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.

Notre Dame du Travail: more than meets the eye

If I had to pick only one place to visit on a trip to Paris, it would be Notre Dame du Travail. What makes it so special? It starts with the eye, but there is more than meets the eye. … Continue reading

Posted in Paris churches, Paris history, Paris quartiers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Leeks Vinaigrette

I have my favourite French food writers, but among my best-loved cookbooks are those by Canadian food writer Lucy Waverman and the English Nigel Slater. Recently, I came across the following words by Slater that got me thinking: Sourness in … Continue reading

Posted in Paris food, Paris markets | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Goosebumps

One day, at a flea market, I bought an old board game called Le Jeu de l’Oie (the Game of the Goose). I was attracted to it because I had seen a reproduction of a similar board in a newspaper … Continue reading

Posted in Paris flea markets, Paris nostalgia, Paris popular culture | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

A tricycle built for work

Head down and shoulders hunched, the lead cyclist pedals furiously through the streets of Paris. He is barely a cycle’s length ahead of his closest pursuers. Anxious onlookers line the streets. We are not witnessing the final moments of the … Continue reading

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The queen in the tower

Last week, Norman posted his picture of a “melting bicycle” and it got me thinking about the place and time we saw it. Then a reader wrote in and asked about places to stop and sit in the Marais, and … Continue reading

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Still life with bicycle

Paris has a long association with cycling. Consider the early 19th-century velocipede craze or Art Nouveau advertising lithographs by artists such as Alphonse Mucha. Since it began in 1903, the Tour de France always ends with a dash into Paris. … Continue reading

Posted in Paris streets | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

A villa in the south

When we say the south, we don’t mean the south of France, we mean the southern parts of Paris, particularly the 14th arrondissement. And when we say “villa,” we don’t mean a detached house. The villas of Paris are cul-de-sacs, … Continue reading

Posted in Paris art, Paris gardens, Paris streets | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Men in green

The first one we noticed was right under the window of our hotel room. It was 1995 and we were staying on a narrow street in the 6th. Actually, it was the broom that caught our attention first. It was … Continue reading

Posted in Paris civic functions, Paris popular culture, Paris streets | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Finding the world in Paris postcards

Last week we showed a picture of a bridge, which was on my list of must-sees in Paris. And I wondered how many of those who flock to the Eiffel Tower also visit the 1867 suspension bridge over the artificial … Continue reading

Posted in Paris bookstores, Paris bridges, Paris flea markets, Paris history, Paris nostalgia, Paris parks, Paris postcards, Paris shops | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Finding Paris in old postcards

“Pssst. Dirty postcards, monsieur?” Is that your image of Paris postcards? Les cartes coquines (naughty or saucy postcards) are still for sale if you know where to look, but there is much more to old Paris postcards. Many of them … Continue reading

Posted in Paris history, Paris nostalgia, Paris popular culture, Paris postcards | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments