Rue Mouffetard

Every Sunday morning at the end of the rue Mouffetard, in front of the Saint-Medard church, a group of regulars gathers to dance and sing along with an accordionist. I used to visit this square often. My first apartment was just a few blocks away. However, Patrice had never seen the dancers, so we made an effort to get out of the house early for our photo expedition. All the usual people were there and dressed in their Easter Sunday finest - just as I remembered.

Organ grinder

I was surprised to hear an unusual sound in the courtyard behind our building yesterday. An organ grinder! (No monkey, though.) When was the last time you heard one of those?



BTW, today's stroll through Wikipedia turned up this photo by Eugene Atget of an organ grinder in 1898.

Paris aerial view revisited

Here's a view of the Paris that I love. I first posted this clip in August, 2010, but I thought it was time to show it again. Be sure and turn on the sound!

Paris vu du Ciel de Yann Arthus-Bertrand par mairiedeparis

Nostalgia

Back in the days before Walmart and Monoprix - before our throw-away culture - we kept household items for a lifetime, maintaining them with the help of specialized tradesmen. And before the days of shopping centers, cars, and websites, the tradesmen came to us; announcing their passage with a distinctive call.

One morning on my way to class in the center of Paris, I was attracted by the sound of a bell. I made a slight detour to investigate and discovered this guy trolling for business, looking for scissors and knives to sharpen.


To be fair, I've seen a similar knife sharpener at the Boulder farmers market. But does he still wander the streets, ringing a distinctive reminder of his passage?
Listen for yourself.


p.s. I love the sounds of Paris, and I'll be including more sounds to give you a sense of the city.