Category Archives: Paris parks

Early one morning

Posted on December 29, 2019 by Parisian Fields

We do not, as a rule, take early-morning walks in Paris. If we do not have a morning appointment, we tend to dawdle over breakfast, reading and chatting and enjoying the view from the windows. Quick showers are not an … Continue reading →

Posted in Paris gardens, Paris history, Paris hospitals, Paris parks, Paris quartiers, Paris streets | Tagged aqueduc Medicis, Centre Hospitalier Sainte-Anne, Charles-Auguste Questel, empêche-pipi, Georges-Eugène Haussmann, Hôpital Rochefoucauld, Lycée Notre Dame de France, Maison Santé des Soeurs Augustines, Monastère de la Visitation, Plancher de Jeannot | 9 Comments

Life on the rue du Ranelagh

Posted on January 2, 2017 by Parisian Fields

By the time you read this, we will have returned from Paris, where we spent Christmas. Friends had graciously given us the use of an apartment on the boulevard Suchet in the 16th arrondissement. “Ah, le seizième ! C’est un … Continue reading →

Posted in Paris history, Paris parks, Paris streets | Tagged avenue Président Kennedy, Elaine Sciolino, gasometer, La Cabane du Smartphone, Lycée Molière, Marie Antoinette, Morisan, Paris street names, Petit Ranelagh, Petite Ceinture, Radio France, rue du Ranelagh, usine à gaz de Passy | 19 Comments

A bird lover’s guide to Paris

Posted on January 25, 2015 by Parisian Fields

This is one of my favourite photographs from Paris. I use it as the wallpaper on my desktop computer, so that every day, when I sit down to work, I feel for a second that I am taking my place … Continue reading →

Posted in Paris gardens, Paris history, Paris parks, Paris postcards, Paris streets | Tagged Bois de Boulogne, Charles Yriarte, Charmeurs d’oiseaux, Jardin du Luxembourg, La Bagatelle, Medici fountain, Parc Monceau, pigeonnier contraceptif, pigeons, Puvis de Chavannes, Rene Dagron, Richard Holmes, Siege of Paris, Square des Batignolles, Tuileries | 14 Comments

The colours of the Batignolles

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Parisian Fields

The Batignolles does not attract many tourists. That, in itself, is part of its charm. But there are many reasons to venture there. Food. Gardens. Places for children to play. And colour, because that is what struck us both – … Continue reading →

Posted in Paris gardens, Paris parks, Paris quartiers | Tagged Adolphe Alphand, Avenue de Clichy, Batignolles, Clichy-Batignolles, Edouard Manet, Le Tout Petit, Parc Martin-Luther-King, Square des Batignolles | 13 Comments

Buttes Chaumont: The Park for the People

Posted on May 26, 2013 by Parisian Fields

Although it lacks the aristocratic pedigree of some Paris parks, the Parc des Buttes Chaumont in the 19th arrondissement is my favourite. The Bois de Boulogne and the Bois de Vincennes were formerly royal domains for hunting. But the Buttes … Continue reading →

Posted in Paris parks | Tagged Adolphe Alphand, Bois de Boulogne, Bois de Vincennes, Charles Baudelaire, Eyes of the Poor, Georges-Eugène Haussmann, Gibbet de Montfaucon, Gustave Eiffel, Henri le Secq, Jean-Pierre Barillet-Deschamps, Napoleon III, Parc des Buttes Chaumont, Paris Spleen, Royal Botanical Gardens | 5 Comments

A parachute in the Parc Monceau

Posted on January 20, 2013 by Parisian Fields

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 André-Jacques Garnerin, ballon perdu, Francois d’Arlandes, Henry David Thoreau, Jacques Charles, Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier, Jean-Baptiste-Olivier Garnerin, Jeanne-Geneviève Garnerin, Jerôme Lalande, Joseph-Michel Montgolfier, Louis Carrogis Carmontelle, Louis XVI, montgolfier brothers, Nicolas-Louis Robert, Parc Monceau, Philippe d’Orléans, Pilatre de Rozier | 12 Comments

A walk in the snow

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Parisian Fields

No trip to Paris would be complete without at least one lengthy visit to Des Photographies, an intriguing shop in Village St. Paul in the Marais. There, with some help from Sylvain Calvier, I have found and bought some wonderful … Continue reading →

Posted in Paris gardens, Paris parks | Tagged Arsène Alexandre, Candide, Des Photographies, Gilles Vigneault, Henri Riviere, Louvre, Mail aux pommes, Napoleon Bonaparte, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Robert Lowell, Sylvain Calvier, The Expiation Russia 1812, Victor Hugo, Village St-Paul, Voltaire | 3 Comments

Postcards from a Snowy Paris

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Parisian Fields

Although it snows occasionally in Paris, it seems to be rare enough that only a small amount wreaks havoc. The city just isn’t prepared for snow. Parisian winters are normally mild, but there have been some very cold ones that … Continue reading →

Posted in Paris history, Paris parks, Paris postcards | Tagged 1910 flood, Bois de Boulogne, gasometer, ice skating in Paris, January 1910, Jardin du Luxembourg, Marche St-Martin, Nanterre, Paris flood, Paris postcards, Snow in Paris, snow load, St-Martin market, twig brooms, vintage postcards, winter in Paris | 7 Comments

Merry Christmas and don’t forget the bûche de béton

Posted on December 25, 2011 by Parisian Fields

I hope some of you enjoyed the traditional French Christmas treat, the bûche de Noël (Christmas log), as we did. But let’s not forget another great French tradition: the bûche de béton. Or as some would call it: faux bois. … Continue reading →

Posted in Paris parks, Paris streets | Tagged béton, bûche de béton, bûche de Noël, Butte Montmartre, cast iron, Christmas, concrete, François Joseph Paul de Grasse, Gustave Eiffel, Les Grands Magasins Dufayel, Louise Michel park, Palais de Chaillot, Parc des Buttes Chaumont | 7 Comments

Sitting on books in Paris

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Parisian Fields

The libraries, bookshops, and bouquinistes’ stalls of Paris are justly famous. So, too, are places to sit, alone or with someone else. The city offers many spots for quiet contemplation and conversation. So why not combine them? Sit on some … Continue reading →