The Secrets of Parc des Buttes Chaumont

What to do in Paris? Visit this off-the-beaten-path park. It’s lovely now but had a gruesome origin.

Parc des Buttes Chaumont isn’t at the top of tourists’ itineraries, but it’s a great natural break from the heart of the city

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, our friends Michael and Kent took us to one of their favorite spots in Paris: Parc des Buttes Chaumont, located in the 19th arrondissement. We took the Métro to the Botzaris Station and walked until we arrived at the park.

Michael and a couple friends who also happened to be visiting Paris, Jennifer and Kirsten, went off in search of the guinguette (defined in the 1750 Dictionnaire de la langue français, as a “small cabaret in the suburbs and the surrounds of Paris, where craftsmen drink in the summer and on Sundays and on Festival day”). It’s called Rosa Bonheur, but Michael refers to it as the “Log Cabin.”

“After the French Revolution, the tract of land became a refuse dump, a place for processing horse carcasses and a depository for sewage. ”

A historic postcard of the Temple of Sybille, the folly in Buttes Chaumont

Kent, Wally and I decided to wander the idyllic and hilly park. It’s hard to believe, but the site, which loosely translates to “Bald Mountain,” took its name from the once-barren land, which, because of the chemical composition of its soil, used to be almost free of vegetation.

Wally and Duke in the folly at Buttes Chaumont, a little-known park in Paris

This horrific structure, known as a gibbet, displayed hanged corpses on the site of what is now Parc des Buttes Chamont

Park Life

Before the 19th century, it was considered just outside the city limits and near the Gibbet of Montfaucon, the main gallows of the kings of France. The natural elevation made it well suited to displaying the bodies of hanged criminals in a multi-tiered gibbet, a scaffold of sorts, from the 13th century until 1760.

After the French Revolution, the tract of land became a refuse dump, a place for processing horse carcasses and a depository for sewage. Another part of the acreage was a former gypsum and limestone quarry.

Emperor Louis-Napoléon III envisioned a bucolic public park with meandering paths, water features and cliffs. Though it was hardly an ideal location for such a park, Buttes Chaumont was the very spot on which Georges-Eugène Haussmann, who was chosen by Napoleon III to carry out his vision, commissioned landscape architect and civil engineer Jean-Charles Alphand to construct.

Alphand reported that “the site spread infectious emanations not only to the neighboring areas, but, following the direction of the wind, over the entire city.”

Despite this, work commenced in 1864, and the park made its debut during the 1867 Exposition Universelle.

The Greek temple, or folly, at Buttes Chaumont affords a fantastic view of Montmartre, topped by Sacré Coeur cathedral

Kent, who lives in Paris, took us on a tour of the park

Even though Kent and Wally are joking around, there are some precarious perches in Buttes Chaumont — be careful!

Wally in the folly at Buttes Chaumont

We took a trail, crossing the Pont des Suicidés, or Suicide Bridge (at one point, it was a popular spot to off yourself), to reach the neo-Greek folly known as the Temple of Sybille. Perched atop a limestone cliff, it was inspired by the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli, Italy. From its vantage point, we could see the geometry of Paris laid out before us, with Sacré-Cœur Basilica glittering in the distance. –Duke

1, rue de Botzari
Paris, France

“The site spread infectious emanations not only to the neighboring areas, but, following the direction of the wind, over the entire city.”

— Jean-Charles Alphand, creator of Buttes Chaumont

Places to Visit in Vadodara: Ganesha Temple and Sayaji Baug

Visitors leave their shoes outside the Dhundiraj Ganpati Mandir temple in Baroda, India

The zoo is a popular attraction, while the Dhundiraj Ganpati Mandir Temple could be Baroda’s best-kept secret.

At the edge of Sursagar Lake, we asked an auto rickshaw driver if he could take us to the Dhundiraj Ganpati Temple, which is located deep within the city’s old quarter.

He responded with, “OK, OK,” which George warned us is what Indians say no matter what you ask. In this case, I’d like to point out that “OK’’ didn’t mean that the driver knew exactly where the temple was. We quickly realized this, as he proceeded to get lost and stopped frequently, asking for directions, bumming a cigarette off a couple of nonplussed college students.

“Patrons looked upon the mouse deity with reverence, genuflecting and kissing its feet.”

As we made our way into the winding streets of the old quarter, we passed innumerable buildings, some crumbling, while others have collapsed into rubble.

George commented, “They don't even know how to get around their own city — but how could they?" And he’s right. Baroda’s labyrinthine lanes are as if a child imagined it, with every usable square foot of space occupied.

When we finally arrived, it turned out the Mandir was closed. Our driver got out and knocked on a doorway not far from the temple entrance to ask what time it opens. That’s not something that would have occurred to us Westerners. We would have just looked for a sign, and not finding one, would have left disappointed.

Check out the snouts on these gharial crocodiles at the zoo in Baroda

Zootopia

We had hours to kill before the temple opened, so we headed off to the zoo.

En route, we passed the Baroda Museum and Gallery. The structure was designed to resemble the Victoria & Albert Museum of London. Built in 1894, it contains a collection of art, sculpture, ethnography and ethnology.

The zoo is part of a large park called Sayaji Baug. We strolled past a small mound with a sun motif that turned out to be a clock made of flowers.

We also crossed over train tracks. The train was a gift to the children of Baroda from the Gaekwad dynasty and has since been replaced with a larger version that also accommodates adults.

Our favorite part of the zoo was the gharial crocodiles. The name originates from the Hindu word ghara, which is a clay pot with a long neck, much like their narrow snout shape. The male crocodile has a bulbous growth at the end of its snout.

Time for a Temple Run

Later that day, we returned to Dundiraj Ganpati Mandir, which was built 169 years ago. One of the city’s oldest, most cherished temples dedicated to the elephant-headed god Ganesha, it’s the only one made completely out of wood.

An intricately carved and painted door at the wooden Dhundiraj Ganpati Mandir Temple in Vadodara, India

The temple exterior is a pale green and quite dilapidated. But as you pass through the entrance doors and into a small courtyard, the temple itself appears in a lovely shade of blue.

Worshippers kiss the feet of Kroncha, a mouse deity, at a temple in Vadodara, India

The first thing we saw was Kroncha, the mouse. Instead of being in his usual spot at the feet of Ganesha, he was located atop a pedestal. Patrons looked upon the deity with reverence, genuflecting and kissing its feet. Perhaps one of the reasons he's a popular Hindu deity is that he is known as the destroyer of all obstacles. And here we thought elephants were scared of mice.

Worshippers inside a temple to Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu deity

The marble idol of Lord Ganesha is placed with idols of his wives Riddhi and Siddhi within the inner temple.

The Buddha's footprints at the Dhundiraj Ganpati Mandir Temple in Baroda, India

Off to the side of the temple, in a courtyard in the back, don’t miss the Buddha’s stone footprints, which were covered with scattered petals or puja, a ritual offering of flowers as a symbol of love and devotion.

The temple's not easy to get to — but it's worth the effort. –Duke

Mehrauli Archeological Park: Delhi's Hidden Gem

Wally overcame his fear of heights to shimmy along narrow ledges at the Rajon Ki Baoli stepwell in Mehrauli Archeological Park

An ancient stepwell in the jungle is one of Delhi's lesser-known attractions.

Talk about off the beaten path — even our driver had to ask directions to find Mehrauli Archeological Park. But it's a fun adventure, especially the stepwell.

The park lies beyond the Qutb Minar complex and was the site of the first urban settlement in Delhi.

“One false step, and you could plummet to almost certain demise.”

We drove through a slum, taking a dirt road and arriving at Rajon Ki Baoli, a stepwell built by Dalat Khan during the reign of Sikander Lodi in 1516.

Duke at the Rajon Ki Baoli stepwell in Mehrauli Archeological Park

Rajon Ki Baoli

The remains of ancient hydraulic systems, stepwells were of special importance as a source of water, a place to socialize and provide relief during extreme summer heat.

Wally in the mosque atop the stepwell

We stepped into the cool recess of one of the porticoes located near the perimeter ledge and made our ascent up a pitch-black, narrow flight of stairs, the walls smoothened from the passing of a thousand hands. We arrived at a landing, which included a small, elevated tomb and mosque. Its inner walls contained marks of vandalism etched into the walls.

Warning: If you suffer from vertigo, like Wally, you could be at risk here. There aren't any guardrails, and some of the paths are narrow. One false step, and you could plummet to almost certain demise.

Jamali-Kamali Mosque

After we visited the stepwell, our driver took us to the Jamali-Kamali Mosque. Local lore holds that banished djinn haunt the mosque and converse with passersby in animal voices.

There's not a lot to see here. But two security guards unlocked an iron gate and led us to a rooftop courtyard, which included a mausoleum ornamented with the remains of cobalt blue-colored tile and some unmarked cenotaphs.

After we had a good look around, they led us back out, and we realized they were expecting baksheesh (a tip) as a reward.

Metcalf's Canopy

Built in 1850 by Charles Metcalf as an architectural folly — an ornamental structure intended to look old — Metcalf's Canopy sits atop a small grassy hill and overlooks the Jamali-Kamali Mosque.

While here we saw a couple being filmed. We didn't know if it was a scene from a Bollywood movie or an elaborate engagement video. 

Another highlight: We saw three puppies pile together to bask in the sunlight and take an afternoon nap. –Duke

“Local lore holds that banished djinn haunt the mosque and converse with passersby in animal voices.”

The Best Place to Make Out in Public in Delhi

These elephants greet you upon entering the Garden of Five Senses in Delhi

Not a typical tourist stop, the Garden of Five Senses is a whimsical sculpture park worth visiting. It's also popular with local couples escaping societal judgment against PDA.

Congestion does not begin to describe traffic in Delhi. It follows its own logic, and yet somehow, miraculously, it works — blowing horns and all. A red light means you might want to consider stopping. Or not.

Driver: Obama came for visit. Business relationship is very good. China is very jealous.

“This was clearly a spot favored by amorous young couples.”

Wally noticed a sign for the Garden of Five Senses and we asked our driver to take us there. He referred to it as Honeymoon Park. He thought we were crazy to want to go there.

Young couples were aggressively pushing past us to purchase tickets to gain admission. In addition to admission fees for sites in India, many have an additional photography fee that you have to pay if you want to take pictures inside the site. We were not permitted to enter the park without a photography permit.

This was clearly a spot favored by amorous young couples to spend time away from the public eye, tucked into the privacy of shadowed archways or behind a curved wall, locked in an embrace and kissing. I felt that we had entered a subworld, as Indian society is generally conservative, especially in regards to public displays of affection. Ironically, there's a sign on the ticket kiosk exclaiming in capital letters, PLEASE MAINTAIN DECENCY.

Duke in the Garden of Five Senses. Note the couple(s) hidden in the nook below

A random highlight was a colorfully decorated camel, which is apparently available for rides.

Overall, the park is fun to explore, with a variety of styles of statues. You feel a bit like Alice in Wonderland, never knowing what lies ahead.

Children of the Street

Back in the car, two children performed on a narrow packed dirt median while our car was paused at a light. The young boy beat a tabla drum, while the young girl proceeded to execute three perfect back flips. Wally rolled down the window and gave her 4 rupees, which she took and ran ahead.

Our driver smiled and looked at Wally in the rearview mirror. He explained that the government pays for two children to go to school, but since families often end up having more than two children, the others are forced to beg for money. –Duke

“You feel a bit like Alice in Wonderland, never knowing what lies ahead.”