"Ravalement": noun, masculine = "Restoration"
The 5th floor apartment we rent in Paris is located on rue Réaumur in the 2nd arrondissment. Normally, it looks like this lovely photo, taken at sunset a couple of years ago from across the street: a classic late 19th century apartment building, six stories high, with some outside decorative detail on the exterior of the lower floors, and balconies running round the 4th floor. The 5th and 6th floors reach all the way into the roof. The 6th floor, those round windows at the very top, formerly housed the "chambres de bonnes" (the maids' rooms). Today, they feature two elegant loft apartments. The 5th floor shows lights spilling out from our living room.
Fast forward to today...
...and the revelation of "le ravalement"! French law requires the owners of a building to "maintain the facade of its property in a state of cleanliness". In some municipalities it is obligatory every ten years. In Paris, not so often. But this year, it is our turn. And so we have arrived to find our building stacked with scaffolding, and, as one of our neighbors put it, "enrubannés comme Christo"!
It's certainly been a bit disconcerting to open the windows and find posts, pillars, and metal walkways, instead of our usual view of classic Parisian rooftops and, just beyond, the ever-stately presence of St. Eustache!
Even more so, to spot a workman with his power washer ("hydrogommage") diligently scrubbing the gutters outside our windows!
Happily, the interior is as warm and cozy as always, and even though it is December, the temperatures are *fairly* mild!
Throughout the city, buildings undergo similar, routine restorations, unlike Nôtre Dame's massive rebuild following its devastating fire. Although much has been done since we were last here, it still seems there's a long way to go. Reconstructing the spire, "la flêche", is the current focus, with the outline totally encased in a tower of scaffolding. President Macron insists the restoration will be completed in 2024.
Inside the gate of this small park, vendors come from all over, bringing their products and their good cheer.
The gentleman in a classic sweater came from Burgundy with delicious honey...
... this fellow specializes in cheeses, especially "raclette", which is both a cheese and the name of a popular dish. The cheese is melted in a special pan over a table-top grill, then "scraped" onto boiled potatoes. The French word for scrape is "racler", thus the name of the cheese and the dish!
Another stall presented a dazzling display of glass Christmas ornaments...
...and at a side park entrance, you could pick up a bag of roasted chestnuts to enjoy whilst visiting the fair, or to take home with you.
Among the many specialties of the holiday season are recitals in different churches throughout the city. At our local, beloved St. Eustache, we eagerly attended a Christmas Eve concert featuring music from César Franck.
A star-laden nativity twinkled on a giant panel at one end of the church...
...and a side memorial chapel gave an opportunity to light a candle, and take some quiet moments to remember the dear ones we have lost this year...
The organist, Thomas Ospital, did not disappoint. As his fingers flew over the keys, and his feet kept equally busy with the pedals, César Franck's music poured out of the organ and its pipes, filling the soaring interior space of the church, from barely a whisper of a chord to a thundering finale. A perfect experience!
As usual when we first arrive, we drop our bags in the flat, and head for the rue Montorgeuil for lunch (a good way to stay awake after an 11-hour flight!), and along the way, take note of the changes that have occurred in the last two years. And, as usual, there are a lot. In just the first block:
What was previously a swank épicerie is now a Waffle shop...
...a charcuterie is now an Indian Restaurant...
...and on the corner, Moroccan fare (think Cous Cous!) has replaced Le Pain Quotidien.
The splashiest newcomer, though, sitting in the middle of the block, is this brightly-lit Italian ice cream parlor that also sells candy and chocolates! The last time we were here, and for the longest time before that, it was a beauty supply store: makeup, perfumes, soaps, nail care, etc. Now, it's almost as if the lustrous colorful lipsticks and nail polishes that shone out from the windows have been transformed overnight into eye-popping candy!
There is clearly an International trend here, with these new eateries joining an existing Turkish and a Japanese café, and a Greek deli, all in one block! Glad to add, the three classic French cafés continue to anchor the upper, middle and end of the block, with the Marché-U, the laundry and the Kayser bakery holding their own.
One more newcomer at the start of block two, an interesting building that originally housed a branch of the 19th century, city-wide chain, Café Biard. You can still see the lovely mosaic tile lettering on the wall. The Socialist Party took over at some point, and were still in full swing when we first came to the neighborhood 13 years ago, distributing pamphlets, organizing "manifestations", corralling passers-by to join their movement. For the past ten years it has been a stationery, book, game, puzzle, postcard store. The perfect place to find that last minute gift for a birthday kid! Alas, no more -- it is transformed once again into Cagnes 73, an elegant patisserie, joining several other patisseries along the length of the rue Montorgeuil.
But, the Quincaillerie (hardware store) next door is still there, and the Monsieur who owns it remembered us and gave us a warm welcome. As did the always pleasant Madame at the Marché-U checkout.
One more early observation (perhaps another result of global inflation): there are many fewer holiday street decorations this year in the city. Only one block of rue Montorgeuil, instead of the usual length of the whole street, is displaying strings of colored lights and greetings. Then there's the fact that the usual overhead electric heaters that keep you toasty warm sitting at an outside café table, even in deepest winter cold, have either been removed, or are not turned on. Instead, patrons are offered blankets to put over their knees or shoulders -- mostly cozy red acrylic, although Café Bianco, above, has chosen to reflect its name with these furry, soft, white "skins". We have read that electricity costs have risen dramatically, so perhaps this is a response to that. We're also conscious of rising prices in the supermarkets and cafés. Movie ticket prices have not escaped either: 30 euros for the two of us to see "Napoleon" at a matinée!
However, we could not resist the fresh Dorade (sea bream) laid out on the display slab at le poissonnière yesterday, which resulted in a delicious dinner last night. Makes any inconvenience of le ravalement simply melt away!
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