Longing for Paris – A Paris itinerary following the poem by Benny Amdorsky

Benny Amdorsky (1931-1994) is known to all of us as a singer, poet, promoter, cook and restaurateur. However, Benny was also quite a Francophile, who loved Paris with great passion until his last day. He arrived in Paris with Israel Gurion in 1957 and they stayed there for about 3 years. At the beginning, neither of them knew French But their immediate love for the City of Lights spurred them to learn its language. Since the French had difficulty pronouncing the name “Dudaim,” they appeared there as “Ben et Adam,” and when they weren’t singing, they had affairs with French food, culture, and France And her reputation.

Although after about three years Benny and Israel returned to Israel and continued an extensive career that lasted about 37 years, Benny remained in love with Paris and continued to visit there at every opportunity. He knew every corner and alley in the City of Lights in a way that only a true Paris lover could. Unfortunately, Benny Amdorsky passed away in January 1994 and was unable to guide us in Paris. However, he left behind a song called “Longing for Paris,” which was composed by Hanan Yuval. The song is a kind of travel itinerary or, if you will, a Francophile testament, with the help of which we can travel the City of Lights and feel as if Benny is traveling alongside us, showing us the more and less hidden places of Paris and, above all, loving the city with great passion.

The itinerary follows the song “Longing for Paris” by Benny Amdorsky

“There is a small hotel in Montparnasse where I always stay”

Start the route at the Edgar Quinet metro and go to 35 Rue Delambre. There you will find the hotel Delambre It was where my son and Israel lived during their stay in Paris, and which my son liked so much that he decided to make it his permanent home in the City of Lights, every time he visited there.

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The apartment near the Eiffel Tower

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Apartment on Beauvor Street

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The apartment on Rue des Rosiers

In the heart of the vibrant Jewish Quarter (and the falafel!), a studio equipped down to the last detail.

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“And opposite, under the lamppost, Monsieur Be Bar’s bistro”

Continue from the hotel to Boulevard Montparnasse at 71 Boulevard du Montparnasse. There you will find the restaurant Chez Bebert, which Benny Amdorsky talks about and which serves French and Moroccan cuisine. It was at this restaurant that Benny and Israel first met Paco Ibáñez, a Basque poet. The friendship that developed between them later led to the show “Five in the Afternoon – 50 Years of the Spanish Civil War” in 1987, which the Dudas did together with Paco Ibáñez, guitarist Baldi Ollier, Amos Keenan who wrote the interludes, and Mati Caspi who was responsible for the musical direction.

“Let's walk down Rue des Rennes to the charming Bussy market, stroll along Boulevard Saint-Germain and taste wild berries and pears.”

As a serious gourmet, Benny Amdursky loved the markets of Paris. There, in the city of lights, inspired by the markets, Benny Amdursky learned to cook at a very high level and later even opened several restaurants in Israel. Bussi Market is a small, charming and lesser-known food market Other marketersThe market is located between Boulevard Saint Germain and Rue de Seine and is open every day from Tuesday to Sunday (closed at lunchtime). When you walk there, you understand why Benny Amdorsky, who loved the good life so much, fell in love with it.

“Here at the corner of Notre Dame and the Bouquinists along the Seine. We will rummage through the intricacies of their wares, maybe we will discover a Van Gogh or Gauguin”

From the Bussy Market you have two options, both of which are great. One is to walk along the Seine at Quai des Grands Augustines while the other is to walk along the Rue Saint André des Arts and visit the street along the way. Court of Commerce-Saint-AndréEither way you will get close. Notre Dame Church And look at the Bukinskys that Benny Amdorsky sang about. The Bukinskys became an integral part of Paris just like Eiffel TowerThey can be found both on the right bank of the Seine between Pont Marie and Quai du Louvre, while on the left bank they can be found between Quai de la Tournelle and Quai Voltaire. So it can be said that Paris is the only city in the world where the river flows between two bookshelves….

“I'm tired, I'll soon fall. Oh, the smells of garlic and seafood! On the way back, we'll enter La Kopul, where we'll devour them without any guilt.”

For a hungry man who was about to fall, Benny Amdorsky had quite a bit of energy if he decided to walk from Notre Dame to the restaurant. La Coppola, which is on Boulevard Montparnasse. My son could of course take the metro from Saint Michel station to Vavin. However, during his visits to Paris, he almost never used this means of transportation, preferring to walk (on the occasions when he and Israel Gurion would take a taxi, Israel would forget his guitar there). Therefore, I recommend that you also walk through the Latin Quarter to Montparnasse.

There are countless ways to do this and I recommend the way that goes through Luxembourg Gardens, which can be seen on the map. La Coppola, which opened in 1927, is known for its seafood and the number of celebrities who have made it their regular restaurant. And so, even before the Amdurskys and Israel Gurion ate the famous seafood platter there, they sat there Josephine Baker, Sartre and his partner Simone de Beauvoir, Hemingway And many others.

“Tomorrow, how can I do without this? I will take you to the Champs-Elysees.”

In my opinion, it is definitely possible without Champs Elysees, which has long since become mass and commercialized, but who am I to argue with Benny Amdorsky? In any case, if you have arrived at the Champs-Elysees, you are welcome to climb the Arc de Triomphe to gain an amazing panoramic view of Paris, go visit theMonceau Park וMuseum of Miracles of Camondo Or make the trip following Audrey Hepburn או Yves Saint Laurent.

This is where our trip ends. I will leave you with “The City in Gray,” the immortal song by the “Yarkon Bridge Trio” about Paris, and some more lovely photos of Benny Amdorsky strolling through the City of Lights. I hope you enjoyed it.

Looking for more routes in Paris?

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