Avenue du Président Wilson - une fille française?

Along Avenue du Président Wilson, 

she walked with long strides in front of the gates of Palais Galliera.  

She was dressed head to toe in shades of gray 

offset by tresses of deep auburn.

Yes, definitely...

must be a French girl

Avenue du Président Wilson

75016, Paris

Joyeux anniversaire, Renée

La Tour Eiffel - la réflexion

A familiar reflection...

How could a puddle on Champ de Mars be a pleasing sight?

When it reflects the golden lights of la Tour Eiffel.

la Tour Eiffel

Allée Adrienne Lecouvreur

Parc du Champ de Mars

75007, Paris

Pont Notre Dame - l'automne

Pont Notre Dame

The late afternoon sun drenched the trees 

along the Quai de Gesvres giving them a golden orange glow.  

If you look under the arch of the bridge, 

you can see their reflections in the Seine.

Pont Notre Dame

75004, Paris

Feuilles orange de l'automne

Orange autumn leaves

The window shades on this quiet street in the 5ième 

match perfectly the autumn leaves.

Paris was dressed in her colorful finery last week 

and the leaves held on through our sojourn.

Rue de Lantran et Rue de Beauvais

Métro Maubert-Mutualité

75005, Paris

Des tours, des flèches, des clochers

Towers, steeples, spires...

Can you name these famous Paris landmarks?

Seen from rooftop level.

Mystery location

75004, Paris

Métro Cité - l'escalier

Cité Métro Station

The exit at this metro station had more stairs than we could count 

and seemed to be even more than the circular ascent at Abesses.  

As great as the exercise was for counteracting 

the effects of French butter and baguettes, 

we found the elevator for our subsequent stops at Cité.

Métro Cité

75004, Paris

Église de la Madeleine - les cierges

Église de la Madeleine

This magnificent church is well-attended
by the parishioners and visitors.


The corners of the church are bright with candlelight
and often with the music of concerts.

bon dimanche

Église de la Madeleine

Place de la Madeleine

75008, Paris

Métro Madeleine  

Sainte Geneviève des Bois - le cimetière russe

Sainte Geneviève des Bois

The Russian Orthodox Cemetery is not highly regarded by the locals of this small town and many do not even know of its existence.  I made the trip to see the tombstone of Rudolph Nureuev and found the carpet of fallen ginko leaves as a bonus.  

Wherever I have traveled in the world, I visit and photograph the cemeteries.  Although this cemetery is not well-maintained, there was a quiet beauty of the season, silent and colorful with autumn leaves.

Russian Orthodox Cemetery

Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois

Bouillon Chartier III

Bouillon Chartier

une brasserie

In 1896, the Bouillon Chartier was born on a simple idea: 
offer a meal worthy of the name at a modest price, 
respect the customer to gain their loyalty. 
Fifty million meals and only four owners later, 
the idea is still good ...


This is an enormous dining room.  
As you sit at your table, your eyes wander over the famous bureau 
where locals stored their napkins 
or to the painting by an artist of 1929 to repay his debt.

Bouillon Chartier

7, rue du Faubourg Montmartre

75009, Paris

Ladurée - un petit déjeuner parfait

Ladurée

a perfect breakfast

After buying a selection of macarons, 

I peeked into the adjacent dining area for a quick look.

You probably notice the ample servings of breads.  

Do not worry as you will walk it off in Paris.

Ladurée

Rue Jacob

75006, Paris

Une cour privée

a private courtyard

I hesitate to call this a courtyard as it should qualify as a full park.  
The beautiful wrought iron gates were open 
and I only stayed a few minutes.  


There are small private courtyards all over Paris 
but this one could not be seen from the street 
and was revealed to be larger than I could imagine.

Avenue du Général Leclerc

74014, Paris

 

Place Pierre Lafue - Alfred Dreyfus

Alfred Dreyfus

In the midst of a small square (Place Pierre Lafue) on Boulevard Raspail we stopped our Vélibs and took several photos of this Giacometti-style porous bronze with a pigeon on its head.

What seemed an interesting sculpture in an inauspicious location proved to have an intriguing story which played out over a century ago, the Dreyfus Affair.  This sculpture was created in 1986 by Louis Mitelberg (TIM) and shows "Captain Dreyfus" with his broken sword.  To read more about the story, click here.

Place Pierre Lafue

116, boulevard Raspail

75006, Paris

Cours du Commerce Saint-André

Cours du Commerce Saint-André

This charming passage was opened in the mid-1700s 

linking the rue Saint-André des Arts and the Rue de l'Ancienne Comédie. 

 It houses the Procope café, a meeting place for writers and intellectuals of that era.

 In a granary here, M. Guillotin tried out his "philanthropic decapitating machine"
on sheep (1790).  I do not believe that there is a marker or any evidence of such in this gallery.  (thankfully!)

Cours du Commerce Saint-André

75006, Paris

Église Saint-Severin - l'horloge

Église Saint-Severin

The Clock

Just beneath the pipes of the Jean Ferrand organ (1748) 

is the church clock which on this day was right on time.  

In a church that dates back to the 13th century, 

I would think that the clock has been updated 

and reworked many times.  

Do you think that the inner workings are digital?

bon dimanche

Église Saint-Séverin

3, rue des Prêtres Saint-Séverin

75005, Paris

Décomposition et désespoir

Decay and despair

Overturned tombstones, doors ajar, unkempt grounds...


This desolate cemetery pairs well with the expression on this caryatid

(not Père Lachaise)

Jardin des Tuileries - des parapluies

Jardin des Tuileries

The autumn leaves can be seen down this alley.  
The trees, many still green, provide some shelter from the rain.

I do not bring an umbrella to Paris 
as I cannot hold an umbrella and my camera at the same time.



I am like a wet dog, but a rainy day in Paris...

Jardin des Tuileries

75001, Paris

Fontaine Wallace - Place des Droits de l'Enfant

Sunday Paris Market

Families and neighbors gather just off Rue d'Alésia 
in a tiny square of shade trees and a spot of grass on Sunday mornings. 
Dogs, children, and musicians play 
around the centerpiece of a Wallace Fountain.  

Although there are no closed streets, 
the only traffic seems to be the vendors and the shoppers.

Place des Droits de l'Enfant

88, rue de la Tombe Issoire,

75014, Paris

Rue de Sèvres - une cour

Rue de Sèvres

courtyard

Taken with my snorkeling camera (wet from the rain) 

this courtyard has the hazy look of a pencil drawing.  

I almost deleted it but the "nested rectangles" of the doorways 

and the repeating glimpses of green appealed to me.  

The child's bike was safely parked out of the rain.

Courtyard

Rue de Sèvres

75006, Paris

Leaving on a jet plane...

Guess where I am going...

I am sure you know

PARIS!

I will still have a daily post and will have some on-site

updates of friends and places in Paris. À bientôt!

 

Cour d'Honneur - Hôtel des Invalides

Cour d'Honneur

The patina of the cannons in the courtyard is stunning.

Some of them date from the reign of François 1er, 1515-1567.

Celebrating Veteran's Day in the USA

 

129, rue de Grenelle

75007, Paris

Métros Varenne ou École Militaire

Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris - des détails

Notre Dame

From this single spot, 

many of the treasures of this magnificent cathedral are revealed, 

from the rose window to the newly cleaned chandelier, 

and Gothic arches and columns.

Also, when you look up, 

you do not see any tourists.

bon dimanche

Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris

6 Parvis Notre Dame

Place Jean-Paul II

75004, Paris

Printemps - des chaussures rouges

Printemps

red shoes and polka dots

The use of mirrors and bold design 
with an abundance of rouge 
turn heads on Boulevard Haussmann

Printemps

Boulevard Haussmann

75009, Paris

Pétanque XXIII

Pétanque

Jardin des Tuileries

I used to believe that this was only a game in Paris for men of a certain age, but have discovered that it is played by all ages, men and women.  Once you get away from Jardin des Tuileries and Jardin du Luxembourg you will see a greater variety in the players.

Do you see two groups of children?

Jardin des Tuileries

75001, Paris

Rue Mouffetard - les danseurs du dimanche

The Sunday dancers 

of Rue Mouffetard

To the familiar tunes of Christian Bassoul the regulars take center stage.


Always have a song in your heart 
and dance like no one is looking 

Rue Mouffetard at Rue Censier

75005, Paris

Métro Censier-Daubenton

 

La Tour Eiffel XXV

La Tour Eiffel

The rays of sunlight add a special quality to this iron creation.

Given the choice of seeing the sun rays or snow from this spot, I would have a difficult time choosing.  Having seen both, I would have to add that with the snow, there are certainly fewer people at this famous landmark.

La Tour Eiffel

75007, Paris

Jardin du Luxembourg - un moment de calme

Jardin du Luxembourg

-a quiet moment-

A warm Sunday afternoon on a (mostly) green park bench...

Tuning out the rest of the world

Jardin du Luxembourg

75006, Paris

Parc de Monceau - zoom-zoom

Parc de Monceau

This large, family-friendly park has an elongated track 

for scooters, skates, bikes, and unicycles.  

Yes, I saw one.  

The pace is fast and furious.  

Parents linger along the outside rails 

enjoying a warm autumn Sunday afternoon.

zoom-zoom

Parc de Monceau

Boulevard des Courcelles

(five entrances around the park)

75008, Paris

Métro Monceau

Église Saint-Séverin

Église Saint-Séverin

Built and rebuilt over the centuries, this 13th-15th century Flamboyant Gothic church shows at its height the criss-crossed and ribbed vaulting which frame the stained glass windows of the same period.

Although I have been here four or five times, 

I discover another secret on each visit.  

The history of the church site began in the 5th century 

and continued through fires, wars, and an abundance of burials.  

The organ, seen in the background, was built by Jean Ferrand (1748) 

and has a history as rich as the church itself.

bon dimanche

Église Saint-Séverin

3, rue des Prêtres Saint-Séverin

75005, Paris

Pont Louis-Philippe - Île Saint-Louis

Pont Louis-Philippe

Yes, the rain was relentless, 

but Paris keeps moving without regard to the weather.

This stone arch-bridge connects the Quai de Bourbon 

on the Île Saint-Louis with the Saint-Gervais neighborhood on the right bank.  

It is decorated with stone laurel wreaths 

surrounding metallic rosettes which are best seen from the Seine.

Pont Louis-Philippe

Île Saint-Louis

75004, Paris

 

la Grande Arche de la Defense - "Height"

"Height"

Theme for November 2013

City Daily Photo Blogs

Seen from the top of Arc de Triomphe the height 

of la Grande Arche de la Defense dwarfs the surrounding rooftops.  

The height restrictions for buildings 

have limited the number of towering structures and their locations.

See the other contributions to theme day here.

Avenue de la Grande-Armée

75008, Paris