony railings

- square-cut stones form the streets in Pere Lachaise - City of the Dead; stone, metal and marble carved into unique family memorials, and cold stone benches for visitors to sit upon while studying the kiss-studded Oscar Wilde monument

. . .and the list goes on. . .

***

This post is a study (in part) for the Paris-based setting of another WIP.