18.4.08

Belleville (3)

This is the third Belleville episode. There will be at least one more.

One of the musts when you visit the Belleville area is to go to the park, Parc de Belleville, on the southern slope of the hill. The park is quite recent (1988) and perhaps not (at least yet) the most beautiful in Paris, but from the top of it you have a fabulous view of Paris, better than from Montmartre and from about the same altitude. Where there now is a park, used to be vineyards and gypsum quarries. On the very top of the hill, the highest point in Paris, you will find a cemetery. This used to be the place of a “telegraph”, rather some kind of wooden semaphore. It’s not here anymore; there is only a stone tablet in the honor of the inventor. It was installed during the Revolution (in 1793) and was part of the first optical telegraph system (preceded by smoke signals?). The first “line” was established between Lille and Paris (240 km = 150 miles) and in clear weather messages could be transmitted via 15 similar installations on top of hills. Soon there were more than 500 of these semaphores covering some 5000 km in France, serving basically for military messaging. Communications were also established to relatively distant places like Milan and Venice and the system spread over Europe. When weather conditions were at their best, it was possible to send messages with a speed of some 3000 km = 1850 miles/hour. The system was abolished some 60 years later.
I will update my photo-blog with some of the Belleville pictures, when the series is finished; maybe Monday.

I wish you all a nice weekend!

41 comments:

isa said...

"On a clear day, you can see forever"..I can even spy the golden dome of my(!) Invalides. Fantastic view!
What a charming and diverse neighborhood Belleville turned out to be.
Bon weekend!

Azer Mantessa said...

hi peter,

your song 'Peter Olson in Paris' is now at YouTube:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=yxt_FmmAjw

It contains pictures taken from your blog. Hope you like it. Will be mentioning about it in my next entry. Have a nice weekend to you and your family.

:-)

SusuPetal said...

Oh, I'd like to stroll along Belleville and sit and rest a while. Been working all work too much.
Have a nice weekend, Peter.
Oh, I must later look at that video!!

PeterParis said...

azer:
Thanks!! Too busy this morning to really comment here or elsewhere, but... For some reason, the link you gave did not work for me. However, it works if you just go to "youtube" and then look for "peter olson"! (There are two or three photos from Gothenburg in Sweden, but why not?) Once more, sincere thanks azer!!!

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
lyliane six said...

Qu'elle superbe vue, on voit pas mal de grands monuments et le jardin est bien beau, je connaissais l'histoire de Chappe, mais l'avait oubliée.
Bon week end

hpy said...

J'ai trouvé le vidéo aussi, mais c'est vrai, le lien ne fonctionne pas!

Sinon je voulais juste dire que je me suis toujours demandé ce qu'avait fait CLAUDE CHAPPE et maintenant je sais. Merci, merci beaucoup.

Je jardin de Belleville porte bien son nom.

alice said...

Chappé, pour moi, c'était les chaudières...Merci de me rendre moins bête cher Peter, une nouvelle fois! Et un bon week end à toi aussi. Mon ciel bleu de ces 15 derniers jours serait-il parti chez toi?

Cergie said...

Tu te souviens que j'ai mis des photos de ce parc avec la cascade en escalier (un peu comme à Bercy). J'aime beaucoup ce dénivelé, la façon dont il est traité avec ce belvédère faisant face à Paris. J'ai failli aller l’autre soir voir le coucher du soleil de là. Ce doit être génial, et puis nous avons plutôt traîné dans le jardin du Luxembourg. Tu te souviens que j'ai mis l'escalier en bas du parc en B&W aussi ? J'imagine que tu as fait le chemin à l'envers de ce que j'ai fait : tu es sûrement monté !!!
Bon week-end, Peter.

Cergie said...

Et comme d'hab il a fallu que t'ailles faire un tour au cimetière !

Noushy Syah said...

Nice place to stroll around in Paris! Especially with the promising weather now..just perfect!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend too.

Anonymous said...

plus le temps, le train va bientôt partir. Je t'embrasse peter, je n'ai pas fait honneur à ton post d'aujourd'hui mais je suis sûre que tu me pardonneras. Passe un bon WE et à la semaine prochaine. Bises à ton lama.

Shammickite said...

Peter, you live is such a fascinating city, and you can always fine the most interesting and charming subjects for your camera! Beautiful view from le Parc de belleville... and what a beautiful park it is.

Alex said...

Je ne suis pas venue depuis trois jour et tout Belleville s'offre à moi !! Qu'est que tu es productif...
Je repasserai regarder cela au calme ce WE, ce ne serait pas faire honneur à ton travail que de le survoler à la va-vite. Bon week-end.

sonia a. mascaro said...

Belleville looks a nice place, Peter! What a beautiful set of pictures... It seemed as if I was there too. As I told you many times, you live is such a fascinating city, Peter!

Have a lovely weekend as well!

EMNM said...

Panoramic pictures, a new camera?

This is a very nice place to see the skyline

GMG said...

Hi Peter. Sorry for this short visit, but I just wanted to say thanks for your comments on my blog. You know I'm going to be busy this weekend and next week. Just heard an incredible concert of the Octeto Iberico (8 Cello players); another of the English Chamber Orchestra with a wonderful Beethoven's Triple Concert and an absolutely fantastic, truly extraordinary recital of the Roby Lakatos Sextet. Stunning, awesome…
Don’t think I’ll manage to take pictures this time; too busy, too short…
Meanwhile enjoy the chocolate champagne truffles at Blogtrotter.
Have a lovely weekend and an excellent week!
Gil

Anonymous said...

quand je suis à Paris j'aime depuis la Place des Fêtes ou j'ai mon appart, descendre la rue de belleville et passer dans le parc! un vrai bonheur

Anonymous said...

I didn't know about this place, higher than Montmartre, and a cemetery there too. Gorgeous pictures in all these posts, so glad to hear about the area.

Ming the Merciless said...

The above ground cemetery reminds me of New Orleans where beautiful statues and sculptures are erected on or next to the musoleums.

claude said...

Ma Nièce Alex a raison. Il faut prendre son temps pour admirer tout ce que tu nous montres et faire honneur à ton travail. Cela m'avait éChappé que Claude avait inventé le télégraphe. Et voilà encore un truc d'appris grâce à toi. A Mardi ! et bon week-end !

PeterParis said...

isbella:
... and there is even more to see!

susupetal:
Have a nice and relaxed weekend!

lyliane:
Content d'avoir refraichi ta mémoire!

PeterParis said...

hpy:
En plus, il semble que Belleville est une transformation de Bellevue!

alice:
J'ai bien peur que le ciel bleu soit parti ailleurs!

cergie:
En effet, je me souviens... et oui, j'ai a du faire le tour dans l'autre sens!

PeterParis said...

noushy:
I wish you a nice weekend under the blue sky (which I have not found here for the moment)!

delphinium:
Tu es pardonnée bien sur, mais il ne faut pas m'"oublier" trop souvent! Bon weekend à la montagne! Le lama t'embrasse .. et moi aussi!

ex-shammickite:
Yes,Paris offers a few things to be seen ... and discovered!

PeterParis said...

alex:
Prend ton temps et profite bien de ton week-end!

sonia:
Thanks and nice weekend!

matritensis:
No, no new camera. For once, I just cut the picture.

PeterParis said...

gmg:
Thanks for taking the time for a comment here, in your busy program! Cello is a wonderful instrument. To listen to Lakatos must be an event!(Gypsy, jazz, classical? ... or all of it?) Have a nice trip!

lasiate:
Tu es souvent à Paris, grand voyageur?

ruth:
Very slight altitude difference with Montmartre, but less touristic and perhaps a better view and more "authentic" as an area!

PeterParis said...

ming:
Well, New Orelans may of course have some traces of France!

claude:
On apprend tous les jours, en grande partie grâce au blogging! Bon week-end!

Mélisse said...

Merci pour la balade à Belleville Peter, quelle merveille ce quartier décidément...je n'habitais pas très loin, dans le 20ème ;-)
Je me demande comment tu choisis tes itinéraires, au hasard ? ou bien tu t'informes au préalable des jolies choses à voir dans le quartier ? Just curious...

PeterParis said...

mélisse:
Ca dépénd! Des fois je lis quelque chose qui attire mon attention, des fois des proménades par hasard et des fois, comme cett fois-ci, sur la demande de Catherine! Tu as une idée? Un coin à revoir?

di.di said...

Belleville? Never heard of this place till now! Nice coverage :P

Thumbs up for the great job that you did on this post....

have a great weekend ya!

Neva said...

These are really nice pictures. I can see why you like the view from here. Loved your Belleville photos. You take some fabulous shots and showcase them very nicely.....as usual! Hope you have a nice weekend!

Neva said...

BTW, I have posted your youtube on my blog.I hope you don't mind....it was lovely. Great pictiures and the music is awesome!

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

wow Peter ! I am impressed again...haha 'your song' great music and all of the photo's I LOVE!, really I enjoyed them all!!!

My answer in YOUR questions 'about the SIZE of this "fly" in the sky', I am not absolutely sure, because it was high up in the sky ( I am not kidding here!) so.....

I can only quess like you do, maybe its as big as I have shown you on the enlarged photo on my blog? But how big would that be in reality? Question, sorry no answer:)

So for me a question I HONESTLY CANNOT ANSWER BECAUSE I REALLY DO NOT NOW the answer.

Have a creative weekend peter, greetings from JoAnn

stromsjo said...

How 'bout that, a web of optical semaphores.

Anonymous said...

I'm enjoying this exposition of Belleville - a real "village within the city" atmosphere about it. Coincidentally I started reading Colin Jones "Biography of Paris" and in the introduction he mentions Belleville, and how until recently (maybe still) people from there would talk about "going to Paris".

NB have a good day tomorrow - did you know we shared the same birthday? (And with Queen Elizabeth II, although that's a minor matter)

di.di said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PETER!! Now your 65 but we still love you.

PeterParis said...

di.di.:
Sincere thanks!

neva:
Thanks ... and of course I don't mind, the contrary!

joann:
Of course it's not really my song, Azer is the composer and should have the honors - and thanks!

PeterParis said...

per:
Always technical progress! What will be the web technique in 150 years?

richard:
Yes, I know about you and E II. Crgie found it out on her blog some weeks ago!

di.di.:
That's nice of you to know and remember! Just a few hours early in our time counting! Sincere thanks also for reminding me of my age! :-)

Kate said...

Awesome view! And the info on the early method of transmitting messages put me in mind of the internet!!

Maxime said...

Le télégraphe, en haut à droite de la photo du bas, me semble en pane ;-)
Mais n'est-ce pas finalement un bel et ultime hommage à rendre à Claude Chappe...

Maxime said...

PS: n'oublions pas que finalement, le télégraphe, et ses tours, est l'ancêtre des téléphones mobiles...