Author Archives: Parisian Fields

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About Parisian Fields

Parisian Fields is the blog of two Toronto writers who love Paris. When we can't be there, we can write about it. We're interested in everything from its history and architecture to its graffiti and street furniture. We welcome comments, suggestions, corrections, and musings from all readers.

The forgotten fashionista

There are not a lot of private houses in Paris. Let alone private houses with a direct view of the river and the Eiffel Tower. So 34, avenue New York, home of the Mona Bismarck American Center for Art and … Continue reading →

Posted in Paris art, Paris museums | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

The Jardin Mabille and the origins of the can-can

Paris has long been famous for dance, and not just the glamour of the ballet. The city was renowned for its bals (places and events for dancing). At one end of the social scale were the elaborate invitation-only affairs in … Continue reading →

Posted in Paris dance, Paris history, Paris popular culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

A parachute in the Parc Monceau

On Christmas Day, before it was time to go to dinner with friends, we wandered into the Parc Monceau. We have walked in the quiet park many times before, but had not noticed the little plaque near the path running along … Continue reading →

Posted in Paris history, Paris parks | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

The chariot on the Champs-Elysées

For many people in Paris, owning a car is neither necessary nor desirable. Transit service is good and parking is difficult. But that means that when your groceries include, say, containers of milk or orange juice, bottles of wine or … Continue reading →

Posted in Paris food, Paris markets, Paris shops | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

The Twelve Fleas of Christmas

A little less than twelve days before Christmas, my true love and I made a trip to the Marché aux Puces de Clignancourt. It was a chilly December Saturday morning, so the first order of business was to fortify ourselves … Continue reading →

Posted in Paris flea markets | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

What a croque

It all started so innocently. I was going to write a blog about a simple and unremarkable café meal, the sort of thing that warms one up on a cold December day with a glass of vin chaud, and before … Continue reading →

Posted in Paris food, Paris history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

The Mystery of the Missing Suspension Bridges of Paris

In the first half of the nineteenth century, France was a world leader in the design and construction of suspension bridges. And yet today not a single one of Paris’s nineteenth-century suspension bridges over the Seine remains. Why? It was … Continue reading →

Posted in Paris bridges, Paris history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

A French family in wartime

Today, November 11, is the anniversary of the end of the First World War. In France the Jour de L’Armistice or le Jour du Souvenir is a day of military parades and ceremonies. But there is more to remembrance than … Continue reading →

Posted in Paris history, Paris postcards, World War I | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

The Other Great Nineteenth-Century Tower of Paris

The story begins in a photograph shop in the Village St-Paul. I was browsing among the stereograph cards, when I came across something that looked like this. It captivated me. I say “looked like,” because this is not the same … Continue reading →

Posted in Paris civic functions, Paris history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

A virtual walk through old Paris

In the novel Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert, Emma Bovary does something that may sound as familiar to some of you as it does to me. She lives in the countryside, but she wants to be in Paris. So what … Continue reading →

Posted in Paris history, Paris maps, Paris streets | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments