Paris with a Parisianne

In the last few years, I have been lucky enough to visit Paris a half-dozen times. Most recently I was treated to a few days in the City of Light with my good friend who was born and raised here.

While here, I finally spend some time at Musée d'Orsay, which surpasses my expectations. And I also enjoy long walks through parts of Paris that I have never been in. These off-the-tourist-track neighborhoods are where real Parisians live, and each holds abundant delights that may be missed by tourists.

Here are some highlights:

Musée d'Orsay

Musée d'Orsay originally was a train station built for Chemin de 
Fer de Paris à Orléans and the 1900 Exposition Universelle. 
It was converted to a museum in the 1980s.

Housed in a former train station, the Beaux-Arts style building houses mostly French art from 1848-1915. My heartbeat quickens with each Renoir, Degas, Seraut, Monet and Manet I come upon. I hadn't realized that the museum also houses a large collection of Art Nouveau furnishings.

The museum is a little confusing to navigate, but we manage to speed through and see the highlights in the short time we're here.

Musée d'Orsay

Reception room inside Musée d'Orsay

Les Nubiens (aka Chasseurs d'alligators) by Ernest Barrias
at Musée d'Orsay

I think this Art Nouveau fountain at Musée d'Orsay could 
fit in my living room, oui?

Surprising streets in the 20th arrondissement

We start our second day with a long leisurely stroll into Paris from where we are staying in the eastern suburbs. We'll walk a lot today — in fact our first metro ride won't be until after dinner in the Latin Quarter.

Soon after we cross over the "périph" we come to an amazing row of houses along rue du Captaine Tarron. Just beyond this street, my friend wants to show me "la Campagne" neighborhood. This area was once part of the former commune of Charonne. When it was annexed by Paris in 1860, a quarry was here. Between 1907 and 1928, 92 homes for low-wage workers were built. Today the homes along rue Camille Bombois and rue Irenaeus Blanc are worth millions of euros. And even at that, good luck trying to buy one as they typically are passed down to family members.

Stately homes hug the hillside near rue du Captaine Tarron in Paris.

These lovely row homes were built in the early 20th century for
low-wage workers.

Check out the detail on this home near rue Camille Bombois
in the 20th arr. of Paris.

I also spy with my little eye ...

Église Saint-Ambroise in the 11th arr. was named after
its neighborhood: the quartier Saint-Ambroise.

The port at the base of Canal Saint-Martin near the Bastille

Place de la République is located on the border of
the 3rd, 10th and 11th arrondissements. It currently serves
as a memorial to the victims of the Nov. 2015 attacks.

Sign-hangers in Montreuil

Instituit de France was established in 1795. The five académies that comprise
the Institute manage foundations, museums and châteaux. The neo-classical
building is located across the Seine from the Louvre.

The cold wind does nothing to dampen my enthusiasm for la belle ville de Paris. And to be here with such a good friend — je suis une dame chance!

Lucky me at Musée d'Orsay

Auvillar: At the edge of the Tarn-et-Garonne

One recent day we continue our trip just beyond the southern border of the Lot-et-Garonne with a stop in the plus beaux village of Auvillar. Located about a half-hour southeast of Agen and 45 minutes west of Montauban, Auvillar is an easy day trip into the the northern Midi-Pyrénées region.

Outside the fortified walls of Auvillar

With its location atop a rocky outcrop, Auvillar has been a strategic location since Gallo-Roman times. Its residents suffered through many conflicts: Norman invasions, the Crusades, the Hundred Years War and the wars of religion.

The plaza in front of L’église Saint-Pierre in Auvillar

By the 17th century, things had settled down and the town prospered, mainly because of two industries: pottery and goose-feather calligraphy pens. Musée de la Faïence et de la Batellerie commemorates the importance of pottery and plumes, but it is closed on the day of our visit.

Today, the village can still credit its abundance of artists in residence, along with its sweeping views over the Garonne valley and distinct red-brick architecture, with making Auvillar a popular tourist destination. The village is along the one of the original pilgrimage routes to Santiago di Compostella and also hosts a jazz festival each July.

Auvillar contains a thriving arts community as seen
in this sculpture located in the central plaza.

A café scene in stone outside an Auvillar gallery

After parking our car, we head toward the town’s fortified walls, under which restaurants and shops nestle. We enter Auvillar under a 17th-century brick and stone clock tower, complete with drawbridge. Cobblestone streets lead to the center of the village — a triangular arcade-lined plaza with an unusual circular market in the center. Whimsical figures perch atop some of the buildings here.

Auvillar’s clock tower is constructed of alternating rows
of red brick and stone.

Interior of Auvillar’s circular covered market — the only one of its kind
in southwest France

Arcades line Auvillar’s triangular central plaza.

One of Auvillar’s diminutive sentries

A small statue on a ledge in Auvillar

Another statue in a niche in Auvillar

Auvillar’s main church, l’église Saint-Pierre, was built in the 12th-century and became a Benedictine priory two hundred years later. Its 16th-century bell tower was nearly destroyed during the French Revolution and was later restored.

Église Saint-Pierre in Auvillar

Although the day is growing cooler, we stop to admire the view from Place du Château. The castle that once stood here was destroyed in 1572, but the landscape over the Garonne valley remains. Auvillar’s harbor is located on the left bank of the river. We look across to the Quercy hills but fog prevents us from spotting the medieval Goudourville chateau. To our left we can see a newer part of the landscape: the pair of massive cooling towers at the Golfech nuclear power plant.

Place de Château in Auvillar

View on an overcast day from Auvillar

Throughout this picturesque village, we spot delightful details. Another noteworthy building in the Maison des Consuls, which sports a Louis XV-style portal and an octagonal turret. The site housed the commune government from 1265 until the French Revolution.

A door and a stone wall in Auvillar

Maison des Consuls in Auvillar

A very narrow maison in Auvillar

For more about Auvillar, visit the town’s website auvillar.eu.

Saint-Antoine’s artistic touches

Don’t let the size of Saint-Antoine-Pont-d’Arratz fool you. This dimunitive village on the northern edge of the Gers department may consist of only a few blocks, but charming artistic touches make it worth a brief visit. 

A statue of Antoine Le Grand (251-356) sits in the
town that bears his name: Saint-Antoine-Pont-d’Arratz.

We have no trouble finding a place to park just across from le Ancien Hospice des Antonins, the former hospital that dates from the 12th century. Attached to the hospital is a large square tower and gate that serves as the entrance to the village. 

Visitors enter Saint-Antoine through this ancient gate.

The pretty street contains a few shops and a café as well as the 15th-century church, which was built by the order of the Antonines to host the pilgrims going to Saint Jacques de Compostela.

The main rue in Saint-Antoine

L’Église Saint-Antoine

In 2006, murals were discovered on the walls of the church and are undergoing careful restoration. The church’s bright, colorful interior is a refreshing revelation with touches of Spanish and Arab influence among the Romaneque arches. (For more about the church of Saint-Antoine and its murals, visit the “In Situ. Revue des patrimoines” website here.)

Colorful interior of l’Église Saint-Antoine

Murals from the 15th century were discovered inside
Église de Saint-Antoine in 2006. The paintings depict the
life of Saint Blaise.

Looking up inside l’Église Saint-Antoine

We walk to the end of the main street and are surprised by the modern sculpture atop an ancient well. It is just one of the modern art touches contained in Saint-Antoine. A bull overlooks an outdoor basketball court and a stone relief sculpture honors pilgrims of the Santiago-de-Compestella who pass through Saint-Antoine. Even the bright red statue of Antoine Le Grand is a sensory delight.

An old well with a modern twist in Saint-Antoine

Un taureau watches over the basketball courts in Saint-Antoine.

Stone relief sculpture honors Santiago-de-Compestella pilgrims in Saint-Antoine.

With its mixture of medieval charm and modern surprises, we are happy we included Saint-Antoine in our exploration of the villages just beyond the borders of the Lot-et-Garonne.

A doorway with character in Saint-Antoine

Cute sign over Saint-Antoine’s honey shop

A more traditional symbol outside le cimetière in
Saint-Antoine

Dunes and Caudecoste: Neighboring bastides share sad history

Two villages I recently visited share a sad history: Dunes, located in the Tarn-et-Garonne department, and Caudecoste, just a few kilometers north in the Lot-et-Garonne.

Dunes

The variety of arches in the arcades in Dunes are notable.

During WWII, Nazis hung 12 suspected members of the Resistance in the Dunes village square. One of the men was from Caudecoste. Another man was shot while trying to escape, and three other villagers were also shot, probably in connection with the same raid. The square was renamed Place des Martyrs in memory of the horrific event. 

The village square in Dunes was renamed in memory of the Nazi execution of
suspected members of la Résistance française.

Dunes also rates another historical footnote. There is, evidently, a connection between Dunes and Henriette of Balzac, mistress of Henri IV of France and niece of Charles of Balzac, (lover of Queen Margaut who was Henri IV’s wife). The account I read seems like a soap opera plot, but since I can’t quite figure out the exact connection to the village of Dunes, I won’t recount it here.

Dunes is a pretty village that seems to be off the radar of tourists. The square is notable for the variety of styles of arches in its arcades and for its mairie, which sits in the middle.

The mairie in Dunes sits in the middle of the village square.

A statue of a rooster stands in the Place des Martyrs in Dunes.

If you like half-timbered houses, this is the place for you. The most prominent is the large corner building that once belonged to the Lords of Dunes.

This striking half stone/half timbered building in the middle of Dunes was once
the home to the Lords of Dunes.

A few blocks from the village square, we step inside the town church. Although unremarkable outside, the church contains impressive carved woodwork around its altar.

The altar in the church in Dunes

Across the street, Esplanade du Général Charles de Gaulle offers views, a playground and large well-preserved well.

Esplanade du Général Charles de Gaulle in Dunes

The village of Dunes has created an attractive seating area surrounding
an ancient well.

Caudecoste

Église Sainte Marie-Madeleine in Caudecoste

Just 5 km northwest of Dunes is the village of Caudecoste. This 13th century bastide is surrounded by flood-prone farms along the Garonne and Auroue rivers. The area suffered a catastrophic flood in 1270. Another sad episode took place in 1652 when the Prince of Condi massacred 800 of Caudecoste’s 1000 residents and burned down much of the town. The event is recreated each August as part of a village festival. (A Sud Ouest article about last year’s reenactment can be found here.)

Most of the stone and half-timber houses in Caudecoste were built after the siege. Look closely and you’ll find the village contains some delightful architectural surprises.

Doorway in Caudecoste

Stone wall next to Église Sainte Marie-Madeleine in Caudecoste

Moss-covered roof in Caudecoste

The side of l’école in Caudecoste

Caudecoste and Dunes are located about a half-hour southeast of Agen, close to where the Lot-et-Garonne, Tarn-et-Garonne and Gers departments meet.