Author Archives: Parisian Fields

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.

Paris Camino

Paris is a city for walking – for tourists, for flâneurs, and also for pilgrims. For some, it is the conclusion of a pilgrimage. On the rue du Bac, you will see pilgrims from many countries entering the courtyard of … Continue reading

Posted in Charles Barbier, Paris churches, Paris history, Paris hospitals, Paris streets | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Reviving the charms of the concert-promenade

If you are in Paris today, May 29, you might want to wander in the Jardin de Ranelagh between four and five in the afternoon, where you will be serenaded by a baroque ensemble in the kiosque à musique. If … Continue reading

Posted in Paris music, Paris parks | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Passage St-Pierre

We found this 1913 etching of the Passage St-Pierre by Caroline Armington in the Earls Court Gallery in Hamilton, Ontario, on St. Patrick’s Day in March. If you look up “Passage St-Pierre” in the index of a modern map of … Continue reading

Posted in Paris art, Paris churches, Paris streets | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Saving Mary

Amid the oceans of heart-breaking news that surrounded us in March 2022, there was some good news from a French village called, appropriately, Island, in the department of the Yonne in Burgundy–Franche-Comté. About 180 people live in the village, which … Continue reading

Posted in Burgundy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Madame Mozart dies in Paris

When, a few weeks ago, a broadcaster mentioned that Mozart’s mother had died in Paris in 1778, my first thought was: I don’t even know her name! I knew about Wolfgang Amadeus, his hard-driving father Leopold, his gifted sister Nannerl, … Continue reading

Posted in Paris music | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

The writing on the wall, part two

After posting the last blog, I had a nagging feeling that there was a question I had not answered and a connection I had not made. I found the question by looking at the images again. It was that date: … Continue reading

Posted in Paris architecture, Paris film, Paris shops, Paris streets | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

The writing on the wall

I once bought a book called How to Read Paris, which was really just a book about the city’s architecture. If I were to write a book with that title, I would talk about the words on the city’s walls. … Continue reading

Posted in Paris streets | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Rondo Parisien

For years, concerts “Chez Nous,” presented by Mary Ann Warrick in her home in the 16th, have been a highlight of our visits to Paris. Now we watch concerts in that familiar drawing room online. Recently, we saw a brilliant … Continue reading

Posted in Paris music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

A Penny for a Dancer’s Son

A few weeks ago, Norman embarked on some long-deferred tidying up and came across a beautiful bronze disc about 12 cm in diameter (not quite 5 inches across). He said he’d had it for years, and had probably bought it … Continue reading

Posted in Toronto, World War I | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

Red children and foundling wheels

Some Paris names evoke long-gone places in the city’s past. The name Tuileries now represents a garden, before that a palace with a violent history, and before that, an area where tiles were made. I’ve always found it interesting that … Continue reading

Posted in Paris history, Paris hospitals, Paris markets | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments