Tuesday, May 27, 2008

La Boudeuse


I can hear you from here... "He surely did not take this photo in Paris!" Well, all wrong, I really took it in Paris, by the quai de Bercy, more precisely. This boat ship, called La Boudeuse, is one of the rare 3 masts travelling the seven seas under French pavillion. Its goal is to "meet with the Water people around the world" (that is, people who can only be approached by waterways). How cool is that?! Of course in Paris, you don't find many people that can only be approached by waterways(!), but you can meet lots Parisians willing to pay a little to visit this beautiful boat ship, which is far better to finance future expeditions ;)

79 comments:

  1. Sort of a departure from yesterday, but back to eau (or oh).
    Is there also a "prize for being the last to comment, I wonder?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Don't they have a ship like that at Disneyland?

    Eric, you called this a boat. It is called a "ship". Boats are small. I did the same thing, and was immediately corrected by a man who works in the shipping lines. BTW, he is French and is teaching me English. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great Photo and great angle! Shame about the unimpressive apartments in the background

    ReplyDelete
  4. OK Lois! Thanks for correction. Actually, I never really understood the difference between a boat and a ship in English.

    I suppose it's like bateau and Navire in French. Even Wikipedia says the difference is not that obvious!

    About the apartments in the background; so true! I thought of Photoshopping them for a while...

    FYI, the big glass thing across the river that looks like it's floating is a new swimming pool (now closed because it's leaking, but that is another story!)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yes it's a ship and what a beautiful one! Can you board it Eric? Or just look from the side? I wonder how old it is. Great shot.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Am choosing to take Eric's advice and ignore the missing punctuation in my GF (really, doesn't mean 'girlfriend'?) comment.
    Quai de Bercy -- isn't that across from the big new Bibliotheque National?
    And Eric, do you know why this ship is called La Boudeause? Was she named after a woman who sulked a lot, peut-etre??

    ReplyDelete
  7. Eric, Pirates of the Caribbean? I sense a theme. Always my favorite ride at Disney World/Disneyland. Must have been a shock to see a tall ship parked along the banks of the Seine.

    ReplyDelete
  8. "C'est un fameux trois-mâts fin comme un oiseau.
    Hisse et ho, Santiano !
    Dix huit nœuds, quatre cent tonneaux :
    Je suis fier d'y être matelot.

    {Refrain:}
    Tiens bon la vague et tiens bon le vent.
    Hisse et ho, Santiano !
    Si Dieu veut toujours droit devant,
    Nous irons jusqu'à San Francisco."

    Santiano, Hugues Aufray.

    ReplyDelete
  9. You read my mind, Eric! As I caught my first glimpse of today's photo, I immediately found myself wondering whether this photo was taken in Paris! I'm also wondering whether this ship might have trouble making it under the bridge in the background. Or perhaps I'm just showing my ignorance ... Can that mast be lowered?

    Thank you for another unique view from Paris!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Just went to the La Boudeuse link you included, Eric -- and now I'm even more impressed. This ship is sooo beautiful under full sail, and quelle voyage they took!
    I really appreciate how you traverse tout Paris to bring us something interesting every day. Merci --

    ReplyDelete
  11. Really love these old sailing vessels! For a moment though I thought we were still at Disneyland. But hey, the French mariners who own it better keep it away from that argghhh matey...Johnny Depp. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. It's a real coincidence! I read an article in Libération about it, the owner organizes visits for people like us, for everybody. I think I'll go and take a look.
    I was in the metro line 6 (the outside one)next day and a friend asked me: 'how do you think it passed under the bridges?' And actually, I was unable to answer because I assume that the sailors don't take off the masts each time they sail! Do they?...

    ReplyDelete
  13. I just checked the link of La Boudeuse, it's him, Patrice Franceschi who was on the newspaper. You can book you visit on the website. It seems to be nice!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Seems to me that recently I read about some other French 3-masted barque called "Belem" that transported a lot of wine from Bordeaux to Dublin. Now that's the way to beat rising gas prices, eh? :-)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Have to respond to some queries from yesterday:
    Guille, Lynn, Parisian Heart: klutz does mean gauche or maladroit. It's basically a Yiddish term (but all New Yorkers speak at least some Yiddish -- it's required).
    Monica: putz is another term altogether. It means jerk, as in con (as in "pauvre con," one of my most favorite French expressions).

    ReplyDelete
  16. Eric,
    When next you (or any of the PDP community) are in Boston MA, you might like to visit "Old Ironsides" aka the USS Constitution, owned and operated by the US Navy since 1797. It is a lovely old naval ship and it is also a museum. (Periodically, it must be turned around and that is quite a sight to see; this very old ship gliding across the water.)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Then, this must be a small ship because she had to make it under the Bercy bridge and the others, so she couldn't be all that tall... or how did she get there?!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Speaking of ships, because it's Memorial Day here, they were showing on PBS an interesting piece on the USS Midway (currently tied up in San Diego, CA, and converted to a museum) and USS Hornet (tied up in Alameda, CA, and also open to visitors).

    Now these things are absolutely huge, esepcially the MIDWAY. But I guess, techically, they are not ships, they're aircraft carriers.

    Imagine a piece of freeway or two stuck on top of the Queen Mary and you get an idea of how gigantic these things are. It's hard to believe they float!!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. What a beautiful ship! And I love the brightly-colored painting on the bow, even though I can't quite make out what it is. Guess I'll check the link! Definitely not something one would see every day in Paris!

    ReplyDelete
  20. What a pretty ship! We have some around here. I wonder if La Boudeuse will ever make it here; I'm fairly sure that there is an inland waterway to the Great Lakes through the St. Laurence Seaway. Wouldn't that be cool!

    Nice shot, Eric!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi there -- I've never commented anywhere before, so I hope this works! After the picnic video,I actully feel like I've gotten to know you all. I love everything about PDP and have totally gotten hooked. Yet another great photo by a really talented guy who finds endlessly interesting things to share with us...followed by terrific comments!

    Santiago -- my heart skipped a beat when I heard the tune come up inside me to the words you wrote. I grew up with the American version of this song and I am entranced by a French translation of it. Merci beaucoup.

    And, to add to Tomate and ranie's comments, if anyone's going to be in Philadelphia, there's a ship there called the Moshulu that has been turned into a restaurant. (I've never eaten there so I can't recommend it personnaly.)I think you can tour it, too. And its the subject of a great, true, travel adventure book about young man who goes off to sea in it. The book is called the Last Grain Race by Eric Newby.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Wow - lots of typos -- sorry. Also, since I'm new, I thought I might be able to get away with a really bad water related joke -- if the ship starts to sink, but is rescued, can they make a film about it called La Boudeuse Saved From Drowning? :0 :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. I like this shot. A lovely boat--er, ship! Funny you were going to photoshop the apartments, Eric! At least they go with the swimming pool. I'm glad you told us what it was, because I would have asked.

    The video on the website for La Boudeuse is really cool.

    ReplyDelete
  24. OK...to meet people who can only be approached by waterway. Hmm...that would mean landlocked countries such as Switzerland and Austria are out of the equation!

    And to Eric Tenin:
    As far as I've always known, a 'ship' is larger than 'a boat' and that's the impression I got since young. I could be wrong....but who cares. hahaha!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi Katie, long time no see.

    Eric, I just checked with the man that I know who works with the commercial vessels, aka ships, and he said yes, exactly to "I suppose it's like bateau and Navire in French." He's French, and lives and works here in San Francisco. Ships have to wait outside the Bay to get permission to enter. I can see them from my window. A speed boat goes out to meet them and make sure that their papers are in order. However, this doesn't apply to all ships, there are exceptions.

    Parisian Heart, He also said that the newer ships masts can be lowered so that they get under bridges. He said that they are tilted -- difficult to explain? I'm sending him the photo, and he will tell us if it is a newer ship.

    About the apartments in the background; they look good from here. Modern, I would be proud to live there -- assuming it's a safe neighborhood. When do I move in?

    The big glass swimming pool looks great from here too. I love swimming pools, and look at this one's view. Hope the pool will be re-opened soon.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Well Lois, we know it certainly isn't a dingy.

    I do wonder how they get around the bridge issue. Any insider details Eric?

    ReplyDelete
  27. "Louis" really enjoys photos like this, in no small measure because "Louis" really likes both boats and ships! Here is a three mast ship in San Francisco.

    "Louis" has the opposite problem as you, Eric with French usage of bateau for both boats and ships. In American English usage, the only ship that is properly called a boat is a submarine. Go figure. Submarines aren't exactly small - WWII-era "boats" measure 311' (95 metres) in length and modern nuclear subs are over 600' (183 metres) in length .

    "Louis" will have a post about a WWII-era sub up at SF Bay Photo on Wednesday.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Thank you, Lois! My, how many things we learn here at PDP!

    ReplyDelete
  29. À Tomate Farcie - Aircraft carriers are still called ships - despite the fact that they are floating small cities. The current class of nuclear-powered carrier (such as the Ronald Reagan are 1092' long (333 metres). A full complement on the Reagan means that about 6,000 sailors, officers, pilots and flight crew are on board.

    The Hornet (CV12) at Alameda replaced Hornet (CV8), which was lost in the Battle of Santa Cruz Island in October 1942. CV12 originally was slated to be named Kearsarge, but when CV8 was sunk, CV12 became the new Hornet because the U.S. Navy has had a Hornet continuously since the 18th century. CV8 took on the B-25 bombers used by Doolittle in the April 1942 raid on Tokyo at Pier 3 in Alameda where CV12 is now berthed.

    ReplyDelete
  30. This is a beautiful ship. I'm not really into ships/boats, even though I live by the water. I like to go sailing for an afternoon or so, but never for a longer period of time.

    I don't think the buildings in the background matters, it's Paris too, and I'm glad you didn't remove them, Eric.

    I have actually been to this swimmingpool, and there's a fitnesscenter as well. It's very "fancy" (when it's not leaking).

    ReplyDelete
  31. Thank you, Louis!

    You would really have liked that documentary I saw on PBS a couple of days ago, but for the life of me I can't find it at all right now! All I found on line was this one "Men Who Sailed the Liberty Ships" also worth a look (about Merchant Marines during the War) which I found *very interesting* as well, as you can imagine.

    By the way, I have a couple of pictures of the Star of India, the USS Midway, and an ancient submarine (?) in my San Diego set

    http://tinyurl.com/4s6f5u

    if you're interested.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Carrie, thank you for the info and welcome! Don't worry about the typos, really! :)

    I grew up with Hughes Aufray, and what I thought at the time was the "original" (French) version of Santiano. It does bring back memories, doesn't it!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Sooo pleasant a photo, thanks!
    I will go and see her, at least from the bank.

    The ship was named La Boudeuse after one ancient time famous La Boudeuse (XVIII° century), on board of which capitaine Louis Antoine de Bougainville explored the Pacific ocean for king Louis XV of France with another ship, L'Etoile.

    ReplyDelete
  34. OK, someone had to pot it: Santiano by Hugues Aufray (It sounds a bit out of tune actualy!)

    Tomate : I too have always thought this song was originally French!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Alexa, thx for the 'klutz' explanation!

    Lois, if you like these buildings, take a look to the other side of the embankment, near Bercy Park. It's incredible. I'm okay to leave my actual right now!

    ReplyDelete
  36. I think it doesn't work...so here is the link! http://www.semaest.fr/semaest/content/img/bercy4.gif

    ReplyDelete
  37. Now this could have been taken on my islnad. I would have been fooled. Very unusual angle, making me seasick just looking at it.

    ReplyDelete
  38. I was going to suggest Old Ironsides but see somebody already has. Shucks (shrugs shoulder and walks away).

    ReplyDelete
  39. I, too, took a picture of this fine vessel, from the Passerelle Simone Beauvoir.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Guille, Those are nice apartments. They look very modern. I like the park setting too. These apartments must be very expensive. Thanks for sharing the link.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Boat and ship?
    I once asked the same question and my English teacher told me you can put a boat inside a ship but nto a ship inside a boat and that is the difference!

    Welcome Carrie... I know the feeling about "knowing everyone". In the picnic we all felt like we knew each other for years...

    Where is Lucio?

    ReplyDelete
  42. I thought I posted this comment last night, but I must have erred.

    I saw a ship at a quai near Isle de la Cite, a three-masted ship. I could see that the masts could fold down to pass under bridges. I don't know if it was La Boudeuse.

    That strip of the Seine does include the more modern architecture, of course. Cities evolve. I had a tour of the Villette area, including the park. It is fascinating. One of the things I love about Paris it that there are many different areas, each with its own "atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere">

    ReplyDelete
  43. Awesome!!!:)
    This reminds me of the time when I was in Holland and went to see the Batavia!!:) Amazing experience!:) And, I love the way you feed us with the history too!!:)

    In a few days, I'll take shots of the Bombay Harbour and post it...its worth checking out!!:)

    smiles:)

    ReplyDelete
  44. Jeff, Yes, that's it. That's what I meant to say when I said "difficult to explain"; because he had said it to me in French and I did not know how to translate it. "...the masts could fold down to pass under bridges." I too love the way Paris has so many different areas and styles of architecture. Many cities in the US, San Francisco included, will tear down a beautiful old building and replace it with a cheap modern building. I have asked on a few occasions, why not perserve it. They always answer, that would be too expensive. I tell them that it would be worth it -- it's so beautiful. They always say, No. I do love modern architecture, however, not to the expensive of losing old world charm.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Lois, I think maybe New York is the worst offender when it comes to replacing beautiful architecture with ugly, boring buildings. Breaks my heart sometimes. Very sorry to hear that SFO is also guilty.

    Hi, Rahul.

    You all should check out Rahul's Bombay Talking blog. I went because I spent some time in Bombay il y'avait une fois. Needless to say, I recognize pretty much nothing since the city has changed so much since then. But I keep going back, because the photos are interesting (IMHO) and Rahul is very poetic -- and enthusiastic.

    ReplyDelete
  46. To Louis Lavache: have you seen the new French nuclear submarine called Le Terrible yet? I would have a hard time calling her a ship, though. She looks more like some kind of missile or something.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Terrible_(S_619)

    ReplyDelete
  47. I've been reading a long time, this is my first comment. Love the angle of the photograph. She (the ship) looks almost like she's in heavy seas!

    Ships carry boats. Imagine a cruise ship and her lifeboats. There is no good explanation why we make such a distinction between them...

    Loved the shanty (Fr 'chanter'?!) I got to hear Stan Hugill before he died, and shantey's are not really supposed to be 'in tune.' They are work songs, used for hauling on lines on ships like those in the photo.

    Incredible blog. Lovely community of people. Kudos!

    ReplyDelete
  48. Here is a comment by a silent observer of PDP.

    Alain wrote: This is an old wooden ship built in 1916 in Holland, based in Bastia Corsica, with 3 wooden masts, there is no way this ship can go up the Seine river and under the bridges.

    ReplyDelete
  49. I am also a fan of Hugues Aufray..yet I think the "Santiano" was perhaps a bit larger than this "ship"...ehhh?

    Tiens bon la vague et tiens bon le vent.
    Hisse et ho, Santiano !
    Si Dieu veut toujours droit devant,
    Nous irons jusqu'à San Francisco."

    Imagine leaving St. Malo on a ship for San Francisco and all that "gold"!?? Must have been something!?

    ReplyDelete
  50. If the masts do not fold, then how does in get into the city, I wonder??

    ReplyDelete
  51. Merci, Lois. Now the question is: How DOES La Boudeuse make its way through Paris? I'm envisioning some very interesting scenes!

    ReplyDelete
  52. abrahm lincoln 'Shucks' is it used in uk, usa ... u know at pdp we are really accurate pluto and dingo, ships and boats
    eric 'se fait remonter les bretelles' when he is wrong [we are having a go at him].. i guess tomorrow we will have the ghost of the church [but this time from a different view] as he does not know who he is or what he has done he is protected from any critics ... just teasing the master ... sweet dreams every pdp reader or writer ... inge

    ReplyDelete
  53. This is what I love about Europe. Does anyone see the wonderful stone work in the foreground?. When I enlarge the photo I can really get a good look. It is beautiful.
    Thank you Eric.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Guille : 'how do you think it passed under the bridges?'
    Well, the question intriged me too! And I found in 'la boudeuse' (the link given to us by Eric) :
    "31 août, début du démâtage 3 septembre, début de la remontée de la Seine. Vers le 5 septembre, arrivée à Paris et début du remâtage." Voilà donc la réponse :)!!

    Thanks Eric for the santiano link ;) And btw, I am coming back to your 24 mai post (Antoine Bourdelle) : I didn't realize that the museum was so close to our offices! (Actually, I even thought, saturday at first, that it was located in the 18th arrdt, don't know why? I am strange sometimes!). So at lunch time today, at Montparnasse station, I was really surprised when I saw a sign 'musée Bourdelle'. I thought, how great it is! I will manage to go there soon, at lunch time.

    Sorry others for this "aparté"! But maybe some of you can be interested too : rue Bourdelle is close to Montparnasse area!

    ReplyDelete
  55. Eric - is this ship an old ship (I think Wikipedia indicated in the 1700s)? Or is it a replica? If it's replica, I imagine the masts can be lowered, down at the base. I believe I've seen pictures of how they do this. Smaller sailing vessels do this all the time.

    ReplyDelete
  56. Corinne, je m'apprêtais à écrire la même chose à propos du démâtage!! J'ai parcouru le site et sur la page itinéraire je suis tombée dessus aussi.
    (Pssst Petrea, 'tomber sur quelque chose/quelqu'un': to find sth/sb accidentally)
    So, they dismated, here is the explanation...

    Anonyme-Inge, you're meaaaaaaannnnn! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  57. Guille -- dismated? You must mean dismasted (or would that be unmasted? de-masted?) Not sure such words exist in English. So you mean they took the masts down (or took them off) altogether, then put them back up.
    Then they'll do it all again when the ship leaves? Hope a lot of people visit, since they went to all that trouble to get there.

    ReplyDelete
  58. Alexa - I think she means dismasting; that's the word I get from using the language tools on Google!

    ReplyDelete
  59. Alexa, it was the verb 'to dismast'. I forgot the 's' in my comment. Trust me, I didn't learn such a word at school, so I had to look up in the dictionary!: to break off the masts of a sailing vessel.
    Alexandra, thanks for confirming my statements ;)

    ReplyDelete
  60. Wow what a photo Guille. Even more model-like than usual. I love the happy, relaxed pose.

    ReplyDelete
  61. Alexa,

    Thats so sweet of you to have talked about my blog here:)

    Well guys, you are all welcome to it..please do come!!:) -

    www.bombaytalking.blogspot.com

    Eric, I need your feedback too!!!:)

    smiles:)

    ReplyDelete
  62. Rahul, I spent one hour on your blog yesterday...But left no marks. ;)
    I know a part of India, where I went last year but I didn't visit Bombay, I regret it. Lack of time. I'm planning to come a second time next year. Mumbai will be on my TO-DO list!

    Thanks Lynn! :)

    ReplyDelete
  63. so where is Eric and the new photo?
    I need to go to bed Eric...please hurry up!

    ReplyDelete
  64. LOL Rose I was thinking exactly the same thing!! Well, I will win the GF contest and then go to bed.

    It's already 12.48am here... I'm dying. :D

    ReplyDelete
  65. He is probably out enduring his boring life :)

    ReplyDelete
  66. Of course, as usual...Poor him. ;) He lets us wait for our fix...

    ReplyDelete
  67. OK, tonight I won't complain. I'm just back from a dinner party at some friends' who live on the boat right next to where I took this photo. That is right under the Place de La Concorde. I'm so jealous!!

    ReplyDelete
  68. nice pic eric!!:)

    guille, do keep visiting!!:) and leave comments...its fun interacting with new ppl!!:)

    more to come..

    ReplyDelete
  69. he he you girls fighting for GF position made me laugh. I mean, who would do such a thing?.......:)

    ReplyDelete
  70. La Boudeuse est Corse...

    http://bastiadailyphoto.blogspot.com/2007/06/1063.html

    ReplyDelete
  71. very nice blog!

    rc

    trading tennis blog
    http://tradingtennis.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  72. Eric, you LUCKY! Dinner on board. . .what kind of boat did your friends have? And, can anyone with a boat locate it there, or are there expensive permits and the like?

    I, too, was wondering about the bridge obstacles. We had a 25 foot long sailboat and had to unstep the mast to transport it by trailer. I can't imagine the work require to step three masts, so I bet it will be there for a good long while before moving on. Then again, if they've modified it so that the masts and rigging can be folded back (think ship in a bottle) that would be ingenious.

    In San Francisco the three masted ship near Fisherman's warf, called the Balcutha, is a living history ship, and my daughter's 2nd grade class got to work aboard it for a day learning all about the ship and sea lore from an authentically costumed crew. They even offer overnight experiences on board.
    -Kim
    Seattle Daily Photo

    ReplyDelete
  73. Great you posted this Eric! Visited several months ago - it's a fabulous ship on a great mission. I highly recommend doing the free visit (just register online) and of course the video or books in their tiny gift shop are really interesting too. Their mission is supported by grants and volunteers (and donations of course). Very interesting mission to document the cultures of isolated water communities before they disappear.....check it out before they set sail sept 08.

    ReplyDelete
  74. Great you posted this Eric! Visited several months ago - it's a fabulous ship on a great mission. I highly recommend doing the free visit (just register online) and of course the video or books in their tiny gift shop are really interesting too. Their mission is supported by grants and volunteers (and donations of course). Very interesting mission to document the cultures of isolated water communities before they disappear.....check it out before they set sail sept 08.

    ReplyDelete
  75. I'm so happy to read all these wonderful comments here !!!.. But do you know that "La Boudeuse" is in great danger... it might be sold !..
    Actually, the Minister who initiated the "Land-Ocean Mission", just let it down due to THE crisis. He didn't give the money he promised so, 7 months after it started, Captain Patrice FRANCESCHI stopped the Mission... and he is now selling the ship to pay bills !.. We are plenty to support him, cos he did nothing wrong, he just trust the Minister !.. If you want, you can help by signing the online petition at :
    http://www.sauvonslaboudeuse.fr/petition/
    and you can also register on the FACEBOOK page "Sauvons La Boudeuse". Thanx to all of you !!!.. 'Trice

    ReplyDelete