A Walk in My Paris Neighborhood

Late this Sunday morning I went out to buy a baguette, but even the boulangeries nearby that are normally open then turned out to be closed, for winter holidays. On my extended search I took some blips, which I put together in this composite.

As you can see, Paris street signs often include details on the person honored. My favorite is Rue Charlemagne (742-814--Roi des Francs-Empereur d'Occident--King of the Franks, Emperor of the West).

I also include two other signs (bottom row in the middle)--one formally announcing the closing of a bakery in accordance with French law as applied to the guild of artisanal bakers and pastry makers. The second is a poignant plaque commemorating the murder of a French woman who "fell under German bullets" in August 1944; there are many such memorials in Paris.

On the street names: Foubert was a former owner of the "terrain"--the local land. Verlaine was a poet. Bobillot died in the French campaign of Tonkin in China in 1884. Henri Pape was a piano maker responsible for many innovations. Abbe Henocque was a chaplain and member of the French resistance. Bernard was an "homme politique," a political man (a term the French find preferable to "politician".

Whew! I know this is a lot, but I hope some of you enjoy it.