12 arrondissement

Been coming across some chatter about a road lined with pastel buildings in paris as I browse through travel websites and even on TimeOut Paris. So I decided to google and check up where this was. Sheryl told me she wanted to go there, as she too saw bloggers who have pretty photos in that area, so we headed for Rue Crémieux on Sheryl's last morning in Paris.

Somehow we were expecting the area to be a road filled with maybe little coffeeshops/cafés or something more interesting than just being a road. Alas, it was just a road with pretty pastel painted buildings. It was in fact a residential area which made taking photos kind of awkward. But, we did it anyway.

*Perks of looking like an asian and being let off for being touristy/doing touristy things that invade other people's privacy.

Of course we were sure to only take pictures with the houses that were completely shut, and not pop our heads into any open windows/disturb any of the residents.

P.S. Sorry for the Lousy iPhone quality, I tried to edit the pictures to not show the inside of people's houses rather, show the reflection of the building opposite. Have fun figuring out the colours of the buildings on the other side of the road!

I think this is a place one would not mind missing. Then again, if you happen to ever be in the 12 arrondissement in Paris, just walk by and snap a few touristy shots, no harm in that!

Pastel Buildings on Rue Crémieux

26 September 2014 Rue Crémieux, 75012 Paris, France

Paris is famous for its beautiful gardens, but on Jerald's last saturday, we made an impromptu decision to visit 2 less touristy greenery filled areas, La promenade plantée in 12e and Parc Buttes-Chaumont in 19e.

La promenade planteé is an elevated pathway that is lined with trees. It was build on top of an abandon railway track, and since it's as high as most of the roofs of the buildings in the area, you get to see a different view from up there. While we were strolling and taking all sorts of pictures/doing touristy things, the locals living in the area were running and doing their morning work out along the pathway. Since the pathway links to a small park, its a really good place for a nice evening run/stroll (the morning sun was way too hot!)

Le Viaduc Des Arts - An old railway train track turned into individual boutiques.

I was hoping this HUGE sundial like thing would work, but it said 11am when it was 1pm :(

After exploring the abandon railway, we came across a nice little restaurant called Simone et Les Garçons. Food was average, but the people were really really nice. We had a conversation with one of the waiters about asian food as he was asking us about kimchi and told us his good friend has been living in korea.

After lunch, we headed over to explore Parc Buttes-Chaumont. One of the interns told me about this park once, and that it was built on an old mine, giving it the hilly-like terrain/landscape. It was unlike any park i've been, so that was cool. I get excited about being to places that are different from other places i've been - i guess in that way i'm quite easily pleased/entertained. But Jerald didn't like the park too much. He said it was okay, but nothing special.

Most of the parks (at least those I have been to) in paris are on flat land, with lots of pretty flowers, nice well maintained shrubs, evenly cut grass patches. But Parc Buttes-Chaumont on the other hand requires climbing up and down different pathways to get to see different parts of the park, lots of tall trees and uncut grass patches, it was a more rugged-natural-effortlessly-cool type of park. I feel like i'm describing a person instead of a park with that last phrase, but whatever. If parks in paris were people, the general parks in paris would be like the stereotypical rich kids from elite private schools, and parc buttes-chaumont would be analogous to kids from the country sides or suburban areas. If you get what I mean. What am I even saying... Anyway, main point is, I had a nice time walking through the park with drinks up at a bar after! And, if anyone has some extra time to spare in paris, go and have a picnic in Parc Buttes-Chaumont.