The Elzévir Newsletter : part 2

Taking the train back to Paris, Bill was greeted by a mix of rain and sunshine depending on the hour of the day. The Parisians clearly were upset at the Meteo all winter, and there was no relief yet. At the Henri-Cartier Fondation there was an intriguing exhibit of WeeGee showing the photos from his two eras. The first phase was where he chased crime scenes and photographed them, followed by his Los Angeles movie-star phase. Quite a contrast. During the trip, Bill also saw some inspirational photos at the MEP and the Jeu de Paume. At the Pavillon de L’Arsenal, there was an engaging exhibition showing the challenges and opportunities ahead that Paris will face with global warming. According to the tour-guide, various schools and groups pulled together ideas over several years for the city of Paris to consider as part of its future planning.

We then took a four-day adventure to Utrecht in The Netherlands to visit with Ineke’s father, Jan Rühland, who lives in Ottawa but has strong Dutch roots. After a quick 3-hour train ride, one shifts from French to Dutch culture quite quickly. Utrecht is a very approachable city that resembles Amsterdam in some ways but with less tourists and more locals. The Speelklok museum (large music making machines from the 1900’s) was fascinating, and the guided tour very much worth it as we were able to see all of the machines in action. Utrecht also has lots of canals, charming streets and good restaurants. Do visit it if you have the chance.

For more Utrecht pictures visit: https://www.osuchphotography.com/Photographic-Adventures-Outside-the-US/Utrecht-Spring-2024

Returning back to Paris we made it to the Rothko exhibit at the Fondation Louis Vuitton where Bill saw a fun opportunity to capture people silhouetted in front of Rothko’s artworks. It was interesting to see the evolution of Rothko’s early days of figurative art to his more famous abstract expressionism period after 1950.

The big event during the trip was the Waiter’s Race (“La Course des Cafes”) which hadn’t been held for many years. Identically-dressed waiters lined up near the Hotel de Ville holding a tray with a glass of water, croissant and cup of coffee then walked rapidly through the streets of the Marais, trying not to drop/spill any of the items. Tons of news stations, reporters and photographers were everywhere. Great fun and a very spirited and happy crowd.

For more pictures from the “La Course des Cafes”: https://www.osuchphotography.com/Paris-Unique-Events/La-Course-des-Cafés

Thanks to our friend, I discovered a new site for walks around Paris (https://www.exploreparis.com), and took one walk around Poppincourt which is just north of the Bastille. Tourguide Sebastian, a local resident, explained how the neighborhood, which was just a concentration of wholesale stores years ago, was transformed with the residents’ participation into a vibrant area with interesting stores, cafes and neighborhood activities. We visited several shops and restaurants that he knew well. Also the walk inspired me to explore a new photo theme that you’ll see sometime in the future!

The other Explore Paris walk I did was in the upper Marais by Brigitte, revealing architectural details that, despite living in the area for 25 years, I didn’t know. We visited inside the CNAM and saw the engineering library, which is situated inside an old church. Both guides’ French was very clear, and all the details they shared were interesting and heartfelt, as they were both locals to the area.

I did meet up with a guide I mentioned in earlier newsletter, Patrick Bezzolato. We got together near Batignolles to catch up and decided to walk through the modern parts of the area where I discovered that the new home of the Paris police has the same address number, “36”, as they had on Quai des Orfèvres along with entering inside the new Paris courthouse which was designed and built by Renzo Piano. Beautiful and relaxing architecture if you are ever in court! He did offer to join his tour on my last day that went through the new Olympic housing but I didn’t have enough time.

While riding metro 14 there was a sign indicating they will be extending it to Orly airport and reducing the time from Gare de Lyon to Orly to just 20 minutes. The same day I saw there was an exhibit about the Paris metros at the Museum of Architecture at the Trocadero. At the expo they showed the 2030 plans with several new lines opening up that will drastically speed up transport to / from the further parts of Paris and add a line 15 that will rapidly go around Paris. Closer to home on rue Barbette, an old, unused car repair garage inside a courtyard that subsequently became the famous Lissac glasses factory is being torn down and replaced by a garden that will be open to the public when it isn’t being used by the local school.

https://www.lebonbon.fr/paris/news/nouveau-jardin-public-marais/

As a reminder, I publish a subset of my best images each trip in my Vignettes series on Bonjour Paris (https://bonjourparis.com/tag/paris-vignettes/), and there have been several sets between the last newsletter and this one. I’ll be publishing my new “vignettes” from this trip over the next couple of months. Also, thanks to Martha Sessums I had an article in France Today (https://francetoday.com/stories/through-the-lens-of-william- osuch/). Maybe one day an expo in Arles or in Le Marais! You can see and buy photos from my many Paris photo adventures on this trip at: Color - https://www.osuchphotography.com/Paris-Color-Street-Photography

B&W - https://www.osuchphotography.com/Paris-Black-and-White-Street-Photography

Next visit is in August and September! Warmest wishes, Bill and Ineke Never hesitate to contact me at bill@elzevir.net

See more of my photos at: https://www.osuchphotography.com