Spirits Dancing Blog

I’m lucky to be in Paris for a month, over half gone now. We are living a 15 minute train ride out of the city, and I love my Carte Orange transport card. Once paid it has basically given me free range across the whole city by whichever public transport suits best. It is really efficient for me, except when there are rail strikes. I gather this is relatively often - there was one day this week when the trains weren’t running.

I’ve been doing a lot of wandering on foot, too - through various districts like the M’s - Montmartre, Montparnasse, and the Marais - and others. The other day I walked from the Arc de Triomphe back into the centre down the Champs-Elysee, through Place de la Concorde, and Jardin des Tuileries.

Today I satisfied my curiosity about La Defense, the modern financial district, spending the afternoon there, looking at all the amazing architecture, glass reflections and contemporary sculptures that are dotted all the way through the buildings and walkways there.

Tags: paris

Here are some photos of the playful fountains just to the south of the Centre Pompidou, in Place Igor Stravinski. Most of them move, for instance the big lips make a slow mechanical nod, and others turn while spouting water. They were created by Niki de St-Phalle and Jean Tinguely. The graffiti snake was high up on one of the walls surrounding the square; I like that it reflects the snake in the fountain.

When I was there, aside from the coffee drinkers, lots of people were sketching, a bunch of boys were playing football, and some other kids were playing an elastics game.

I’m seeing and liking quite a lot of artwork by Jean Dubuffet here in Paris. This kind of cave of his, called Le Jardin d’hiver, took my fancy, and I spent a while in it. It’s lumpy and bumpy and the lines don’t always go where you might expect them too. The little girl in the photo was really enjoying it.

Tags: art, dubuffet, sculpture

This was the most intriguing sculpture I saw in the Centre Pompidou the other day, La mariee, by Niki de Saint Phalle.

Tags: bride, centre pompidou, niki de phalle, paris, sculpture

Two very different rhinos! The shiny red one is by Xavier Veilhan, and is presently in the Centre Pompidou. The other is outside the Musee d’Orsay.

Tags: paris, rhinocerous, sculpture

Interior and looking out from a cafe in Montparnasse.

Tags: montparnasse, paris

Painters finishing off a new coat of paint on a shop facade near the Raspail metro station. The avenue of trees in the background lines the front of Cimetiere du Montparnasse.

Tags: montparnasse, paris

Quite a lot of buildings have different stonework up the sides like this. We guess there is a difference in heat resistance because the dark bricks always lead to the chimneys, and often in interesting patterns. I love the seeing all the chimneys when you look up or out across the city skyline. Places listed on the local real estate shop, simetimes give the number of chimneys.

Tags: bourg-la-reine, chimneys, paris

This is the local RER underpass in Bourg-la-Reine. It is getting very familiar, as we walk it numerous times a day! It interests me that the stones, while still irregular, can all be made to look five-sided.

Tags: bourg-la-reine, paris, stonework, texture

A window of cheeses!