Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Le Carrousel de Nogent


Le Carrousel de Nogent


The carousel is protected from the elements by the glass windows.  
It is nice to see that they have chairs for the adults, 
well... for the adults who do not ride.



Le Carrousel de Nogent
Nogent Sur Marne, just beyond Bois de Vincennes
 

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Aux Saveurs d'Auvergne - des fleurs



Aux Saveurs d'Auvergne
charcuterie

There was simply not enough room on the sidewalk...


The solution?
Make a balcony for an abundance of flowers and pots 
on the premier étage!



Aux Saveurs d'Auvergne
111, rue Mouffetard
75005, Paris

Monday, April 28, 2014

Parc de Monceau - l'enfant en rouge



Parc de Monceau


Leaving the playground at Parc de Monceau
for the short walk home with Maman.


The few tousled curls are the only sign 
of the hard hours of play at the park.


Must be a French girl



Parc de Monceau
Boulevard de Courcelles
75008, Paris
 

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Église Saint-Étienne du Mont - un kaléidoscope



Église Saint-Étienne du Mont
a kaleidoscope


The stained glass windows provide a colorful backdrop 
for the ruby glass of the altar candelabra



bon dimanche



Église Saint Étienne du Mont
1, place Ste-Geneviève
75005, Paris

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Un glycine en fleures - Montmartre




Wisteria blooms cascade
with lavender frills, 
balanced by chartreuse
and a new growth of leaves...


bon weekend



The gated courtyard
1, avenue Junot
75018, Paris

Friday, April 25, 2014

Hôtel du Nord - Qui est cet homme?



Hôtel du Nord


I took this photo three years ago, a photo of a photo.
It was perched on a ledge behind my table at Hôtel du Nord on Canal St. Martin.


Often, when I look through my Paris photos 
I run across this one and wonder just who this man might be.  
Is he a movie star, un chanteur, a friend of the restaurant, who?


I almost posted this in black and white, 
but could you do that to those aquamarine eyes?
really!

Qui est ce beau gosse?

Hôtel du Nord
102 Quai de Jemmapes
75010, Paris

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Une petite fille



Not quite tall enough...


This petite fille is quite prepared to gain entrance to her home
using the chasse-roue as a step to reach the bell.


Must be a French girl



Canal St. Martin
Quai de Jemmapes
75010, Paris


Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Cimetière du Père Lachaise



Père Lachaise Cemetery


Quiet walks, a few cats,
voices from the past,
and a cool spring breeze...



Cimetière du Père Lachaise
16, rue de Repos
75020, Paris

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

musicien de rue



Street Musician


His lilting song
was equal to the twinkle in his eye



Place Furstenberg
75006, Paris

Monday, April 21, 2014

Marché Bastille



Marché Bastille


Seen here on a market day (Thursdays and Sundays), you can buy almost anything from produce, seafood, bread, flowers, cheese, and other food items to household goods.  However, on Saturdays, this sprawling area is transformed into a street market of "art and creation," an opportunity to explore, to buy, and to talk with the artists.


The street art and fine craft markets around the world allow a visitor (tourist?) to take home a sketch or a post-card sized painting for a reasonable amount.  My collection ranges from Punta Arenas to Prague and many places in between.  Each petit quelque chose provides a more permanent memory of a city/country than a souvenir stand could ever offer. 



Marché Bastille
Marché de la Création Paris-Bastille
Boulevard Richard Lenoir
75011, Paris

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Église Saint-Agnan de Chartres




a simple iron gate* in a 500 year-old church



joyeuses Pâques



Église Saint-Aignan de Chartres
12, place de l'Etape au Vin
28000, Chartres
 
*with cobwebs 

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Painted eggs...



Displayed in an iron and glass case, 
these painted and lacquered eggs are a beautiful reminder
of a bygone era.


I remember having a very old one like these 
as a child that would open to reveal the treats inside.  
I do imagine that the treats in these 
would be better than the jelly beans I had.


Rue Montorgueil
75002, Paris

Friday, April 18, 2014

des oeufs de chocolat



Chocolate Eggs!


When it comes to sweets 
and my péché mignon* in the world of indulgences 
(seen here in the form of chocolate eggs), 
it is important to decide if the calorie splurge is worth it.


These eggs are totally in the "worth it" category!


bon weekend


Au Levain du Marais
28, Boulevard  Beaumarchais
(at corner of Rue du Pasteur Wagner)
75011, Paris

*guilty pleasure

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Rue du Trésor - le vélo



Rue du Trésor
the bicycle


This short pedestrian street 
has a border of green on both sides 
with a variety of cafés and bistrots.  

The flash of rain just prior to my photo 
gives an extra boost of green to the new spring growth.  
It is not too difficult to dodge the showers.



Rue du Trésor
75004, Paris

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

la Seine et des parapluies



A few drops of rain do not stop Paris,
nor a deluge...
nor a snowstorm...


The wet pavement 
makes for nice photographs



La Seine
75006, Paris

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Jardin du Palais Royal - les trois amies



Jardin du Palais Royal
three friends


The three little friends were playing in the garden at Palais Royal, 
dressed for a cooler spring day and the rains that will surely follow.


Must be French girls


Jardin du Palais Royal
75001, Paris
 
 

Monday, April 14, 2014

des oeufs chocolate



Chocolate eggs, baskets, and other delectable treats 
are featured by the chocolatiers of Paris.  
The boutique windows are full of candies 
made in the fine traditions of the marchand de bonbons.


Although I have watched the Parisians buy these beautiful creations, 
I do not believe that I have seen them sit with a bag of chocolates on a park bench.  


Marché d'Aligre
75012, Paris
  

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Panthéon et Église Saint Étienne du Mont





Looking across the end of the Square de l'Île de France the textures and colors are punctuated by the 5ème arrondissement's notable skyline.  The Panthéon is the tallest building and Église Saint Étienne du Mont is to the left, an easy walk from Pont Saint Louis where this photo was taken.


bon dimanche



from Pont Saint Louis
75004, Paris


Saturday, April 12, 2014

Cimetière du Montparnasse - l'avenue violet





Cimetière du Montparnasse


A large-scale art installation by Christo would be no more exquisite than this little avenue in Cemetière du Montparnasse, strewn with the violet blooms.


The colors of spring are vivid and a treat for the eyes.



Cimetière du Montparnasse
75014, Paris
 

Friday, April 11, 2014

l'Opéra Restaurant - le café rouge



le café rouge


Although this photo was taken early in the morning, I have seen a good-sized crowd for lunch.  Just beyond the gates you can see the entrance of l'Opéra Restaurant which I featured several weeks ago.


Have you been here?  
Can you tell me how you found the food and the service? 
 It might be worth having a coffee and a small pastry 
to watch the world walking by.


bon weekend



café at l'Opéra Restaurant
Palais Garnier
1, place Jacques Rouchés
75009, Paris

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Aux Anysetiers du Roy et des hortensias


Aux Anysetiers du Roy
pink hydrangeas!


Although the bright pink hydrangeas* were the focus of my photo, this charming restaurant set in a Medieval building has more history than can be imagined.  Serving simple, classic French fare, Madame oversees all the food preparations.  Devotees of this  non-touristy restaurant swear by the French onion soup, Cassoulet Maison,  Boeuf Bourguignon and Crème Brûlée.


Set on the quiet Île Saint Louis, 
one can step back hundreds of years
 into a building which has not changed by much 
and enjoy traditional French comfort food ...
which has not changed at all.



Aux Anysetiers du Roy
61, rue Saint Louis en l'Île
75004, Paris
*corrected - merci beaucoup Lance, Jane, and Alan!

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Rosa Bonheur - Il pleut!



Rosa Bonheur


Bucolic delights reign at Rosa Bonheur, a bar set in a former guinguette in the heart of Parc des Buttes Chaumont. Its name loosely translates as ‘pink happiness’ but refers in particular to 19th-century French painter and sculptor ‘Rosa Bonheur’, famous for her depictions of animals and her role in the early feminist movement (alongside George Sand and Sarah Bernhardt).


Sunday evenings are packed.  A group of us were there last May, enjoyed the music and the party.  As we left in a driving rainstorm, the serious night party crowd was just arriving.  The people in the queue did not seem the least daunted by the line or the rain.  C'est Paris!



Rosa Bonheur - Parc des Buttes Chaumont
2, avenue de la Cascade
75019, Paris
 

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Boulevard Edgar Quinet - des chapeaux


Arts Fair
Boulevard Edgar Quinet


Along Boulevard Edgar Quinet there is an open produce market in the central alley of the boulevard every Wednesday and Saturday morning (7am-2:30pm) and an arts fair every Sunday (10am until sunset). On this spring Sunday an artist was displaying a colorful assortment of hats.  Other vendors offered watercolors, collage, handcrafted leather, pottery, and other art and fine craft.



Arts Fair
Boulevard Edgar Quinet
75014, Paris
Métros Edgar Quinet or Raspail


Monday, April 7, 2014

Pensive? Nostalgique?


Printemps - premier étage


As this statue perched outside on the second floor 
peers in at the grand staircase, 
do you think that she must be a bit wistful 
to have spent the past 100 years 
only looking in at the fashions of Printemps?


must be a French girl


Printemps
64, boulevard Haussmann 75009, Paris

Sunday, April 6, 2014

La Basilique du Sacré Coeur de Montmartre



Sacré Coeur


This notable basilica made of travertine stone displays its white stamp on the Paris landscape.  This sacred landmark sits high on the butte of Montmartre overseeing all of Paris.


The photo was taken from my perch at the Temple of Sybil which sits on Buttes Chaumont.


bon dimanche



La Basilique du Sacré Coeur de Montmartre
35, rue du Chevalier de la Barre
75018, Paris

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Paulownias en fleurs - Avenue de Laumière



Paulownia trees


In an explosion of color, 
the view of Avenue de Laumière is obstructed 
by the mass of Paulownia trees 
lining the street from Métro Laumière
 to the end at Parc des Buttes Chaumont.  


If you are in Paris this spring, 
take a trip to the park walking along this street for a few blocks.  


It makes for a grand promenade



14, avenue de Laumière
75019, Paris


Friday, April 4, 2014

Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain - le reflet


Fondation Cartier
a contemporary art museum

Fondation Cartier inhabits a striking clear glass building designed by Pritzker Prize architect Jean Nouvel surrounded by a modern woodland garden landscaped by Lothar Baumgarten.  Would you believe that the landscaper's name translates to "tree garden?"


Seen from across Boulevard Raspail, it is difficult to discern the trees from the building with a multitude of green reflections.


Fondation Cartier is one of Europe's most important institutions for contemporary arts.  It hosts a constant stream of temporary exhibitions focusing on particular contemporary artists, schools, or themes.  It is also an important patron to contemporary artists, commissioning important works and offering artist-in-residence programs.


bon weekend



Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain
261, boulevard Raspail
75014, Paris

 Joining James' Weekend Reflections

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Quai Saint-Michel - "layers"



Layers seen along theSeine


Taken from the Pont Saint-Michel you can see layers from the buildings along the quai, the bouquinistes, the level under the street, the banks of the Seine, and finally the Seine herself.


How have I not noticed the walkway under the street level on this south side of the river?  What are those open spaces in the stone wall, and what lies beyond?  I am thinking of Jean-Valjean and M. Hugo.




Quai Saint-Michel et Pont Saint-Michel
75004, Paris


Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Le Petit Colbert - le café



Le Petit Colbert


Too early or too late
This empty café will be bustling within a few hours...

Wish that we were there now



Le Petit Colbert
8, rue Monsigny
75002, Paris

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Pyramide du Louvre - City Daily Photo Theme Day: triangles



Pyramide du Louvre


The first day of the month is Theme Day for the City Daily Photo community, and the theme for April is "triangles."  In Paris there are two obvious and very large architectural structures which would pass the test:  La Tour Eiffel and I M Pei's Pyramide du Louvre, seen here.  


Taken in spring at dusk with the last glow of daylight, it takes on the watercolor hues of l'heure bleue.  The "blue hour" is a magical time of day when the softness of the fading light of day creates the colors only seen in artists' palettes and then dances across the Pyramide.



Pyramide du Louvre
Musée du Louvre
75001, Paris

See "triangles" from cities around the world here
from my friends of CDP