Day 15 Paris and home

Ok so I hear you ask, who the hell is Gilbert Peyre? Now I could play the smug blogger who is the font of all wisdom on the arts and, with the help of Chat GTP, pretend I know lots of intimate details about M Peyre's personal life and artistic career. Or I could be honest with you and say that until yesterday I knew absolutely nothing about this man.
I came across his work, pretty much by accident. When I was doing some background prep for the trip, I tracked down a space called Halle Saint Pierre which seems to specialise in, for want of a better term, outsider art exhibitions. The museum was established in 1986 by a publisher Max Fourny, in a former market built in 1868 at the base of Montmartre. The location happens to be just up the road from 'Little Africa', so if the museum's cafe offerings don't get you excited (they didn't do it for me) then treat yourself to the best Africa has to offer.

So who is this M Gilbert Peyre? That question isn't so easy to answer. M Peyre seems to have a fair bit of fame amongst those who are in the know, but Wikipedia has yet to discover his charms. Peyre has apparently worked with the gallery for decades, creating what is known as 'electromechanomania.' He started making toys when he was a kid and has now advanced to creating crazy robots made from leftovers of just about everything. Rather than me trying to describe exactly what he's up to, here's a few pics and a video to get you in the mood for the exhibition. It's all a bit mad and whimsical, so just let your brain roll with its creative impulses and make the most of this dope experience.

After spending a good 90 minutes at Halle Saint Pierre, it was time for a little something to eat. I wandered down to the aforementioned Little Africa, for some sustenance. It's situated in the 18th arrondissement and if you check my blog from last year, you'll find a detailed account of the area with enough information to keep you going for a day. Lunch was a very casual affair in a little hole in the wall joint in rue Leon. No doubt, I should have taken the name of the place, but I kind of missed that important detail in the rush to get lunch. I can highly recommend the red chicken and the ginger juice adds a little extra something.

Next stop, the Hotel Marignan to recover my bags ready myself for the 24 hour plus trip home......ouch
The bag pickup was straightforward, but the trip to the airport was a little more complex. By a strange quirk of fate, one I'm hoping doesn't repeat itself again any time soon, I had a carbon copy experience of the ill fated airport run of 2024! Last year the problems were caused by trackwork, getting Paris ready for the Olympic Games. This time it seemed that, sadly, someone decided to end their life on the tracks which created chaos for the airport commuters. There was the same lack of communication from the railway staff as last time and eventually I shared a taxi with a fellow frustrated traveller. Guys, just a few announcements clearly telling people what is happening would make a huge difference. It wouldn't take much effort.