Bercy

Yesterday i made my way down to Bercy to check out the Cinemateque Francaise which is like the film museum. On my way i was passing thru the Gare de Lyon so i thought i would stop and have a look at Le Train Bleu, a famous restaurant and listed heritage site and also the setting of a Mr Bean Movie.

The Belle Epoque glory. No i didn't stop for lunch.

The Cinematheque is in a Frank Gehry designed building in Bercy Park. It's all swoopy angles out front, but i wish now i had taken a picture of the other side to show you the drab failure of the back. A real street killer.

No photography allowed in the museum of course but i snuck this one of an early Lumiere camera. The hand crafted nature of so much of that early equipment was astonishing and a refreshing reminder of the inventiveness of early photographers.

There was a very dreamy Cocteau exhibition on as well and plenty of costumes from French films, but my favorite prop was this- the head of Norman Bates' mother from the film Psycho. Hitchcock donated it to the museum.

After that dark and filmy experience i went for a little walk in the gardens at Bercy where i saw these interesting scarecrows. More thoughts on clothing in public places.

I decided to walk home from Bercy along the river and came across this interesting encampment below the bridge at Austerlitz. It was very neat and well constructed, almost design like in its detailing. Then my day became 'The Day of Homeless People Yelling at Me''  A guy came out from the structure and he was obviously drunk and his face was quite battered. He started cursing me out in French so i apologized and quickly carried on my way.

Near the Basin de L'Arsenal i came across this interesting set up of luggage and stopped to take a picture. As i carried on a man came running after me shouting in French. I stopped and spoke to him and had a conversation in english about what i was doing and what the luggage was. He explained that he and his homeless friends leave their bags there while they wait to be picked up to go somewhere for work. I tried to explain that i wasn't an official or a journalist and only taking pictures because i was interested in the way they set up their depot. I think eventually i got it across that i wasn't out to make trouble for him.