A Parisian taste of Africa: new and improved

Today was the last day of our 4 week visit to Europe. We figured a good way to finish, was with a trip to what is often referred to as little Africa.
Goutte d’Or is a neighbourhood in the 18th arrondissement and can best be accessed from Barbès-Rochechouart or Chateau Rouge metro stations. We jumped off at Chateau Rouge and wandered around the for area 30 minutes or so with no real plan and, in hindsight, it was the best way to begin the day. There was a vibrant street market right at the metro exit with vendors selling mainly fresh fruit and vegetables and spices. By the way, ignore anyone who tells you this area is 'dangerous' or words to that effect. Secure your belongings, like you would in any big city, enjoy the buzz and leave the stereotypes where they belong.
Once we worked out the lay of the land it was time to do a little more serious exploration of the area. Boulevard Barbes is the main connecting thoroughfare and you'll notice a distinct absence of African culture along this stretch. It's one of those classic high street stretches, with every second shop either selling mobile phones or hawking fake Louis Vuitton travel gear. We made a beeline for the Louxor – Palais Du Cinema, which has a fascinating history and should be high on your priority list when you visit the Goutte d’Or neighbourhood. Here's a link to give you a short history of the cinema
https://vingtparis.com/bobo/louxor-palais-du-cinema/
If you don't want to read that article, the shortened version goes something like this. The cinema was built in the 1920s at the height of the art deco era and has the classic Egyptian influences from the time. Ironically that Egyptian link kind of fits in with how the area has developed with its connections to north Africa.
The Louxor had a couple of near escapes from developers with jackhammers and it's been restored to its former glory and its original purpose.
We were there at the wrong time so we couldn't get into the actual cinemas or the bar, but out of screening hours you can go up to the second floor where they have provided a good background to the history of the cinema. It's in French, but even with a basic understanding of the language you'll get an idea of the life and near death of Louxor – Palais Du Cinema. The cinema looks like it screens mainly arthouse stuff and the French have a habit of dubbing rather than subtitling, but if nothing else I will come back on a future visit and sample the bar. It looks like a great place to spend a couple of hours.

If you visit the area on a Saturday, make your next stop the market that runs under the railway line along Boulevard de la Chapelle. It's close to the cinema so it's a logical place to head next. There's lots of fresh fruit and vegetables as well as meat and fish but it's not a place for the faint of heart, especially if you don't like crowds. It's noisy, busy and, on the surface, it appears to be chaotic, but spend a few minutes here and you'll realise that it's actually a well oiled machine. Don't bring your camera; it's a working market, not a tourist attraction. In fact, as a general rule the locals don't like being subjected to close up photographs, so respect their wishes and you'll have no problems.
One other tip is to regularly look up. The area backs onto Montmartre and occasionally you'll get a great glimpse of Sacre Couer. The pic below gives you an idea of what I am talking about.

After surviving the hustle and bustle of the market we dropped into a pastry shop. It's near the eastern end of the market and my guess is that it was located in Rue de Chartres. The pastry is sensational and there's a nice buzz in the shop. If you can track the place down using my vague directions, do yourself a favour and indulge. You won't regret it even if it doesn't help your cholesterol count.
Next we tracked down FGO Barbara. It's a local community hub that helps kids record hip hop and rap music. The woman on the door was really engaging and will tell you all you need to know about the facility, including that it started life as a public swimming pool.

We found a great place for lunch called Les Trois Freres at 14 rue Léon. We were given a table beside another couple who had a copy of Le Figaro with them. My French is very limited, by I know that anyone who reads Le Figaro, is probably the kind of person with whom I would enjoy lunch. The waitress told us that the owners have a Berber background and the food also has Moroccan influences. Given that the restaurant was called Three Brothers, we decided to have the three meat dish, a plate of vegetables and couscous. Together with a locally sourced IPA, the bill came to 27 Euros. You won't get much better value and the atmosphere in the restaurant is really buzzy.

After lunch we continued our walking tour with a stroll past a bunch of shops on rue Des Gardes that sell high quality African influenced clothing and footwear. The shop called Little Africa Village is especially enticing to the eye and it's impossible to leave without buying something. After your shopping indulgence walk around the area a little more and check out some of the street art and enjoy the vibe. It's one of those areas in Paris where you can operate on a budget and have a day you won't forget.

It was now time to head to a very different part of town for an insight into a very different cultural phenomenon, the Frech music icon Serge Gainsbourg. Gainsbourg made his home in the 7th arrondissement and lived there right up until his death in 1991. Serge was a notorious womaniser, a rotten drunk and a hugely successful singer and songwriter in 1960s France. He also pushed a lot of boundaries, including some boundaries that should never be pushed.
Gainsbourg dated Brigitte Bardot and Jane Birkin and had affairs with god knows how many other women. His song with Jane Birkin, Je t'aime moi non plus was a huge hit until the powers that be realised that Birkin's vocal was punctuated with sounds that the less naive would recognise as a sexual orgasm. On its own, this stunt was a bit of harmless fun and sat comfortably within the mores of the sexual revolution that was happening at the time. This film clip shows Serge and Jane busting a move in a very G rated way near the Eiffel Tower.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlpDf6XX_j0
If you read more about some of Gainsbourg's antics you'll realise this guy was completely out of control, so much so that he probably should have been behind bars.
In her memoir, Jane Birkin said that Gainsbourg had, at times, been physically violent to her during their relationship. Equally disturbing, in 1984 Gainsbourg recorded a duet called Lemon Incest with his 12 year old daughter Charlotte whose mother was Jane Birkin. In the video, she is seen in bed wearing her panties while her father sits in the same bed with his shirt off singing about “the love that we will never make together'. The song made it to number 2 in France in 1984 and although there were some voices expressing disgust, it just seemed to add to Gainsbourg's reputation as a loveable bad boy.
Gainsbourg eventually drank and smoked himself to an early death which may well have saved him serving some time in the big house. His public drunkenness probably reached its low point on this French TV show when he had a shameful encounter with Whitney Houston.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHLIHrN95Vg
Now you're probably wondering why I would be interested in visiting Gainsbourg's house after what I have just said about him. I have to admit I really like Je t'aime and, in my opinion, his work with Brigitte Bardot on the song Bonnie and Clyde is also a high point. Gainsbourg wrote a number of songs for the French Yeh Yeh girls in the 1960s and he had that rare talent of being able to create music across almost any genre. So I have a kind of grudging admiration for his work as a musician, but what most fascinates me is that the French see this guy as something of a national hero. Upon Gainsbourg's death, François Mitterrand called him “our Baudelaire, our Apollinaire,” and attended his funeral. It's just all too hard to contemplate. Even in the post #metoo era Gainsbourg seems to be forgiven for most of his sins. There's now plans afoot to name a Metro station in his honour. There's some people actively campaigning against the plan, but it looks like the opposition is going to lose out on this one.
So what's the significance of his house? Gainsbourg had lived and smoked and drank at, 5 Rue de Verneuil for many years. When he died, Charlotte, his daughter wouldn't hand over the body for four days. The house had sat empty for 30 years, exactly as it was when his body succumbed to a lifetime of self abuse. It's now open as a museum, but booked out until September. There's a gift store and bar across the road that sell lots of Serge stuff at vastly inflated prices. The bar at the back is attended by impeccably dressed men and they are ready to clean out your credit card, so don't try and emulate Serge's drinking habits while you are here or you'll go home with more than a hangover. The front wall outside Gainsbourg's house is covered in graffiti created by his obsessive fans. It's quite an eye opener. I have also been to his grave in Montparnasse cemetery and it's kind of one part Jim Morrison mixed with a little Oscar Wilde. If you've been to their graves in Pere Lachaise, you'll understand what I'm getting at.

After all that exposure to lascivious desire we thought it would be a good idea to complete our Paris experience with a visit to the tea rooms at the mosque. It's just out the back of the Latin Quarter and you can get good pastries and a cup of mint tea here for a very reasonable price. It used to be a bit of a Paris secret but based on my experience this afternoon it's a secret no longer.
You might also want to visit the adjoining mosque. It costs 3 Euros and it's a lovely place to experience some peace and quiet in the hurly burly of pre Olympic Paris.