The photos in Friday’s post, The View from Belleville, were taken to the sound of tentative mandolin music, drifting up from the terrace below the belvedere.  The mandolin player didn’t seem to be busking, just practicing and enjoying the sunshine.  He was sitting on the edge of one of the twin water cascades, drained now ready for winter.  In summer the background sounds would have been very different.

I’ve recently discovered a wonderful blog by sound recordist Des Coulam, dedicated to the street sounds of Paris.  If you’ve been enjoying views of Paris through photos on Beyond the Window Box and would like to hear what some of these places sound like too, you might enjoy a visit to  Soundlandscape’s Blog.  Here you can find an evocative recording of the sound of the cascades in Parc de Belleville on a summer’s day, and a great selection of Parisian street music.  I don’t think Des has ‘mandolin practice in the park’ in his collection yet, but give him time!