Explore the Hidden Heights of Belleville

The Paris Vignettes series features the inspired work of street photographer William “Bill” O’Such in themed installments

On a beautiful Sunday, I invited a friend who had never explored certain corners of Belleville to join me. Having wandered these hills many times, I felt a bit like a “Greeter,” introducing someone to a side of the city they didn’t yet know. Belleville is vast and layered; the challenge isn’t finding something new, but rather seeing it all without clocking 20,000 steps and ending the day exhausted.

We began at the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. It was a rare, radiant winter day, and it seemed all of Paris was out “profiting” from the sun. This park, once an old quarry, is now a masterpiece of English-style gardening with dramatic rolling hills. After a quick lunch at Rosa Bonheur, we circled the lake. Along the way, we had a premonition of things to come: a couple with a barrel organ singing historical Parisian songs, a scene straight out of the old guinguettes.

A Secret Village

Our next stop was the Butte Bergeyre. Few people know this tiny enclave exists, perhaps because the stairs leading up to it are so steep and non-descript. But at the summit, you are rewarded with a “village” of small houses and a breathtaking view of Montmartre looming over a local vineyard.

As a photographer, I had to find the spot where Willy Ronis took his famous photo looking down toward Avenue Simon-Bolivar. The lighting was sublime, and while that “perfect” Ronis moment didn’t quite materialize, I managed to catch a few frames that felt right.

The Magic of Rue des Cascades

Heading back down, I wanted to check out a regard (an old stone access point for the city’s water system) along Rue des Cascades. As we walked, I had a flashback to a previous trek with a fellow photographer where we stumbled upon an anarchist workshop in this very spot (scroll down through these pictures on my site). I found myself wondering what was happening there today.

To my delight, serendipity was waiting for us. There was an event centered around the orgue de Barbarie (barrel organs). A woman was playing while the crowd sang along in the street — a photographer’s dream and a moment of pure, unscripted joy. We finished the day with the look of the classic, old-school Parisian atmosphere of the Bistrot Littéraire des Cascades.

Once again, Belleville didn’t disappoint. It remains a place where the past and the present dance together on every street corner.