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Place Monge
Monsieur Monge was a mathematician of repute. This morning the weather unexpectedly turned grey and cool, but that change did not deter me from taking my father on an excursion to the local Wednesday open air market not far from our hotel. We headed up la rue Gay Lussac in the direction of Place Monge. Our first surprise was seeing a Chabad House on the corner. Who would have expected that only a block away from our hotel we'd find them?
On second thought, however, perhaps it was not all that unusual because as we walked via the non-tourist streets to our destination I realized that we were in the heart of the neighborhood where many of the higher education centers that are still located in the center of the city are situated: the famous Ecole Normale Superieur being the most prestigious of all, but we came across several other along the route. Perhaps Chabad seeks to reach out to the students who attend these institutes. It felt a bit like walking around Cambridge, MA or near Columbia University's neighborhood, although the buildings were less dramatic despite their centrality to French society.
As we ambled towards the well known Rue Moufftard a local woman asked us
French University
Cal Tech in Paris? if we needed any help with directions (we were looking at a map). She was heading to the market with her cart and offered to accompany us. She explained that her great grandparents had purchased a building in the neighborhood and some of the family, herself included, continued to occupy some of the apartments in it. She'd worked at the equivalent of the French State Department and was now retired. I asked her about the neighborhood and she said that it was much more quiet now that most of the universities were outside of the center of the city. The current students are fewer and spend a great deal of time studying. She commented that back in the 60s the streets were noisy and colorful with student protests and demonstrations. I asked whether there were still any student protests. She replied (in French): "In the sixties the demonstrations were about civilization. Now they are about private concerns like jobs and salaries." I am guessing that by "civilization" she meant the big ideas about society and the values it should stand for.
We parted ways as we arrived at the market. During the years I spent in France
At the Leather Stand
Dad makes friends easily and gets good bargains the French custom of open air markets always delighted me. In the States we now have farmers markets but they are not quite same as what can be found in France. Every arrondissement in Paris has its own market. This one today was modest but did not disappoint me. I'd intended to buy cheese, bread, and fruit for a picnic, but the weather cooled down too much. Instead, my father ended up purchasing several leather goods from the stand that was selling them. He noticed that the sales lady wore a chai necklace and he asked if she was from Israel. I don't know why he didn't ask if she was Jewish, but it happened that she had been born in Israel in fact. And that her "patron"/boss at the stand was from a family of Tunisian Jews who'd arrived in Paris before World War Two and who has relatives in Ashdod. Several of his younger relatives are moving to Israel with their young children. Needless to say my father did a bit of haggling with him and he gave us some good bargains.
We will head off tomorrow to Budapest, also called the Paris of the East with
its two banks, Buda and Pest, being split by the Danube. Apart from Berlin, every site we visit will be a first time discovery for me.
Enjoy the additional photos of Paris, which remains a magical city.
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]Marcia Innis
non-member comment
Virtual tour
I am enjoying this virtual tour and wishing you had tucked me into one of those suitcases! It is such a blessing that you are able to enjoy this treat with your dad.