Club Nouméa's Parisian Tiki Tour - Tiki Travel

CN Club Nouméa Member Wanganui Joined: May 03, 2010 Posts: 459	CN Club Nouméa Posted posted on Fri, Aug 14, 2015 6:16 AM The Long March: From Bercy to Belleville On the Champs Élysées, just beside the Grand Palais, is this unmistakable statue of General de Gaulle, head of the Free French in World War II, who offered the following words upon strolling along the aforementioned avenue in 1944: "Paris Paris outraged Paris broken Paris martyred but Paris liberated" The first time I heard those words spoken by de Gaulle in scratchy period film footage screened at a French conference on colonialism and decolonisation many years ago, certain Frenchmen watching the film (learned scholars), began spontaneously declaiming the lines. Others were on the verge of tears. This was a conference where the keynote speaker was Pierre Messmer who, prior to being a key figure in the French decolonisation of Africa in the 1950s and 1960s, had been an officer in the Free French forces that fought Rommel in North Africa, and who took part in the liberation of Paris. In August 1945, he was parachuted into occupied Indochina as de Gaulle's envoy and spent two months being held captive by the Viet Minh before escaping. The French Pacific played a small but key role in the Free French forces, being among the first French overseas territories to rally to de Gaulle's government in exile in London. The very first overseas French territory to rally to de Gaulle was the New Hebrides on 22 July 1940, only a few weeks after the fall of France (it was actually a Franco-British Condominium - see my Tiki Tour of Vanuatu for further details). The New Hebrides were followed by French Polynesia on 2 September 1940 and New Caledonia on 19 September 1940. A Pacific Battalion was raised and sent to North Africa to fight the Germans and Italians. It took part in the Free French break-out at Bir Hakeim in June 1942, and later fought in Italy and in France. Here is some vintage film footage of the unit (start at 2.40, or just zip forward to 7.30 if you want to see Tahitian soldiers playing slide guitar): http://www.ecpad.fr/magazine-n23/ The unit was nicknamed "le bataillon des guitaristes" because, in true Polynesian fashion, there was always someone picking up a guitar... The Battalion was important in establishing a French Pacific identity and also held the distinction of being a fully racially integrated unit (including French colonists, Polynesians, Melanesians and Asians) at a time when racial segregation was still entrenched in the US Army. Consequently, my tour this time has its starting point at Bercy, truly one of the ugliest, most soulless parts of Paris, mainly known for being the location of the French Ministry of Finance, but which also features: Unfortunately it looked like a bomb site when I visited, being in the middle of refurbishment: Bercy lies on the banks of the Seine, in Eastern Paris, and is within walking distance of the Place de la Bastille, which is a stone's throw away from Le Marais, featuring an essential stop for absinthe lovers: This is the place to go if you want authentic French absinthe spoons, among other accessories. Back to Bastille, we head north along the Rue de la Roquette, where, a few blocks along, we find.... La Fée Verte, a French absinthe bar: It has more of a mid 20th-century French zinc-lined décor than a Toulouse-Lautrec look about it, but it is authentic. Not far from there, on Rue de Lappe, is a French rum bar worth visiting: None of yer cocktail menus on the door here mate - they list their rums: In a very Californian mid-century style is this establishment, in nearby Rue Keller: Which is just a few doors down from this vintage clothing store, which should not be missed: This is one of the few places in Paris where you will find real Hawaiian shirts: And tikis for sale: Born Bad is a refreshing change from the "vintage" clothing stores around Les Halles/Beaubourg, which seem to consider items from as recently as the 1990s to offer a "vintage' clothing look. But wait, there's more, as we walk further north and on to the depths of the immigrant quarter of Belleville... But that's for next time, because I have quite a lot to say about this particular establishment. :tiki: Toto, j'ai l'impression que nous ne sommes plus au Kansas ! [ Edited by: Club Nouméa 2015-08-14 06:23 ] [ Edited by: Club Nouméa 2015-08-31 02:15 ]

The Long March: From Bercy to Belleville

On the Champs Élysées, just beside the Grand Palais, is this unmistakable statue of General de Gaulle, head of the Free French in World War II, who offered the following words upon strolling along the aforementioned avenue in 1944:

"Paris
Paris outraged
Paris broken
Paris martyred
but Paris liberated"

The first time I heard those words spoken by de Gaulle in scratchy period film footage screened at a French conference on colonialism and decolonisation many years ago, certain Frenchmen watching the film (learned scholars), began spontaneously declaiming the lines. Others were on the verge of tears. This was a conference where the keynote speaker was Pierre Messmer who, prior to being a key figure in the French decolonisation of Africa in the 1950s and 1960s, had been an officer in the Free French forces that fought Rommel in North Africa, and who took part in the liberation of Paris. In August 1945, he was parachuted into occupied Indochina as de Gaulle's envoy and spent two months being held captive by the Viet Minh before escaping.

The French Pacific played a small but key role in the Free French forces, being among the first French overseas territories to rally to de Gaulle's government in exile in London. The very first overseas French territory to rally to de Gaulle was the New Hebrides on 22 July 1940, only a few weeks after the fall of France (it was actually a Franco-British Condominium - see my Tiki Tour of Vanuatu for further details). The New Hebrides were followed by French Polynesia on 2 September 1940 and New Caledonia on 19 September 1940.

A Pacific Battalion was raised and sent to North Africa to fight the Germans and Italians. It took part in the Free French break-out at Bir Hakeim in June 1942, and later fought in Italy and in France. Here is some vintage film footage of the unit (start at 2.40, or just zip forward to 7.30 if you want to see Tahitian soldiers playing slide guitar):

http://www.ecpad.fr/magazine-n23/

The unit was nicknamed "le bataillon des guitaristes" because, in true Polynesian fashion, there was always someone picking up a guitar...

The Battalion was important in establishing a French Pacific identity and also held the distinction of being a fully racially integrated unit (including French colonists, Polynesians, Melanesians and Asians) at a time when racial segregation was still entrenched in the US Army.

Consequently, my tour this time has its starting point at Bercy, truly one of the ugliest, most soulless parts of Paris, mainly known for being the location of the French Ministry of Finance, but which also features:

Unfortunately it looked like a bomb site when I visited, being in the middle of refurbishment:

Bercy lies on the banks of the Seine, in Eastern Paris, and is within walking distance of the Place de la Bastille, which is a stone's throw away from Le Marais, featuring an essential stop for absinthe lovers:

This is the place to go if you want authentic French absinthe spoons, among other accessories.

Back to Bastille, we head north along the Rue de la Roquette, where, a few blocks along, we find....

La Fée Verte, a French absinthe bar:

It has more of a mid 20th-century French zinc-lined décor than a Toulouse-Lautrec look about it, but it is authentic.

Not far from there, on Rue de Lappe, is a French rum bar worth visiting:

None of yer cocktail menus on the door here mate - they list their rums:

In a very Californian mid-century style is this establishment, in nearby Rue Keller:

Which is just a few doors down from this vintage clothing store, which should not be missed:

This is one of the few places in Paris where you will find real Hawaiian shirts:

And tikis for sale:

Born Bad is a refreshing change from the "vintage" clothing stores around Les Halles/Beaubourg, which seem to consider items from as recently as the 1990s to offer a "vintage' clothing look.

But wait, there's more, as we walk further north and on to the depths of the immigrant quarter of Belleville...

But that's for next time, because I have quite a lot to say about this particular establishment. :tiki:

Toto, j'ai l'impression que nous ne sommes plus au Kansas !

[ Edited by: Club Nouméa 2015-08-14 06:23 ]

[ Edited by: Club Nouméa 2015-08-31 02:15 ]

Post #749187 by Club Nouméa on Fri, Aug 14, 2015 6:16 AM