Quartier des Batignolles
Considered a quite neighbourhood, with its market, church, garden and brand new Clichy-Batignolles park. Batignolles was annexed to Paris in 1860. At the time, this ancient hamlet between the city and fields, close to Montmartre, offered cheap living for artists. Impressionism took here in a cafe frequented by Manet, Degas, Cezanne, Monet and Renoir. This was not just a center for artists, and writers Zola, Verlaine, Max Jacob and Simenon also lived here. And as you stroll down the rue des Dames and rue des Batignolles, something tells you that these windows, tables and welcoming cafe counters are still a refuge for tamed bohemians and a slower pace of life.
Its grotto, waterfall and a miniature lake, where black swans ruffle their feathers, make this English-style garden apper much larger than it is. Among the things to see are a Turkish hazel tree, swings, a sweet kiosk, a lemon tree, carp, a sequoia, a skate area, a sculpture in black stone from Volvic and table-tennis tables.
