by Sandra Sheridan

Created on: April 13, 2010   Last Updated: May 08, 2012

Look beyond the traditional landmarks of Paris to discover an incredibly vibrant city, a virtual theatre with seemingly endless stages, stories, scenic backdrops and fascinating characters.  Where the Eiffel Tower rises far above the grand Hausmann-style apartments in the 7th arrondisement, any number of scenes play out along the Champs de Mars and gardens that spread outward from the famed tower. 

Students gather on the lawns, their books, beers and baguettes at the ready.  Small children wait patiently for a ride in the donkey cart or for a little race around the bicycle track.  Beyond the bright flowers, a troupe of girl scouts assembles quietly in a circle under the watchful eye of their leader.  Just under the tower, a young man wraps his arms around his purple-haired sweetheart, while they gaze upward at the arches and crosses and myriad details of Monsieur Eiffel’s masterpiece.

It is the same everywhere you wander, whether along the magnificent Seine or through the Louvre, through the Tuilleries Gardens or in the majestic shadows of the Notre Dame Cathedral.  One of the liveliest of impromptu performance locations is the Pont Saint-Louis, the footbridge connecting Ile Saint-Louis and Ile de la Cite.  Perhaps, it is an accordionist or saxophone player that begins the day with soft tunes filtering through the air.  Take a picnic down to the quai along the Seine, and you’ll hear the sounds of a small trio or a trumpet player drift downwards to the river.  At any time of day, on any day of the week, you will enjoy the serendipity of spontaneous entertainment – choral groups, energetic roller bladers thrilling crowds with their jumping skills, mimes and more.  Always a Sunday favorite, an elderly man in a woolen cap sets his miniature piano up on the corner, sets his little tip basket on top and plays through the afternoon.

The white crown of Paris – Sacre Coeur – is another magnet for performing artists and, to be certain, a few enterprising con artists luring you to pay for their woven bracelets or Parisian trinkets.  Intricately made-up mimes scatter along the steps moving to the sounds of the accordionist below.  Tourists snap their photos, while locals and students spread across the green lawns to share their bottle of wine or catch a sunny nap.  At the lively center of Monmartre, just a few steps from the Basilica of the Sacre Coeur is the  Place du Tertre. 

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