Promenade Plantée (Coulée Verte), Paris

The Promenade plantée (tree-lined walkway) is also known as the Coulée verte (green belt).  This project shows just how wonderfully a disused elevated railway line can become when a city decides to spend the money necessary for creative minds to transform a former eyesore into one of its lovely parkways.

The Paris-Vincennes line operated from 1853 to 1969, going through the 12th arrondissement.  By 1993, the A line had taken over much of its traffic, the 4.5 km (3 mile) route was abandoned, redesigned and opened to the public.  Now known as the Viaduc des Arts, the arches under the former railroad are filled with fascinating art shops, galleries and architectural studios.  No vehicles or bicycles are admitted on the elevated portion, so this is a great place to take a leisurely walk in the city, about 30 feet (10 meters) high, almost at the level of the tree tops.

The promenade begins below street level, not far from the Daumesnil métro (it then runs east to within about a block from the Opéra Bastille).  Once you get down to the former railroad bed, you see that it also runs to the east, going underneath a major north-south street.  The signs indicate that the eastern portion of the promenade is to be shared by pedestrians and bicycles.  We headed west, looking forward to being elevated, rather than walking in a 'cut' running below street level.

I had remembered standing at the street below, gazing upward and wondering why in the world a former railroad would simply run into--or possibly even though--an apartment building.  But once I was on the elevated walkway, I could finally see how cleverly the new buildings were designed, honouring the right of way to the millimeter.

A sign gives a brief history of the project, the hours it is open to the public, and indicates who may not use the elevated portion.

As the elevated structure crosses roads, you feel as though you are on a balcony with a view.

Along the way, there are numerous signs indicating how far you have have to go before reaching various destinations. 

The walk is so nice.  We were there when thousands of roses were finishing.  The day was hot, but the trees proved cooling shade and breezes were seldom blocked by buildings.

This structure provide places for insects--a type of insect hotel offering various accommodations, hollow reeds, etc.  Remember, this is 30 feet in the air, on a stone/brick structure and not on the edge of a woodland.

The water ran for several blocks, almost recalling the old Roman aqueducts, but those utilitarian structures were never this wide nor this beautified with lush vegetation.

Plants need water, and so do the hot visitors.  Typical for Paris, we are told the source for the water. 

The buildings to the south of the elevated promenade were rather more splendid that those to the north.  Art Nouveau (?) figures strangely ornament a structure opposite the large Gare de Lyon (station for trains heading south to Lyon, one of the nation's major railway hubs).

After walking several kilometers, we reached the western end.  The new terraced buildings designed to accommodate the new stairs also featured successful plantings.

This is an attraction seldom seen by tourists having but several days in Paris, but the locals clearly enjoy their very special green belt.

Strathcona area in Vancouver in February

Vancouver's Strathcona district is just east of Gastown and Chinatown, an area that has some of the city's smaller but lovely old homes (old for Vancouver).  Our photography class took an afternoon outing, walking by a few homes but spending most of our time in a rather large allotment where many people can get small vegetable plots.  It's a bit too early to show the plots because this is the season for gardeners to clean up what is left from the winter veggies, prepare the soil for spring and think seriously about when it will be safe to plant (everybody of course wants to be first).  So I focused instead on closeup photography of grape vine bark, artifacts, a small cement pond and the like, as well as several shots of bits of homes I found interesting.  Anything beats fighting the crowds downtown looking to see what might be happening that is associated with the Olympics.  From what friends tell me--not much.

Jardins, jardin aux Tuileries, Paris

People in France are passionate about their gardens and have been advancing the art of gardening for many centuries. The formal gardens of the nation's aristocratic dwellings have been cited, painted and photographed since being opened to the public, but there is also tremendous interest in the small private gardens within small walled areas or on terraces or patios. I cannot recall ever seeing an open market without at least one vendor selling cut flowers to those who have no garden.

This weekend (29 May-1 June 2008) Parisians can enjoy the fifth garden show for professionals (Friday) and the public (Saturday-Sunday), Jardins, jardin aux Tuileries (Gardens in the Garden of the Tuileries, just west of the Louvre Palace. This 'garden' is essentially a formal arrangement of large trees, but since there are so many thousands of tourists and visitors, there is no grass, only hard packed clay soil compacted with small stones. This was transformed in amazing ways for the garden show.

We were greeted with an area on the hard ground that was covered in grassy sod which outlined each of the globe's continents. This was in keeping with this year's theme focusing on how plants have traveled from one part of the world to another. Avid gardeners would pause and admire rare plants brought here from exotic climes. Sitting directly on the compacted soil of the Tuileries would be long flowing streams of water nourishing tropical plants requiring wet feet. Misters would emit delicate sprays of water which protected other plants or added bits of fog to a Japanese fountain, moss was brought in and added to dozens of large displays. Some of the trees imported for the occasion would surely require small cranes for moving. When I was trying to catch my breath afterwards, someone reminded me that 'this is Paris', the city which once turned the entire Champs Elysee into a wheat field. Of course this made international news, but it shows the extent to which some government officials support gardening endeavours and garden extravaganzas.

But other things caught my eye as well. Someone created the outline of a golfer finishing his swing. This was achieved with a metal mesh frame into which one inserts lots of moss. Since Vancouverites have all the free moss they want, I started thinking to myself . . . .

One garden shop cleverly wrote plant names and prices on an old laurel leaf, which looks more natural and is certainly ecological. Janice wanted a picture of the beautiful metal sculptures of chickens and a rooster, all created from scrap metal by an artist in Zimbabwe. Since the day was heavily overcast and since the flower displays were under the dark shade of the large plane trees, lighting was nearly ideal for photographers trying to capture at least some of the beautiful colours of the orchids, lobelia, and hydrangeas. I enjoyed watching two professional photographers take pictures with equipment I will likely never even touch. They worked so quietly, quickly, efficiently, and when they were obtrusive, managed to set up and smile in ways which made you want to cooperate fully.

I suppose there were quite a few gardening innovations and hybrids being introduced, but one idea that was new to me was the display of metal columns in which the metal was hidden, being covered with grass--sod placed absolutely vertically all around the structures. How one mows this grass beats me, possibly with a scissors or electric trimmer? Then, just to add to the novelty, the artist added a window in the column showing a plant on the inside, having a lighter contrasting colour.