A walk up the rue du Faubourg Poissonnière…

After lunch at the Delaville Café, we went to discover some architectural marvels on a little tour of the 9th and 10th arrondissements.

At first, our goal is the Fraich’Attitude gallery on the rue du Faubourg Poissonnière. Their current exhibition is based on the theme “green”.

On the way, we go past the telephone exchange built in 1912 by Françoise Lecoeur…

On the rue des Petites Ecuries, have a look at the building at n° 48 whose two entrance statues are very impressive.

After the visit (very amusing) to the gallery, keep walking on the rue du Faubourg Poissonniere through to the rue Lafayette, and you’ll be at the junction with the rue d’Abbeville. There are two very beautiful buildings here, one of which (n° 14) is completely extravagant and ornamented by ceramics by Alexandre Bigot, very typical of Art Nouveau exuberance…

The other building is more reserved but very imposing.

On to rue Condorcet. Despite this street not having any particularly impressive buildings, it’s good to go down it whilst looking up, to catch the special little details on higher floors.

Cross over the rue des Martyrs, with its numerous little shops, and go down rue Victor Massé. You’ll go past the house of the architect Viollet Leduc, who inspired a great many other Art Nouveau architects.

Just before the junction with rue Henri Monnier there are two building next to each other (n° 25 and 27)

which are not Art Nouveau, but just opposite there is the entrance gate to avenue Frochot; behind the gate are some beautiful late 19th Century houses. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to get in, and we will have to make do with marvelling at the first house and its impressive stained-glass window.

Now on to the rue Henri Monnier on the left, and take a turn into the rue Navarin, where there is a neo-gothic building.

At the end of this street, go down the rue des Martyrs towards rue du Faubourg Montmartre.

Time for a film at the Max Linder Panorama cinema, one of the best in Paris, and – to finish of our day in the 19th Century – a meal at the Bouillon Chartier. We’ll be telling how that went very soon.