8.8. THE OBSCURE 13TH, A PLACE TO PITCH YOUR TENT?

IF YOU VISIT PARIS, THINK OF STAYING IN AN AREA THAT MOST TOURISTS OVERLOOK

The junction of three bus and three métro lines at City Hall put the area about 20 minutes from the center.  

If you plan in advance you can stay in an excellent hotel, which a family has held for over 30 years. A friend wrote, "Can you suggest a modest hotel? That where we stayed a few years ago was fine." It was Le Vert Galant:

    Hotel web site

Le Vert Galant

43 rue Croulebarbe
www.vertgalant.com

It has quiet, rooms that give ou onto its private garden, a fair price / quality ratio and an excellent basque restaurant, whose clients are people from the neighborhood. 

My friend stayed there a second time. This is her mail to the owner:

Dear Dominique,

   We have been traveling without Wi-Fi for several weeks, so apologies for our belated thank you. My husband, Bill Knight, and I had an absolutely lovely stay at Le Vert Galant. You were a most gracious host which we appreciated. The garden was simply lovely and I much enjoyed the fragrances there and those wafting up to our room. We look forward to coming again sometime. And likewise I much enjoyed chatting with you.

 Our good wishes,

 Carolyn and Bill

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The tranquility comes from being next to the park that now covers over the Bièvre River. Imagining the combat  that raged over its islands to repress La Commune (in 1871) is almost impossible:

A young man who works for City Hall explains recycling details.

*      *

Walks appear here and here.  

For lunch...

•  Picnic in one of the parks, with cheese from this shop.

Genty gastronomie

169 boulevard Vincent Auriol

(a few minutes from parc de Choisy)

It does is own aging and suggests special deals. For baguettes, there's a pleasant boulangerie across the street.  

• Or choose between two inexpensive restaurants on a quiet, shaded square across the street (place des Alpes).

 

Crêperie Paris Breizh

www.creperieparisbreizh.fr/restaurant/paris-xiii/

The street barriers protect a school, so you dine on a terrace with no passage of cars.

For both, recent greening makes dining even more pleasant.

Such change is happening throughout Paris: 

for a video, please click.

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Facing those restaurants:  

    The school the barriers protect 

The École des Arts et Métiers, avenue Stephen-Pichon

A former factory

Start here to explore

a largely undiscovered city.

End of this section.

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Next section,

8.9.

WHAT HAPPENED? THE WAR DID