Of Proust, Tea and Haussmann

My apologies for not keeping up to date with my little project. While I don’t like to make excuses, I’m not ashamed to admit that the reason I was loath to summarize my impressions of the 17th is that this arrondissement is simply not my cup of tea. Neither is Proust, for that matter, who supposedly found the inspiration for his abnormally long sentences by strolling daily through the Parc Monceau. This elegant patch of green borders the southernmost edge of the 17th and is randomly strewn with ivory statues, as if antiquity had no better place to hang out for the rest of eternity. The Park Monceau is the play space of all the little rich children of the 17th, and their wide-eyed au-pairs who look after them with care. It all seems a little unreal from within.



Honestly, the 17th is a bit of a continuation of the 16th, except it’s difficult to find little random buildings (like the one I live in) tucked between the huge, beautiful structures that seem to exemplify Paris. These were the design of the Baron Haussmann in the 19th century, who created a paradise for the new bourgeoisie with his grand boulevards and strictly regulated building design codes. This explains why after a half an hour of walking down Boulevard de Courcelles, everything still looked the same. Apparently part of Haussmann’s plan was to destroy all the little tiny, charming streets of Paris- the ideal places to set up barricades and have another revolution, a favorite pastime of the French.

Though this neighborhood is not my cup of tea, I WAS on a mission to find a warm beverage, which led me to a lively outdoor market. Even though the French complain non-stop about the cold (it “snowed” aka flurried this morning and I still haven’t heard the last of it), they refuse to let it stop them from continuing with their charming outdoor markets. I got my tea, and bought myself a new book (sorry Dad, I really can’t do Proust)- a little Émile Zola for a change of pace.

In all honesty I only wrote this blog because I’m excited to post about the 18th! This past weekend of exploration brought many adventures…