A walk to discover
Maigret's Paris, the famous Commissioner brought to life by George Simenon's pen. An itinerary which begins at his office at
36 quai des Orfevres. The General Headquarters of the Parisian judicial police and arrives at his flat in boulevard Richard Renoir, passing through the many bistros where he used to sit in front of a glass of Calvados or a pint of beer.
Even if the Paris described by Simenon disappeared at the end of the Second World War, there are still some people who won't give up following the traces of the famous commissioner. It all begins from the Grande Maison, at quai des Orfevres, on the banks of the Seine in the Ile de la Cite, between Pont Neuf and Rue de la Cite. Inside you can still find the 148 steps that Maigret climbed to reach his office: here the cast iron stove and the dark consumed linoleum have disappeared but the view of the bateaux mouches which cruise slowly down the river is still the same. The Commissioner was someone who liked to walk around the city, at a slow pace. Unfortunately the prohibited charm of the Pigalle clubs where the Commissioner would meet members of the underworld and informers has disappeared: the night clubs with their strippers who he would furtively glance at have been replaced by peep shows and sexy shops, and the forbidden charm of this street has dissolved in the blinking reflection of dozens of red light bars. The same can be said for the adjacent Rue Saint Denise, now it is a pedestrian way, sadly full of tourists looking for excitement even from the early morning. But the atmosphere at Place des Voges is still the same as that described by Simenon. Beautiful, geometric, serene, under the arches they still hold beautiful exhibitions of their designers and art galleries. At number 9 Bernard Pascaud's Ambroisie can be found, Victor Hugo was born at number 6 his house is now a free museum, Theophile Gautier lived at number 8 and at number 21 Simenon and also Maigret for a time. The square is delightful, time seems to have been forgotten and it isn't difficult to imagine the Commissioner thoughtfully walking amongst the geraniums and butter bushes. To continue reconstructing the Commissioner's old haunts, we come to rue des Victoires, at the number 7 bus stop, at Pont Neuf, the rue Dauphine area, we can still find the Taverne Henry IV at number 13 place du Pont Neuf, the owner was Simenon's friend and many photographs on the wall bear witness to this.
The Paris described in Maigret's books is a city of light with white buildings and the sun shining upon the Hasemain boulevard
plane trees, but it is also the Paris of the shadow of the impasses, and the narrow streets illuminated only by the puddles. The black manhole cover with water overflowing onto the pavement and the light of the "Pierre de faille", the dark halls lit by the low light from the porter's lodge. The brass counter of the bistro, the alleys with their damp pavement, a dark branch of the Seine, every type of tree. But to really discover the places that Maigret liked, you have to follow your nose. He preferred the bistros with the blackboard on the wall for the menu, the food you could distinguish by its fragrance. That's right because after all "
Maigret is an honest petty bourgeois. He loves eating and maybe it's the only pleasure he allows himself like the poor. He hardly ever goes to the cinema, never watches the TV, he hasn't got a car, he can't drive." That is how Simenon summed him up. It was 1978 and the Commissioner had already been retired for 6 years.
The Eiffel's Picture in home page courtesy of Dave Davies
