Sunday 14 December - Provins

The weather forecast was for sunny or misty  today but rainy for the rest of the week. This is the day that Provins has its Christmas market and medieval extravaganza so we decided to take the train. We found out that the 0946 from Gare de l'Est does not run Sundays and the 1046 was very much overcrowded being a short train.  The platform was only announced about ten minutes before departure and it seems the toilets are all locked out of service so they don't have to be maintained.  Once again SNCF does not give a damn about its passengers.  I have yet to find a fully functioning toilet on a train this trip.
The train was very full and many had to stand for over an hour. Many were in medieval costume. We ran through dense fog until just before Longueville when the sun broke through and stayed that way all the time we were at Provins. On the platform at Provins a couple of hunting horns were sounded and we followed the horns up to the hill top where the market is held. Many, including kids, were in medieval dress, suits of armour, leather or wool covers. Medieval instruments were being played and there were impromptu processions.
The weather was excellent with full sun - it seems the mist did not clear fully in Paris. We had mulled wine and hot chestnuts and then made our way slowly to the station where our train was a long one with just a handful of passengers.  SNCF managed to get everything wrong. On the way back from Gare de l'Est we stopped off at Sacré Coeur and Place des Abbesses.

The roast chestnuts were pretty much carbonized

Saturday 13 December - Opening of the Paris T6 Tramway

Waiting for the off. The first one was that on the right

The T6 tramway from Chatillon to Robert Wagner was opened today - it is free all weekend. An extension to Viroflay will open some time next year. It was cold and wet which probably helped to keep the crowds down to manageable proportions. I arrived at Chatillon around 1030 expecting things to start up at 1100. Instead I found out that the festivities were due to start at 1100 with Brazillian drummers, there was to be a formal inauguration at 1130 and the first tram was due to leave at 1200. 

To kill some time, warm up and make myself comfortable I found a cafe. Back at the event France TV3 were broadcasting from a makeshift studio. Both tramway platforms were beginning to fill up by 1100 and the numerous security personnel were herding people around in a somewhat random fashion. The drummers started around 1115 and the crowd began to sway to the beat. The people seemed mostly local with a large proportion of elderly although there were a great number of small kids.

The dignitaries tram arrives

Security moved people away from the arrival platform and made room for the arrival of a tram loaded with dignities. There was some sort of ceremony with TV and pictures but I couldn't follow it because I was strategically located on the departure platform with several thousand others. In spite of the weather everybody was in high spirits. 

The first service tram out arrives at the platform

 

Finally, at 1155 the first tram entered the platform and shuddered to a halt. It then jerked forward a couple of feet and finally came to a stop (laughter). The crowd surged forward and everyone chanted "Ouvrez les portes". After several minutes the doors opened and we all rushed inside.  I didn't really have a choice as there would have been no moving against this crowd. As it was I found myself going through the front door of this 6 car tram. Once inside everyone was hooting and cheering but after a couple of minutes this changed to a chant of "Fermez les portes". There was a security guard on the platform at each door keeping people out so the tram was not overfull.  Finally the doors were closed (intense clapping) and the driver welcomed us (loud cheering). We set out a few minutes late (more clapping and comiserating with those poor souls who were left out in the cold).

These trams are rubber tired with a single rail for guidance.  Straight away there were jerks at both starting and stopping.  The acceleration and braking is good but the ride was not very good being rubber tires on concrete. This is a cheaper form of construction that gives nowhere near as good a ride as a two rail system with steel wheels. These trams do not hold as many as a steel wheel tram and the narrow corridor connections create serious bottlenecks in crowd flow. The ride to the end of the line took 39 minutes and many people were getting off before the end to go home.

Several people were surprised at how fast the tram was going compared to the bus. This tramway replaces the number 295 bus route, which was still running today to iron out the gaps in tram frequencies due to heavy overcrowding of the first ones out. The itineraries and timetables of  some 30 bus routes have been changed to take advantage of the new tram, something Ottawa has still failed to do with the introduction of the OTrain.

I caught the first available tram back to Chatillon and came straight back to warm up. Tramway T6 has been enthusiastically opened.

.

At Robert Wagner

The connections between cars are quite restricted.

This evening we went to Le Relais de Venise. We arrived about 20 minutes before it opened and were seated quickly. The service was, as usual, quick and efficient and we were out by abut 2015. it was a good dinner.

Friday 12 December - Quai de la Gare

Another cloudy drizzly day today - not condudive to going out although it is pretty warm. I took metro 14 to Bercy and changed for the Quai de la Gare to visit the Opherline model shop. Lots of interesting items but very high prices. It looks as if they have had to cut back. Less stock and more open floor space.
I stopped off at Saint-Lazare on the way back and was surprised to see four 17xxx electrics (043, 026, 046 & 041) together on four of five adjacent platforms.

Five 1960s vintage electric locomotives together at Saint-Lazare

Thursday 11 December - Avenue de Raspail

After a good lunch near the Mouton  Duvernet metro station we walked up to Denfert Rochereau and then along the Boulevard de Raspail. This was new to us and isn't very exciting. The weather was blustery and we returned from Rue du Bac.

 

I returned via Saint-Lazare to find two more blazons.  The locomotive is not very large but it dwarfs the passenger cars.

Wednesday 10 December - Rue de Rome and Buttes Chaumont

I had a quick walk down to Saint Lazare this morning along the the rue de Rome with its many music shops and ateliers.  It is fascinating to see rows and rows of instruments for sale as well as experts making minute repairs to old instruments.

A large display of brass instruments

 

Nothing special in Saint Lazare. No vintage electrics were in evidence. Although a group of protesters got off a train and headed noisily outside.  A job for the Paris Flying Squad.

 

 I found these blazons on two trains for Versailles

It was cloudy and threatening to rain but we decided to see Buttes Chaumont.  The ride along metro 7 bis was very uncomfortable in spite of new equipment. The track needs a lot of attention otherwise the new trains will rapidly deteriorate.

Buttes Chaumont is showing the benefit of the work that has been done in the last few years. There were at least 20 people working on various tasks, including a project to reduce significantly the flow of water through the water fall. The park was opened around 1865 and has been well cared for by generations of city councils. The ducks, moorhens, geese and gulls were in their element but we didn't see any Canada geese. A heron was fishing in the shallows and we later saw it in a tall tree high above the lake.

Buttes Chaumont

Back at Levis we have found a high end chocolatier/patissier who claims to have won many awards.  We certainly enjoyed the two we tried from Pascal Caffet.

Christmas is coming - Rue de Levis

From Pascal Caffet

We had dinner this evening again at Le P'tit Canon.  We are getting to know Isobelle and Christian, the owners, and it is always a friendly experience.  The cooking seems even better than in the past, the soupe a l'onion gratinee had a good deep flavor while the confit de canard was excellent, as were the accompanying crispy fried sliced potatoes.  No room for dessert. 

Tuesday 9 December - Rue du Faubourg St-Antoine

We decided to go into a part of Paris we haven't visited before. We took the line 2 metro to Place de la Nation, walked to Porte de Vincennes and back, walked along the rue du Faubourg St. Antoine to the Bastille then along the rue du Rivoli with a side trip to the Place des Vosges. Line 2 is above ground on a brick arched viaduct between Barbes Rochuart and Jaures - the rest of the line has been put underground.

One of the columns at Place de la nation with a Wallace fountain in the foreground.  It proved difficult to get a picture of the two columns together as trees were in the way.

Place de la Nation is very impressive. The road to the Porte de Vincennes is very wide and flanked by two tall columns with a statue on each. It lines up directly with the Eiffel Tower. There were only a few clouds in the sky and the walking was pleasant. The trams on both routes (3a and 3b) were very much in evidence at Porte de Vincennes - both were well used. 

Tram 3b at Porte de Vincennes

 It was 1200 as we walked back towards Place de la Nation and the kids were coming out for their lunch - many of them were smoking.
Our route changed from grand boulevard to urban working street as soon as we entered the rue du Faubourg St. Antoine. The street is narrower and the shops much smaller. There is a proliferation of restaurants, many of them north African or middle Eastern. Some were very small holes in the wall but mostly well frequented. A couple were crowded with men sipping coffee, presumably Turkish, out of very small cups.

Two blocks of fruit and vegetable stalls.  Each vendor was trying to out shout his neighbour

We made a detour along an open street market leading to the Beauvau covered market. It was some two blocks long and contained only fruit and vegetables. It is surprising that so many traders can make a living yet the number of people living around is very large. Business was brisk.
The narrow streets and parked cars made it difficult for some vehicles. We watched a tractor and trailer make a ninety degree turn. It was driven by a lady truck driver with long black streaky hair and a cigarette in her mouth as her hands were occupied turning the steering wheel. To give herself room to maneuver she just advanced on the opposing traffic and forced them to back up out of her way.
The Bastille was looking good in the bright sunlight as was the Place des Vosges where an urban farm was being set up. A very large turkey was not looking very happy at the attention given it by a chicken which was trying to pull out its tail feathers.
We had lunch at a restaurant just off the rue du Rivoli in St. Paul. The duck was good but the Tarte Tatin dessert was extraordinary.  It was made with just one half of an apple. It was good but would not have passed the exacting standards set down at Lamotte Beuvron, the home of the Tarte Tatin.

Some four vans loads of Paris police were parked at a bus stop outside the restaurant -it seems normal to deploy them around the city like this so they can quickly get to developing trouble spots. There is a frequent bus service along this narrow street, three routes. Around 1430 a convoy of police vans with sirens sounding came roaring up and stopped. There was hand shaking all round and the original contingent eventually departed. As this change of shift was going on the cars and buses meekly waited to get by - no car horns here.

A very different Tarte Tatin

The final part of the walk took us past the Hotel de Ville, St. Eustache where a very fine cover over Les Halles is being built and rue Montorgueil which is always interesting. 

Elaborate street lights at Hotel de Ville

We found a store that specialized in rodent extermination. It had a window display of dead rats supposedly caught in Les Halles around 1925. They are hanging with their heads in traps. Unfortunately the glare from the window made it difficult to photograph.

These 90 year old corpses seem in remarkably good condition for their age. However, it makes an eye catching display.

Monday 8 December - Return to Paris

We were up early so that we could take breakfast at the hotel. The railway station is only some 5 or 6 minutes away and we were there before the train was posted on the Departure board. We went to the platform when the train was posted but there were traffic control problems and it took the controllers a long time to clear an empty train from our platform then thread our TGV out of the sidings. As it was, we left at 0814 some 3 minutes late. We stopped at Thionville where there were some functioning steelworks - there was a long, heavy train of steel billets ready to go. There was also a large park which had several large roller coasters.  At Metz we coupled on to a second TGV and good station work ensured an on time departure. We used a flyover to go from right hand running to left hand and ran left hand for some way on the regular tracks before entering the Meuse High Speed Line. Then it was 300 km/hr all the way to Paris. The weather was mild with sunny periods but we were running through thick fog at times - no problem here as the cab signaling takes care of things. The only item of note was a field of ostriches. We arrived at 1017, three minutes early and were through the Metro and in the apartment before 1100. Smooth, comfortable, effortless traveling.
It was an interesting visit. We found the locals far less friendly than Parisiens and they avoid making eye contact or smiling.  They are quick to use elbows and will barge you off the sidewalk.  It was very annoying to discover that restaurants refuse to serve tap water but insist you buy bottled water or none at all. Cheap buggers.

Click here to see all pictures taken in Luxembourg
Back in Paris we had lunch at Le P'tit Canon where the server, whom we have known for several years, mentioned that she had a baby, Lilla, in the summer and was just working the day period to have more time to look after the baby girl