Tuesday, July 04, 2006

The Seine




The Seine, Paris


In "A Moveable Feast" Hemingway has a chapter called People of the Seine. This is the same chapter where he talks about the sellers of used books on the quais.
He mentions that he likes to walk from 113 rue Notre Dame des Champs down to the park on the Seine at Notre Dame. He would buy a bottle of wine, some bread and a sausage, and eat and relax watching the fisherman.
They fished for anything but a good catch was a sardine-like fish called coujon. He said they were delicious fried whole and that he could eat a plateful. They were called fritures cooked that way.
When he had the money he would go to a restaurant called La Peche Miraculeuse and eat coujons served with a white wine. He said the scene was right out of a Sisley painting and a story by Maupassant.
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5 comments:

Carlos said...

Hi Paul,
That's a beautiful painting. As I told you, I'm in Paris this week and yesterday I took the day to visit some of Hemingway's spots here. I've been in Cardinal Lemoine (the street of his first apartment), Notre Dame des Champs (the second) and several bars where he used to go. In the most famous, La Closerie des Lilas, I had a coffee with my wife and asked to see the place (wich is marked with a small plate) where he use to seat. It was an amazing day. When I was at Notre Dame des Champs I saw a group of 6 American girls taking pictures to the building where his apartment was and I saw one of them with a book. It was, of course, A Moveable Feast. If there's anything you would like from here, let me know.
Regards,
Carlos

Nikon said...

Hi Carlos,
That's great that you made it there - I thought it was this weekend. I hope that you are having a good time - & you get to see tomorrow's World Cup game. I hope that Portugal wins. I just finished watching Italy beat Germany. Lot's of Portugese people in my state, Rhode Island.
Are you doing a Hemingway tour? Have you been to Shakespeare & co.
I'm trying to do the Seine where he watched fishermaen near Notre Dame. That's why there is the painting where you put your comment. I have to add some text later to the picture.
I'm jealous that you got to the Lilas!! I heard that there is a plate in the bar where he sat "E. Hemingway" or something like that.
Write back Carlos when you are not busy & tell me how it is going.
Thanks for the letter!
Enjoy your trip,
Paul

Parisbreakfasts said...

Just beautiful!
Elegaic

Parisbreakfasts said...

Just beautiful!
So elegiac...

Nikon said...

Thanks for the visit & comment, Carol.