Not everyone is down with zoos these days¹Deemed old and outdated, the Vincennes zoo was actually closed from 2008-2014 for major renovations designed to make the zoo more hospitable for its animal inhabitants.. But for some people, a well-run local parc zoologique²zoois the closest that they will ever come to seeing and learning about different animaux³animals. Since 1934, Parisians have been able to experience a variety of animaux sauvages⁴wild animals by visiting the Parc Zoologique de Vincennes (commonly known as the zoo de Vincennes) in the 12th arrondissement.

[CC0] Pexels.com, Cesar Aguilar

At the French zoo

This fun chanson and video clip from the French musical combo Arne Vinzon (a group which aims to mélanger les genres, tragique et légèreté, pleurs et danses⁵mix genres, tragedy and lightness, tears and dances) will let you take your own virtual tour through a slightly surreal zoo de Vincennes.

Une autre chanson d’automne

Last week Bridgette introduced us to Paul Verlain’s Automn Song, whose famous opening lines “Les sanglots longs des violons de l’automne blessent mon cœur d’une langueur monotone” served as a part of General de Gaulle’s regular communications with occupied France during World War II. Those famous lines also open one of my favorite 80’s French pop songs by the group Gouts de Luxe as I shared in this post from 2019 about another autumn-appropriate tune.

An update on Notre-Dame

In line with it’s on-going quest to be “Europe’s greenest city”, Paris has selected 4 design groups to reimagine the 4 hectares/8 acres around the cathedral allowing the space “d’accueillir dignement (et non en les entassant sur une fine langue de trottoir pendant des heures comme c’était le cas jusqu’à l’incendie) les quelque 12 millions de visiteurs qui s’y rendent chaque année”⁶to welcome the approximately 12 million visitors who come each year the way they deserve to be (and not by piling them up on a slim slice of sidewalk for hours on end like before the fire while also making it more attractive to locals, the previous site “peu fréquenté et approprié par les Parisiens étant donnés les commerces et les usages tournés essentiellement autour du tourisme”⁷rarely visited by Parisians given that the business and space revolve primarily around tourism.

Just for fun

And to end this week, check out this fun take on the recent Arc de Triomphe art project from the Tim Traveler.

Dreaming of the arrondissements…

Ever-changing Paris

Christo’s Arc de Triomphe

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  Deemed old and outdated, the Vincennes zoo was actually closed from 2008-2014 for major renovations designed to make the zoo more hospitable for its animal inhabitants.
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  zoo
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  animals
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  wild animals
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  mix genres, tragedy and lightness, tears and dances
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  to welcome the approximately 12 million visitors who come each year the way they deserve to be (and not by piling them up on a slim slice of sidewalk for hours on end like before the fire
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  rarely visited by Parisians given that the business and space revolve primarily around tourism