St Jean Baptise de Belleville

We rented an appartment  at 71 rue de la Mare, in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, in an area called Belleville (until 1860 it was a separate town).  It is two floors above the ground floor (American 3rd floor; European 2nd floor). From the entry hall of the building press the O'Connor button on the intercom to get our attention. Our "landlady" is Veronica O'Connor, a long time resident of Paris, though of Irish nationality. She is off to do a walking pilgrimage to Spain,.

Other than walking, the cheapest way to get to us is via the Metro (station Jourdain). That would cost about 8 F or $1.20 for a single ride. (A "carnet" consists of 10 tickets and costs 55 F, that is 5.5 francs a ticket.) Metro lines in Paris have a number and a color but are referred to by the end of the line. Station Jourdain is on line 11, direction Mairie des Lilas ("Lilas City Hall"). To get here from most places you will need to change from some other line at Station Republique, where 5 lines interchange. Connections are called "correspondences" in French. You'll have to get off the train, look for "correspondence", and then walk a fair distance, following intermediate signs.

Let me describe the walk to our place from the closest Metro, Station Jourdain. As you come up the stairs and turn toward our place at your back will be the church St Jean Baptiste of Belleville (shown at left) and the rue de Belleville (just down the street is where Edith Piaf grew up).Follow rue Jourdain south 125 yds until you meet the rue des Pyrenees and can go no farther. Cross the rue des Pyrenees.

Steps to rue de la Mare

Turn left (east) and go 60 yards until you see a stairway on the right. Go down the stairway (officially part of rue des Envierges), passing a multi-story school on your right. (The map at the metro station shows it as Etablissement Scolaire.)

We climb these stairs very often, not so much to get to the Metro, but rather to go to the supermarket that is further along the rue des Pyrenees and to catch the bus that takes us into central Paris. The rue des Pyrenees also has lots of other businesses like banks that we use for getting cash.

Square on rue de la Mare

At the bottom of the stairs and street, you'll find youself at a small square where the rue de la Mare is joined by three streets: rue des Couronnes, rue des Cascades, and rue des Envierges. These three streets are among the most traditional in Belleville. Those to the north of the rue de Belleville have many high rise apartment buildings. There are some here, but, for example, just below us is a small bar-nightclub that according to a neighbor has been there at least since 1941.

At night the square is rather attractive. The photo shows it as taken from our apartment window. From left to right, the four streets in this photo are rue des Cascades, rue de la Mare (lower portion), rue des Couronnes, and rues des Envierges (the street sign is almost legible on the building in the foreground.) 

Our Building

In the photo at right, Jan is standing with her back to the rue de la Mare. Over her left shoulder is the boulangerie (bakery) where we get our morning baguette and croissants. Just out of site on the right side of the photo is the front door to 71 rue de la Mare.  Behind Jan is the fire truck which was called to help our next door neighbor get into her apartment after she locked herself out. Behind the truck, on the third floor (American style)  is the neighbor's window and behind it ours. Hidden by the truck is the bar-nightclub.

After going down the stairway cross the square and cross rue de la Mare. You'll find yourself between the boulangerie and the front door of our building: go a few steps to the right to the first door (number 71). There is a key-less entry system. Press 39A45 and the door will open (actually, the lock releases and a buzzer sounds, you'll need to push quite hard to open the door because it is quite heavy).

Our Gerry

Go in and just to the left of the inner door, you will see a bank of buzzers. Press the buzzer for O'Connor. Assuming we are there and hear it (try again after a while) we'll come to the intercom and release the interdoor. Come on up two floors, always keeps right and go right until you see us in the doorway.

When you come in, you go down a hall and turn left into the living room. There you could often find Gerry sitting reading "Le Figaro". About half of the living room is visible. The other half has a TV and the table where this was written. Jan is standing in the doorway taking the picture.

Detailed Directions  from Outside Paris

To get to Paris proper, take a train, tourist or city bus, or taxi. From Roissy (Charles de Gaulle) airport: The train, called "RER B" (Regional Express line B), costs 57 F, takes about 30 minutes, and arrives at Gare du Nord ("Northern Rail Station"). Take Metro line 5 to Republique and change. Roissybus (public transport) takes 45 minutes. Taxi takes about 60 minutes and costs about 250 F ($40).

From Orly airport: By train a change is required: take RER B to Antony and then Orlyval; it costs 58 F, takes 30 minutes, and arrives at Metro Chatelet, where line 11 starts. Orlybus costs 35F, takes 45-60 minutes, and arrives at Metro Denfert-Rochereau (named for the colonel who saved Belfort for France in 1870); from D-R take line 6 to station Nation and change to line 9 for Republique. By taxi it's about 155 F ($23) and takes about 30 minutes. A taxi will take you to our door.

If you arrive by Metro it's a few hundred yards (downhill!) from t he Jourdain station and should take less than 5 minutes to walk. At the Jourdain Metro station there are three exits ("sortie" in French); take the Rue Jourdain exit. Just before the last stairway there is a map which shows where you are and shows rue de la Mare. When you go up the last stairway and reach ground level you will be on rue Jourdain and facing the correct direction (south and downhill).