The streets of Paris

We had two days to wander through neighborhoods we didn't know. Saw some interesting characters--lots of people on bikes and even old-fashioned, non-motorized, scooters. Probably not the best transport for hilly Seattle. We walked the length of Fauberg-St Honere and I photographed some great clothes. The red and brown dress is half leather. We went to the street where we stayed with Max on our first visit to Paris. The neighborhood has gone upscale but there was an interesting clothing store where I bought a jacket and scarf.

Whatever it takes!

It's hard work buying glasses. We have to look at hundreds and hundreds each day. But imagine the vendors selling the glasses. They have show the same frames to customer after customer. And they feel they have to draw people in with all sorts of flashy gimmicks. Here are some highlights.

Silmo Begins

Silmo is being held outside of the city this year. Our first stop was at Roger's booth. Roger posed with his wife, Sylvie; Stan tried on a prototype of a new Roger design and I had a look at his new, Glasses in One-Hour concept.

Bois de Bologne

Wednesday, our last free day before the trade show, we walked most of the day in the Bois de Bologne. The Frommer's gives it 2 stars and says that its the greatest park in Europe. I don't know about that. If a city has a lovely park like this one could be, it should keep its lakes and streams relatively clean and flowing. Through streets should be limited and trails maintained. There were so many cars parked, bumper to bumper, it often seemed like a parking warehouse where city dwellers store their cars when not in use. There were some narrow, one-way roads so packed with cars, presumably taking a short cut, that it was almost comic. But we had a nice day--lots of dogs and happy kids to watch. On the way back to our hotel, we stopped to visit an old city cemetery that had much quieter streets!

Ile de la Jatte

Today’s featured picture is the bas relief on the building across from our hotel. I wish I knew more about the person who carved cats onto his building. I'll ask at the front desk tomorrow.

This morning we went to Neuilly. In the northwest corner of Paris is Neuilly sur Seine. Nicholas Sarkozy got his start here as mayor. We took the 43 bus to Neuilly from Porte Maillot and then walked several blocks to a footbridge which took us to Ile de la Jatte. In the narrow channel of the Seine which borders the West side of the island were a string of houseboats. The island was a retreat for early French kings. In the 19th century the island was a regular painting spot for many Impressionists. I took some pictures of spots where they painted. I could imagine them sitting at their easels without the backdrop of La Defense.

Neuilly itself was very beautiful and quiet except for the army of gardeners and street cleaners that the city employed. Three types of teams were at work: the first line consisted of a water truck and a worker with a power house who washed down the sidewalks--they had no concern for their impact upon pedestrians, we had to take to the street to avoid being hosed off. Next came the guys with gasoline powered leaf blowers. This seemed a bit redundant but the leaf blowers corralled the leaves. Finally, men armed with long brooms, swept and bagged the leaves. We might consider this employment scheme in the U.S. but a city government would have to fund it and there’s no money in city hands. I’ve posted Neuilly City Hall, a lovely building with rams’ heads and Stan on the oddity of the day--a lawn couch. If I get back there, I'm going to a wonderful shopping street called Chartres which had many clothing stores including one called American Vintage right across from another called American Retro.

Best Falafel in Paris!

On the way to rendezvous with Judy H., we came upon a small specialty store featuring rat extermination methods! I had to share the window with you.

We had lunch in the Marais at a great Jewish falafel house called, L’as des Falafels. I had the House Special Falafel which was loaded with grilled eggplant, red cabbage, hummous and tahini. The best falafel I’ve ever eaten. We ate inside, but long lines snaked down the street from the takeout window as well and people would start their sandwiches immediately.

Sept 20 Art Walk

I love walking the neighborhoods in Paris. I always find something extraordinary or very funny like last night's spaghetti lamp. In the afternoon today, we went to the Place des Voges. I read in my Frommers this morning that it was here that Henry IV was assassinated while jousting. Hmm.--was it a bystander who killed him or was he simply a lousy jouster? We saw several sculptures that we liked but prices in the 35,000 Euro range discouraged us from making offers of the larger pieces. Today's highlights --A couch made from air-filled brown bags. It did have a weight limit but I don't remember what it was. And a bronze woman, reclining in a hammock, is clasping a bronzed wet cloth in her hand.

Villa Brunel

We arrived at our hotel, The Villa Brunel, which has a large sign in front announcing The Hotel Palma. The hotel changed names quite some time ago but since it is in an historic Hausmann building, it is not a simple matter to change anything on a facade. They have applied but.....
Another example of preservation is across the street and a few blocks away where a long block of Hausmann facades (about 5 feet in width) front a large parking lot.

We are off to the Marais this morning. I read that the Marais translates 'the swamp'. It became the in neighborhood as the 13th century Ile de la Citie became overcrowded.

Yesterday afternoon we walked to the Trocadero and took these pictures of the wonderful guilded statues that line the courtyard of the Palais de Chaillot and some f the street life. Get a load of the spagetti lamp.

The 17th Arrondissement - Paris

We will be staying in the 17th a new neighborhood for us. It turns out that it's close to the 16th with all its grandeur, e.g. the Arc de Triomphe, the Trocadero, the Champs Elysees, but according to the guide book the only things of note in the 17th are 2 great restaurants: Guy Savoy and Michel Rostang. Fancy restaurants are usually wasted on us. For one we're Scandinavian and need to eat before most French restaurants even start their dinner service. And then lots of French foods are unappealing to me: rabbit, duck, sausage to name a few items that are typical.

The17th arrondissement is on the Right Bank in the Northwest part of the city and boasts only one park The Parc Monceau. But when we were researching hotels we saw an island in the curve of the Seine where it goes past La Defense. The island, Ille de la Grande Jutte was a refuge for some of the early French kings and I'm going to talk about it in my next post. Linda

Let's see if I can attach a link to the Guy Savoy to this post.

Lamma

Another 3 hours and we finally got to Hong Kong. We had lunch at a vegetarian restaurant and sat at tables overlooking the bay. We got to our rented flat and spent lots of time with the girls.

From the China Travel Guide.com here is some info on ShenZhen


Shenzhen is located in the southern portion of the Guangdong Province, on the eastern shore of the Pearl River Delta. Neighboring the Pearl River Delta and Hong Kong (located just south of Shenzhen), Shenzhen's location gives it a geographical advantage for economic development. In 1980, the first Special Economic Zone of China was built in Shenzhen. From then on, Shenzhen become a highlighted city of China, one known for its rapid economic growth.

More than twenty years ago, Shenzhen just was a small fishing village called Baoan County. In 1979, it was renamed Shenzhen City. When the Special Economic Zone was built, the city was divided into six zones, four of which are located in the Special Economic Zone.

Each year, more and more people come to Shenzhen to try to find employment. As a result, the city has become increasingly crowded. The local government has recently made city-wide environmental improvements in an effort to combat problems caused by overpopulation. In recognition for these improvements, Shenzhen was awarded the Garden City Award in 2000.

While Shenzhen has had to overcome a number of obstacles resulting from this population swell, the city has also benefited from the increased diversity. Workers come to Shenzhen from almost every part of china, bringing with them their local traditions and cuisines. Visitors are able to sample foods from each of China's famous eight cuisines. Local dishes are also worth trying - Kejia is one of the many dishes that should not be missed.

We could take a ferry from the airport to get to ShenZhen. It is just across the water from Hong Kong.

New Adventures of Linda & Stan.

We're off for China tomorrow. We'll stay a week with our girls and then go off to explore ShenZhen China. It is, according to Wikipedia, the fastest growing city in the world.

I hope to be able to post stories as we go. Stay tuned...