Grenelle Bridge~ Missing Paris Day

Just near our apartment in the

15th arrondissement in Paris is the Grenelle Bridge,

connecting the 15th to the 16th and, as you can see above,

allowing the above-ground metro

to cross the Seine.

All the Haussmann-style apartment buildings in view here

were at one time rolling-hill estates outside

the city limits of Paris and once housing guests with names like

Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin.

(One can see what I call "painting snapshots" of these estates at

the free Musee Carnavalet~ a favorite haunt for views of historical Paris.)

The

above

little turn

out on the bridge

is one of my favorite

"Champagne Walk" locations

to take visiting guests for an evening

stroll with a bottle of bubbly and this lovely view

of the sparkling Eiffel Tower which shimmers every evening on the hour.

(And while I like to think this idea was purely my own creation, we frequently

find remnants of others 'partays' in empty champagne bottles left strewn about.)

(BTW~ We carry ours home!)

Like everywhere in Paris,

there are a myriad of walking choices from here.

While I love to walk the cobblestone path along the Seine,

I love even more to study the decor

of the seafaring owners and renters

who inhabit these river homes, picturing myself

sleeping in the little hull,

swaying with each boat's passing.

In the summertime,

outdoor tables and chairs are set up

to take the greatest advantage of the sparkling tower

while they wine and dine themselves and their friends

in the warm evening air, flowering potted plants

spilling blossoms at their feet and

the peal of laughter

and clinking wine glasses

dancing out along the water.

In winter, as you can see above, some of the boats

erect Christmas trees to light up at night.

From Grenelle Bridge,

even in the worst weather,

Montmartre can be easily viewed,

sometimes even glowing in a puddle of sunshine

that hasn't reached us yet.

"The Chef" and I often get off at the Passy Metro stop

across the river and walk the last several blocks home

to be able to cross our bridge,

take in the view and enjoy the neighborhood.


I sometimes wish our Grenelle Bridge

could connect the centuries so I could walk across time

and glimpse more of the city as Jefferson or some medieval figure saw it.

But Paris is already filled

with so many time portals that I'm grateful for what I can get

and give thanks to those artists

who stopped time

just for a moment

in all kinds of weather,

financial situations, health crises

and questionable mental states to give us their own snapshot

and send it over the bridge.

(Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen)