~Entertainment on the Street~

You never know when or how you will be spontaneously entertained in Paris.

Because of the number of tourists, Montmartre is a popular place for performers . These street performers can not ask for money...the hat or bucket is there for contributions.  Too often people watch and walk away. I've come to really appreciate and enjoy the talent and share all my 'heavy money' (coins) with the entertainers....especially the mimes.

This lady was a real one-woman show.  She sang while cranking the large "music box"and amused the crowd, though it was in French so I missed out on the humor.

The place at the foot of the Sacre Coeur is a popular spot for musicians.  It's not every day that you hear someone playing the harp.  As you can see, he has CDs for sale.


I love the mimes.  They are so creative.  When I saw this one in Montmartre I went right over to watch.  While we stood and waited, she was perfectly still ~not even a blink.  I put a euro into her hat and she immediately 'came alive'; the woman standing besides me screamed.  She did not realize it was a real person.  She moved her finger and made the red butterfly on the tip of her finger come alive, fluttering.  I put a few more euros in the hat and whispered "tres bien"~she winked.

We saw Safari Man the first time on Rue Buci in the St. Germain district (6th arr.). After that first time, it seemed he was popping up everywhere.  What a character!  Dressed in full safari regalia, he would drive up on the sidewalk, park and walk off as if he was on "a mission".  He was a 'presence'...he wouldn't stay long though.  My only regret is that I didn't capture a photo of him.

These 4 guys were playing jazz also in St. Germain.  The man playing trumpet also played sax; the guy on the end had his washboard attached.

The large place in front of the Pompidou Center on the Right Bank (2nd arr.) is also a spot that you will always find some form of entertainment.  The guy below is another one-person show.  He acted out his skits changing costume and props very quickly...an amazing feat in itself.  You can always tell the good performers by the size of the crowd....and he was good!

Jugglers are common but they aren't just jugglers, these guys are accomplished jugglers!  The Pont Saint Louis connects the Ile de la Cite and the Ile St. Louis and is closed to traffic.  It is a virtual stage for the street entertainers.  This guy juggled knives, tennis balls and torches, all while chatting with the crowd.

This next site is the Pont des Arts~another pedestrian bridge connecting the Left and Right Banks. This band wasn't the greatest but they sure captured the crowd's attention with their upbeat music; everyone was hooting and clapping to "When the Saint Go Marching In".  

Back at the Pompidou Center, the newest form of 'entertainment'~the Bubble Guy.

The little red-headed girl was having the best time chasing the gigantic bubbles.

The clown making balloon animals was popular with the kids too.

This group of 5 guys put on the most incredible show. (I shot a movie the 3rd time we saw them.)  They showed up at this spot regularly~rue Montorgueil~right next to our favorite Italian restaurant La Perla.   Enormous stamina, energy and strength was needed to do the moves that they did.  Each guy had his own 'specialty'.  They had their own boom box~the music alone got the crowd involved.

There are quite a variety of musicians and most are quite good.  This accordionist was behind the Notre Dame.  We saw a violinist who could have been playing in any symphony orchestra. One evening, strolling along the rue de Furstenburg, we heard a single cellist playing under a tree in the middle of the square~it was romantic and beautiful.

Just watching this guy was comical with his crazy hat, big black rimmed glasses and that red nose (attached to the hat) that he sometimes put on his nose.  He rode this bike in every possible way.  At the end of the show, he brought out a bike that had to be about a foot long (maybe smaller), it took some maneuvering but he managed to balance himself on it and ride.

This group of Italian troubadours stopped in front of the Saint Chapelle on the Ile de la Cite and entertained the crowd that was waiting in line.

We heard this group in the Metro long before we saw them.  We stood and listened for awhile; they were extraordinary.

The street performers are a wonderful part of this city. If what they do is legal I do not know, but Paris wouldn't be the same without them.

Check out the link to see more performers; you will notice some of the ones that I've posted

~Paris, again?~

I have been asked more than once why we go back to Paris and not someplace different.
"Is there really that much to see?"

For me, it's like a huge dessert tray...so many places and they are all different.

As I have mentioned before, Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements; each is it's own unique neighborhood. There is something interesting and unique in each one.  This is one reason why I return again and again.

Then there is the architecture!  Paris is an old city and it has a long and tumultuous history.  Despite wars, fires, pillaging and uprisings many of the medieval structures remain.  Napoleon III gave Paris a real "facelift" in the 1800's.

These beautiful sites were all built for the Exposition of 1900.

Grand Palais

Petit Palais

Pont Alexander III

Window dressing and window shopping is art and pleasure combined.  Shop windows is a favorite photo theme.  You don't have to spend a dime to be awed and amused by the beauty, quirkiness and creativity of the windows and the items on display. (Sometimes it is the prices that take your breathe away.)

eyewear

exquisite home decor

hat shops are very popular

a tonsorial shop

Chanel

The boulangeries and patisseries are heaven.   I don't think I can say anything more about the bread, pastries and desserts; they are a major topic in every travel article or guidebook on Paris.  The bread, beignets, croissants, pain au chocolat and profiteroles (decadent cream puffs) are my favorites.

Charcuteries (somewhat like a deli, though the French would be insulted by this comparison) are great for creating your own 'take out' dinner with freshly prepared, tasty and tempting choices.

One of the great pleasures is to go to a restaurant or cafe the second time and be greeted like an old friend.  I have really come to love the ritual of eating in Paris.  We love that you aren't pressed or hurried to make a choice. When you are ready to order, you close the menu and place it on the table.  The waiter will be there instantly.  You place the knife and fork at 4 o'clock on your plate when you are finished with your meal.  And, don't expect to be given your check until you ask for it.  You don't have to know a single word of French either, just make the gesture of signing the check when you catch the waiter's attention.  Dining is to be enjoyed and you can stay as long as you want.

Museums.  There are over 150 museums in Paris (that's a museum a day for 5 months!)~ and there's something for everyone;art, photography, wine, stamps, magic, counterfeiting, puppets, Paris history,etc.  It would take 3 months just to see everything in the Louvre.  What's even better, many (some of the best we've seen) are free.

There are so many churches with beautiful architecture, carvings, statuary and stained glass windows;sometimes you will be lucky and hear the organist practicing.  We never pass up a church.

Parks and gardens, both large and small, are retreats.  There is always a park close by if you need to get away from the crowds, rest your weary feet or just need some shade to cool off.  The Tuileries and Jardin du Luxembourg are my favorites.  Both have beautiful ponds, lovely flowers and statuary and lots of chairs and benches for enjoying a picnic or people-watching. The French "live" in their parks.  They will relax at lunch hour, sun-bathe, exercise and jog, take the kids for a walk or pony ride and have picnic meals at the end of the day.

Jardin des Tuileries

Jardin du Luxembourg

Etiquette adds a formal informality when meeting and interacting with the French~they are so civil.  Do not go to France without learning the 5 most important words/phrases;  bonjour (madame, monsieur), merci, s'il vous plait, au revoir, pardon.  Speak softly.   Loud and demanding is so "un-French".

The Seine is the heart of the city. I love the river.  There is a peace that flows with the river.  There is a lot of life on and near the river. It is very accessible by walking paths and quais. 

The 37 bridges, too, are all different; some are even pedestrian only. 

The French culture and Parisian lifestyle are so different from what we know.  Living in Paris is not particularly easy.  You become acutely aware of the many amenities that we enjoy.  Space~especially.  After 5 visits we are very comfortable in Paris. Knowing how to maneuver through the Metro, use the ticket machines, order a meal, have favorite restaurants eliminates much of the stress of travelling.  Staying in an apartment instead of a cramped hotel makes an enormous difference as well.  We relax, spread out, sleep in and frequent the neighborhood patisserie.  I enjoy making friends with the shopkeepers.

And to answer "Wouldn't I like to go someplace different?"  Sometimes we will be watching a travel show on TV and see someplace really interesting (Istanbul comes to mind and New Zealand) but then I think of La Perla (4 cheese ravioli), feeding the pigeons in the park, walking along the river, watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night, exploring the Louvre, wearing scarves, trying to speak French and I still want to see a ballet. There's no doubt where I'll go next....

                                                    "Paris is always a good idea."

Note: Most of the subjects mentioned in this post are covered in other individual posts~please check the 'archives'.

~ PARIS Passages~

The passages of Paris are covered arcades that date to the early 19th century.  In the 1850's there were almost 150 of these 'original shopping malls'.  They were built to protect the wealthy shoppers from the weather.  There about a dozen left and mostly they are well maintained. There are quite a few concentrated in the 2nd and 9th arr.

Galerie Vivienne is one, if not the most beautiful of the passages.  The elegant marble mosaic floors, wrought iron fixtures and glass covered vaulted ceilings take you back in time.  The shops are mostly well established, unique or avant-garde.   

New and used book shop.

The small bottle in the lower left is a standard sized bottle of wine.  The others are various kinds of 'magnums'.  The larger bottles are usually Bordeaux. Burgundy or Champagne.

This was the prettiest little shop.  All of the unique decorative flowers are made by hand of paper. The shopowner was behind the counter making them as we browsed.

Connected to the Galerie Vivienne is the smaller though equally elegant Galerie Colbert.

The next 3 passages are very close together, seemingly flowing one into the other.

  Passage des Panoramas is one of the larger arcades, though not as well maintained; there are also many,less pretentious cafes and restaurants.  It doesn't have the beautiful mosiac tile floors but you definitely feel the ambiance of the turn of the century.

Passage Jouffroy and Passage Verdeau are practically connected; though you do have to cross a street to go from one to the other.

 I found that Passage Jouffroy had the best variety of shops.

  A candy shop.

 a patisserie.

There was also a shop that had items for doll houses and a shop that sold walking canes.

Passage Verdeau has several old and used book shops, art galleries and a shop that specializes in old postcards.

 and of course a restaurant or two.

Passage des Princes caters to toys.  All of the shops are toy shops.  It is very small~ just a short L-shaped area but quite unique.  We came upon it by accident, noticing a colorful toy store first, then realizing we were in a passage when we saw the glass ceilings.

Galerie Vero-Dodat is another quite small passage.  Named after the two butchers who created it, it houses only a few shops; most notably the Christian Louboutin shoe store.

Searching out the passages of Paris is an adventure and a great way to spend a day!