"BoBo" Batignolles: A new favourite Parisian neighbourhood

"Batignolles" is a lively, energetic neighbourhood of Paris that this blogger is increasingly fond of as a place to go out for dinner, Sunday afternoon expeditions and the like.

In the past, the neighbourhood ( a formerly separate village, annexed uder Napoleon III in the 19th century. Batignolles was also home to some of France's famous impressionist painters includng Edouard Manet, whose depiction of the Batignolles is shown above.

The neighbourhood is increasingly associated with stylish 'BoBo' Parisians - those with both tendenices toward being Bohemian and Bourgeois.

Below I've included a few images of the church of Sainte-Marie des Batignolles at the core of the neighbourhood:

Sainte-Marie des Batignolles from George on Vimeo.

Hemingway's 1920s Paris!

Prior to coming to Paris, one of the books that I was most eager to get my hands on was Hemingway's " a moveable feast" - I had even thought of naming the blog " A moveable Feast" before I was lovingly told that the reference would be difficult to understand and meaningless. Not that Anon's Paris makes significantly more sense - but I digress. "A moveable feast' was one of those memoirs of a young person who lived in Paris for a while, fell in love with the place - so much that it ended up making a lasting impression upon his (Hemingway's) life. I imagined (rather presumptuously putting myself in the same league of Ernest Hemingway!) that I would definitely relate to author's memoirs of living in this city.

So, I was very pleasantly surprised to pick up a new edition of "A moveable feast' that incorporates parts of the manuscript initially edited out, while modifying some of the remaining sections.

Thus far, Hemingway's writing and description of an old Paris are captivating and vivid. As a case in point - walking on place St Michel will never be quite the same experience after reading Hemingway's description of a Paris that at once sounds extremely different from the one emerging at the dawn of the second century of the 21st century - while sounding largely familiar. Where Hemingway saw cafes, "boulangeries", bars - one can pretty much see the same today. Yet, his description of the decor, conditions and 'ambience' of 1920s bars sounds radically different from the contemporary age of well designed flushed toilets, electric air conditioning and anti-smoking regulations.

The book, so far, wins at powerfully painting images of a familiar but distant place, while presenting Hemingway's lucidly written memories of living in Paris during the 1920s.

(Glad to finally have a copy - picked up at Shakespeare and Company.)

Jean Jacques Henner Museum

Jean Jacques Henner Museum from George on Vimeo.

These are images from the Jean Jacques Henner Museum, possibly my favourite so far. It's a tribute to one of the city's greatest artists - who was respected as such at the beginning of the 20th century. It is clear why he built up such a reputation after a visit to his old residence that is way off the beaten tourist path. Jean Jacques Henner's skill with the paint brush is remarkably displayed in this multi-storeyed, recently restored tribute to a astonishingly talented artist.

La Conciergerie

La Conciergerie, Paris from George on Vimeo.

These are images from the "conciegerie" , the (in) famous site where Marie Antoinette and several other French faced the "Revolutionary Tribunal" - and their tragic fates where decided. In more recent times, it has become the set of many period pieces and movies. These aspects combined make a visit to the museum a glum depressing reminder of the now ennobled savagery of the Revolutionary tribunal - and evidence of how far France has moved from its past and continues to create a new image of itself and its future.

Free Entrance to Paris Museums - First Sunday of the Month

Found this useful list of places that grant free entrance today, given that it is the first Sunday of the month!

i.Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine - Cité Chaillot - Place du Trocadéro (Paris 16e)
ii.Cité nationale de l'histoire et de l'immigration - Palais de la Porte Dorée (Billet jumelé Aquarium + Cité Nationale) (Paris 12e)
iii.Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature (Paris 3e)
iv. Musée de l'Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris - Musée AP-HP (Paris 5e)
v. Musée d'Orsay (Paris 7e)
vi. Musée du Louvre (Paris 1er)
vii. Musée du Quai Branly (Paris 7e)
viii. Musée Gustave Moreau (Paris 9e)
ix. Musée national d'art moderne - Centre Pompidou (Accès panorama gratuit le 1er dimanche du mois) (Paris 4e)
x. Musée national de l'Orangerie (Paris 1er)
xi. Musée national des Arts asiatiques - Panthéon bouddhique gratuit (Paris 16e)
xii.Musée national du Moyen Âge (Paris 5e)
xiii. Musée national Ernest Hébert (fermé pour travaux) (Paris 6e)
xiv. Musée national Eugène Delacroix (Paris 6e)
xv. Musée national Jean-Jacques Henner (Paris 17e)
xvi.Musée Picasso (fermé jusqu'en 2012) (Paris 3e)
xvii. Musée Rodin (Paris 7e)

Holiday Cinematic Expedition: Harry Potter, JK Rowling interview

Finally got round to watching "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" (Pt 1). Great cinematic experience, as a matter of course!

Interesting to know is that JK Rowling is a former Parisienne - well, she spent a year here as a student reading toward a French and Classics degree.

In late 2010, the former Parisienne- for- a-year sat down with Oprah Winfrey for a conversation on Harry Potter and other things. click here

Eiffel Tower - In the wee hours of 2011

After the clock struck twelve, firework displays over -half of the Eiffel Tower was under a very unique cloud of smoke. Above are some images of the Eiffel Tower in the very first moments of 2011: