HUNGERFORD ARCADE “PARIS (IN SEARCH OF ANTIQUES)”

PART 2

,,,,,But it was not all about books and this is what made it so fascinating.

 

There were sheets of stamps and an endless supply of original magazines and newspapers dating from the mid nineteenth century to date.  It seemed that every copy of Paris Match ever published could be found and for some reason, there seemed to be a market for vintage copies of Lui which is a French men’s magazine that often features scantily clad French actresses.

 

On the same theme, I saw quite a number of vintage Playboy magazines and some rather more up market French cinema magazines which dated from the 1950s onwards.

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As a word of warning.  Although most of what is for sale is original, there did seem to be a number of reproductions (newspapers mainly) but these were easy to spot and were not being sold as originals.

 

I adore Edith Piaf and felt even closer to her a few years ago when to the amusement of a group of Americans, I slipped and fell over her grave in Pere Lachaise.  This embarrassment aside, I could listen to her songs for ages and like many, my favourite is Non, je ne regrette rein and I was sorely tempted to pick up a 1960s single which I thought was quite reasonably priced at ten euros.

 

 

On the subject of Piaf, one of the magazines for sale included an article on her relationship with the tragic French boxing champion, Marcel Cerdan who died in an air crash in the Azores in 1949.

 

There were plenty of antiquarian prints for sale as well as good deal of cinema ephemera the list was endless.

 

You will not find the type of antiques and collectables that you could expect to find in an English antique shop or Arcade, but the selection of which I have only scraped the surface, is endless.

 

Not all of these units were open on the days of my visit but I spent quite a long time drifting along both banks just looking at what was for sale.  It was a holiday in itself and so, so French and my days were made even more complete to find that some of vendors actually sat on islands in the road so that they could enjoy the shadows of the trees on these hot days.

 

This was fun until you had to find one.

 

Please forgive me if I stray from the wonderful world of antique hunting in Paris and promote what I think is the loveliest park in Paris.

 

I had been vaguely aware of it when I stayed in Stalingrad all those years ago but for whatever reason, did not visit it at the time.

 

 

My daughter, who visited Paris a few months ago, found the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont by accident and fell in love with it straight away.  She suggested that it would be a good place for Caron and I to visit after a hard day on the Metro.

 

So whilst she unlocked the cages of my granddaughters and fed them, we made our way to this beautiful park which is about fifteen minutes walk from the Colonel Fabien Metro Station.

 

Tip Number Two – if you are travelling from other parts of Paris then the following Metro stations are quite near Buttes Chaumont (obviously), Laumiere and Botzaris.

 

After visiting Nimes in July, I did not think that there would be a park that could rival the Jardin de La Fontaine but the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont certainly runs it close.

 

The park which was opened in 1867 and covers sixty-one acres has a rather odd history as the Gibbet of Montfaucon was situated there.

 

This was the place where between the thirteenth and eighteenth centuries the bodies of criminals were hung after their executions as a warning to others.

The area was used as a refuse dump and for some reason people cut up the carcasses of horses there also.

In short it was an open sewer and its foul odours did not present Paris in its most favourable light.

 

Another part of the site was a limestone and gypsum quarry and there is evidence of the quarrying to be seen when one walks around the park (thankfully, I did not come across any dead criminals or chopped up horses during my travels).

 

Today the park is an idyllic place especially if you visit it on a summers evening as we did.

 

As it is on a hill it commands rather nice views over Paris and like the park in Nimes, this is used to its advantage with steep paths and beautiful grassy slopes.  There is an artificial lake, a stunning belvedere and a waterfall as well as two incredible bridges, one of which was designed by Gustave Eiffel.

 

Another huge advantage of the park is that it has a very chic (if a little expensive) watering hole.  It is called Rosa Bonheur and is a modern version of the traditional Guinguette (think of some of the Renoir paintings of these establishments).

 

And although I paid nearly ten euros for a glass of white wine and a beer (I am still in tears), it is a very buzzy place to be and is at its best as the sun sets on a warm evening.  Caron and I spent a happy couple of hours there and I was told that there was no problem if you took the souvenir plastic glasses home with you some of which have the name of the Guinguette printed on them.

 

For some reason on the evening of our visit, the Rosa was selling vegetables from tables opposite the bar which made little sense to me at the time and still does not.

 

Paris has some great parks, but the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont is its best kept secret.

 

Travels with my Imaginary Friend

 On the last day it was decided that I should do my own thing as the girls wanted to do some shopping.

 

As I had time on my hands, I decided to visit the Parc des Princes (where Paris St Germain play their home games) and La Defence and the Grande Arche which has fascinated me for years.

 

La Defence is essentially a business district to the west of the city limits of Paris and unlike any other business park in the world, it has the spectacular Grande Arche which can be seen for miles.

 

 

The arch is three hundred and sixty feet high and I think the words wow! wow! wow! are the best way to describe it.  You can go to the top by lift (I believe this costs fifteen euros), but I was too much of a coward to attempt this even though my beloved Indochine filmed one of their songs up there.

 

It is one of the most spectacular buildings I have ever seen and the whole area is just stunning.  There are 220 shops, 48 restaurants and 24 cinemas and La Defence has its own police station.

 

Obviously security is very tight there with armed soldiers patrolling the area, but there is still a very laid back atmosphere and an enormous sense of space and wait for it, there is a Marks and Sparks in the Metro station of the same name.

 

As you are aware, I am a football fan and I popped down to the Parc des Princes which is in the

16^th arrondissement (Metro Porte de Saint Cloud).  Paris Saint Germain (PSG) play their home games here and unlike the sooper-dooper stadiums in the Premiership and elsewhere, there is a subdued atmosphere in the area.

 

From the outside (I did not have time to take a stadium tour), the Parc des Princes (which is built over a tunnel carrying the Peripherique) looks a little worn on the edges.  PSG have tried to improve the exterior this has not been altogether successful.

 

There is a brand new PSG superstore opposite (prices are reasonable), but the overriding feeling I had was one of how friendly the club was.  For some reason it seemed to have time for all its visitors which differs from some of our Premiership clubs.

 

The area around the stadium is quite residential and I only came across a small amount of graffiti questioning the parentage of the Marseille Ultras.

 

Although I did not visit them, the Roland Garros (tennis) and the Jean-Bouin (rugby) stadiums are nearby.

 

It was a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours and I ticked another football stadium off my list.

 

Lasting Impressions of Paris

Unlike London and other large cities, antique shops in Paris are, in my view, harder to find.  They seem to crop up in the most unexpected of places so it is an idea to keep your eyes peeled.

 

I have yet to find an antiques Arcade in Paris, although I am not saying that there are not any.

 

My tip is to just drift through Paris and learn the vagaries of the Metro.

 

It is smaller than London and I believe, safer (unless you stray into the social housing districts on the outskirts).

 

There is an overriding sense of fun in Paris and if you survive crossing the roads in the city, then you are in for a treat.

 

Paris wears its heart on its sleeve and there is usually a demonstration taking place somewhere or the other.  This said, I did not run into any on this visit and the recent yellow vest disturbances seem to have died down.

 

Unlike London and other cities, I have always considered Paris a tragic city because of its tormented history.  This is why I believe that it appears to live for the moment or, this might just be me reading the wrong signals. Who knows?

 

 Paris is different for everyone and everyone finds their own Paris.

 

Final Tips – if you travel the Metro then be prepared for many flights of stairs and miles and miles of passages (even some of the busier stations do not seem to have heard of lifts and escalators) and you will find yourself getting quite fit.

 

Wherever you are, you will find that you are near a Metro station (there are over 300 Metro stations in Paris as opposed to 270 in London which is a larger city) and if you want the ultimate Metro experience, then visit Stalingrad station on Line Two which is raised above the street and for part of the journey in either direction and you get great views of the city.

 

“Dedicated to my late mother

who first introduced me to

this beautiful city”.

 

Happy Hunting and Happy Travelling

Stuart Miller-Osborne