LeeAnn is Over Here: Lots to see in the 19th

Posted 5/20/2014

Some time ago, I read about the Parc Des Buttes Chaumont, a park in the 19th arrondisement shaped rather like a paramecium (my description, not the guide books'). When I mentioned this park to Claire, back on our car trip, she said it was (in effect) the happening park to go to now -- where the "bobos" go (bourgeois bohemians)!

Paris does have a generous amount of green space, to provide a respite from the crowded city for (in principle) all of the people. This is the legacy, in large part, of Baron Haussmann, who basically remade Paris, under the auspices of Napoleon III, replacing neighborhoods of cramped and narrow streets with broad boulevards and places and creating several parks. (Of course, one motivation for the ruling class was that the narrow streets were easily barricaded during citizen uprisings.) Some neighborhoods (such as the Marais and parts of the Latin Quarter) did escape this treatment.

Between the two of us, Marilynd and I also had some tips about interesting things to see in the area surrounding the Parc Des Buttes Chaumont.

It's a very nice park, with a lake:

and a small colonnade at the top of a hill within the lake:

We saw ducks and a turtle basking in and around the lake:

Here's a closer view of the turtle, with his little feet stretched out behind him! :)

There is a very nice view from the colonnade (with the exception of that boring gray building in the foreground; alas, Paris does have its share of boring gray buildings):

Here's Marilynd enjoying the view from down below:

and another view from the top:

I had read about an interesting neighborhood of little winding streets just west of the park, so we headed out that way. There was some nice landscaping (this is a wisteria vine, almost finished blooming):

and they like their ivy-covered buildings:

indeed:

I had read about this neighborhood in a blog post, and the blogger described (1) an even better view of Sacre Coeur, (2) a vineyard (below), and (3) a community garden. However, (1) was obscured by a large construction crane, and while we were able to get a good look at (2) and (3), they were no longer open to the public.

The 19th apparently has a large number of community gardens; we saw this sign describing them.

On the eastern side of the Parc Des Buttes Chaumont was yet another charming neighborhood of little streets! But first we went to look at this orthodox church near the park-- it's hidden from the main road, so you have to go down a little side street to find it. This is just a detail of the entryway:

So here is charming neighborhood number two, with tiny short side streets called "villas" (Villa Rimbaud, Villa Paul Verlane, Villa Claude Monet, etc.-- and for "King of the Hill" fans, there was a Villa D'Hauterive).