I Like Big Buttes

H and I carefully planned our movie schedule for Fête du Cinema so we could see as many as we liked while having time within the week to see his grandparents (since it was the only time we could borrow his brother's car).

We saw four movies on the first day: Limitless, Midnight in Paris (the opening sequence of which prompted H to cry at the screen defensively, "It doesn't rain that much here!"), The Hangover (Very Bad Trip) 2, and the true to life French legal drama Omar m'a Tuer. The next day was a marathon for the boys: X-Men, Blitz, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Kung Fu Panda. Then we got back from Normandy just in time for the opening day of Transformers.

On the last day we had our choice of art films but they were dramas that could be seen at home so we decided to see just Malick's The Tree of Life at the only cinema still playing it: the Mk2 in Hautefeuille. It was scheduled for ten in the evening and we had a lot of time in the day to faire promenade.

The Temple of Sybil (styled after the temple in Tivoli) surrounded by a lake.

Nestled high above the 19th arrondissement is this man-made collection of hills and cliffs: the Parc des Buttes Chaumont.

A butte is a steep place with a flat top, just like the hill of the Sacre Coeur... which, incidentally, can be clearly made out from the Temple of Sybil.

Photo by H. Panakaw lang :D

It is popular with Parisians, painters, and newlyweds who cross the street from city hall to just have a nice photo-op in this oasis.

H's friend joined us when he learned we were going to be in his neighborhood.
Behind them is the district's city hall.

H said this place used to be just a mound of untillable red earth, a place where criminals were executed. Later, parts of it were bombed and excavated to form the park's distinct topography.

A welcome respite from the urban sprawl just opposite.

Two bridges allow entry into the island within the lake. An ersatz waterfall flows through one side to fill it with water.

The lush herbage is a great spot for picnics, an after-lunch catnap, or a quick roll in the grass.

 ... Much to Pan's delight.

We stayed there for a few hours while the sun played hide-and-seek.

After that we headed to Koe E Noor, a little hole in the wall near the Quai de la Loire that serves amazing Indian food.

A couple of apprehensive Californians went inside to look at the menu and H convinced them to stay because we went all the way from the 13th just for the excellent grub. They did stay and thanked us for the tip. When the restaurant owner heard about what H did, he gave us a free bottle of wine.

I got greedy with the lime pickle.

Then we scooted off to Hautefeuille in the trendy Saint-Germain district just in time for sunset, and the movie.

The last slivers of golden sunlight.