Landes Alison - Pariswalks

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Contents

To David, pre de famille,

and to Nicholas and Elana

Preface

It all started thirty-two years ago, in 1972. Sonia was in Paris with her husband, David, who was on sabbatical from the history department at Harvard. Alison was a sophomore at Sarah Lawrence College, studying in Paris. We (mother and daughter) were excited about our plans for a project to write a short guide for our friends who were always asking us what to see and do in the famous city. In less than a week, we knew there was more out there than a pamphlet. There was a book.

Another book about Paris? How could ours be different? Since we are fairly (all right, very) fanatical about food, we thought at first that wed combine a gourmet lunch followed by a walk in the neighborhooda good idea, but we found it too confining.

Instead, we were seduced by the streets where we lived. We realized that another way to see Paris was an intimate look at a few choice blocksclose-up tourism. The first two walks grew out of our old neighborhood. We were living on the quai Saint-Michel, opposite Notre-Dame, in the first settlement on the Left Bank. The area was so rich in history and architecture one could read the past by walking down the street.

We felt eminently qualified: we had lived in Paris on and off for many years; the children had gone to school there; one had even been born there. We had first gone as a family in 1948 because David, the pre de famille, was writing his thesis in French history. That was when Pierrette, a French Breton lady, came to live with us. She still does, keeping the French feeling alive in the household. Since then, the pleasures of Paris and friends, Davids research, our desire to educate the grandchildren in French schools for a term each, and revising this book have brought us back countless times.

It is now 2004, more than thirty years and six editions later, and we are still adding and subtracting, learning and changing. The we is now a mother, daughter, and granddaughter team. Sonia slowed down, and Rebecca, Alisons daughter, grew up to help Alison research, walk, and write. It was a natural transition that Rebecca should work with her mother as Alison had worked with Sonia. We all love one anothers company, and Paris is our special bond. Now we are three.

Introduction

In this book, we offer you step-by-step tours of seven of the oldest and most fascinating neighborhoods of Paris. On the Left Bank, Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre, La Huchette, and Saint-Germain-des-Prs. On the Right Bank, the Marais, including the place des Vosges, the rue des Francs-Bourgeois, and the Bastille to Saint-Gervais, and to the west, the neighborhood that includes three places: Concorde, Madeleine, and Vendme.

These morning or afternoon walks, which cover no more than about a mile each, will make you a connoisseur of these areas. What is hidden to the casual observer becomes the key to Paris. Through the signs and stories of the past, the architectural details, and the life of today, the city unveils itself. This knowledge makes you a friend and possessor of the quartier forever.

We feel that this book represents a significantly different approach to travel. After seeing Paris in the largethe obligatory monuments and sightsyou must see Paris in its details to be, even for a short time, a part of the city. Our approach, which we call close-up tourism, allows you to get to know a piece of the city intimately, house by house, shop by shop.

So what we have done is take the reader by the hand to walk the streets, looking at each building and sign that tells a story. There is no hopping about the city, no seeing sights out of context, no having to choose what to see next. There are no long stretches of irrelevant streets or mtro rides to take that interrupt the sightseeing. Paris has something to show you at every step, and we have found it for you.

We have chosen for this purpose quartiers where many of the streets are still the narrow, irregular, meandering paths of medieval and early modern times. These seven neighborhoods have, in part, been preserved by the accidents of history, though repeatedly threatened by the hammers and shovels of urban planners and boulevard builders.

No matter how often we research our walks, we never fail to make new discoveries, even for this, the sixth edition of Pariswalks . One friend who used previous editions said she would never walk down a Paris street in the same way again. We expect this to happen to you, and we would be pleased to hear about your discoveries.

On these walks you may sit, stand, snack, lunch, or dine. Eating places have been carefully chosen for their interest as well as their cuisine. Aside from eating and shopping, the walks are free. They are designed to be comfortable and fun. Most of the people in the area know us well, and if you show them your copy of Pariswalks, they will be happy to speak with you. Our maps and directions should guide you without difficulty.

It is wise to read each walk before setting out, in order to plan your day more effectively. We advise morning walking: more courtyards are open for mail and deliveries. You will not be disturbing anyone by walking quietly into courtyards or by peering through windows. Paris is for everyone. Press the main button on the door keypad to enter. Not all are locked. If you run into residents or a gardien (caretaker) inside, just smile and say hello; they will most likely ignore you.

Wear comfortable shoes (Paris streets are hard on the feet), and have a wonderful time!

Brief Chronology of Paris