Dans les yeux d'un enfant... noël

To date, this is my favorite year of les vitrines animées de noël, but I will be reporting shortly on the 2010 impressions in Paris. The winter theme for these Printemps windows was totally in white with the same little funky tune for all windows. Here is a good quality video of several of the windows (not mine). It was difficult to pick a favorite among the series but the antlered deer trembling in fear with the wolves marching around with knives and forks was comical. Notice the bears raiding an open freezer, riding bikes and eating fish. How do they make this all work?

(Please feel free to attend to my French)

Paris, city of light

At the corner of Rue Rambuteau and Rue du Temple, near Centre Georges Pompidou, the streets are decked with lights

Eglise de la Sainte-Trinité

This church is known simply as La Trinité or Sainte-Trinité, built between 1861 and 1867 as part of the beautification and reorganization of Paris by Haussmann. It was designed by the Théodore Ballu taking inspiration from French and Italian Renaissance architecture. Prior to the construction, many significant historical buildings were demolished to make way for the church and surrounding roads.

The façade, with its three porches and gallery above, is topped by a large rose window and two large windows. Rising above these windows is a four-story bell tower with two cupolas at the top.

Eglise de la Sainte-Trinité
66, rue Saint Lazare

Bon dimanche

Une couronne

How lovely this wreath would look on my front door, but I like the whole set including the box and the price tag. Crazy? Perhaps, but it just says "Paris" to me.

Riding toys -- Reflection

On a side street in the 5ième, these riding toys made a tantalizing reflection on the rain-slick sidewalk. During the holiday season, children's toys fill the windows and sometimes spill out onto the street.

To see more reflections, go to James' Newtown Area Photo here.

Le Poissonnier

I am thankful for an abundance of food, for friends and family, for an ability to travel to faraway places, for a job I love, for blogger friends around the world.... Happy Thanksgiving to all my USA friends and expats everywhere!

Oh, and I am thankful that I will be in Paris very soon!

La Maison du Miel

La Maison du Miel, founded in 1898 by Charles Galland, has been in this shop on Rue Vignon since 1905. Even the floor tiles pay homage to the incredible bee. If you have never been here, the shopkeepers are very friendly (yes, indeed they are) and you can sample the honey before you buy. There are delicious little hard candies filled with honey also right at the check-out. Miam-miam!

The bees of Paris have a story of their own which we will talk about some day.

La Maison du Miel

24, rue Vignon

Père Lachaise V

An often-photographed path of Père Lachaise...

Rainy day in Jardin des Tuileries

This photo was taken on a gray December day in Jardin des Tuileries near l'Orangerie, and there was no need to present it in black and white as the weather had reduced the landscape to monochrome tones. This white marble statue is one of over a hundred found in this park, bordered on one end by Place de la Concorde and on the other end by Jardin du Carrousel and the Louvre. Peter of Peter's Paris had a post on the statues of Tuileries and noted that most of the marble ones were from the 19th Century. The marble statues in his posting appear to have been cleaned since my photo was taken.

For those of you who saw my post "Un, deux, trois" a few days ago (Nov 18), Laurent of Daily Photo in Paris has an almost identical perspective only taken at night... have a look here!

Église Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois

When the Louvre was still a royal palace (Palais du Louvre), Église Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois was its church, the former parish of the kings of France. The unusual bell tower seen here was constructed in the 12th century and is the only remaining element of that early church. It was transformed in the 19th century to its current Gothic style. The stained glass windows from the Renaissance period are magnificent and the impressive organ was originally ordered by Louis XVI for Sainte-Chapelle.

Bon dimanche


Église Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois
2, place du Louvre

Saturday market

The usual crowd shopping in Place Maubert includes pets and acquaintances, exchanging pleasantries. This pup and his family are regulars in the neighborhood. May you enjoy your weekend comme ce monsieur et son chien.

Printemps - Vitrines Animées de Noël Réflexions

The animated windows of Printemps (2006) featured "color concentration" for its vitrines de noël with interesting music for each: jaune, rouge, orange, rose foncé. If you would like to see the animation enjoyed by adults and children go here for the video clip. In front of each window is a wooden platform to put the little ones at eye level with the scenes.

Printemps

64, boulevard Haussmann

For other reflexions (reflections) see James' Weekend Reflections

Un, deux, trois...

Oh Paris, how do I love you? Let me count the ways...

Well, this would be a start: La Tour Eiffel, Obelisque, and lamps in Place de la Concorde.

Le Cochon à l'Oreille

Holly and I stepped into this historic bistrot after a little shopping at Mora next door. The outside has the original 1919 façade with a tiny outdoor terrace, but the inside is stunning with its original zinc bar and XIX Century ceramic tiles. The wooden seats are reminiscent of the old time Orient Express.

We did not check out the menu but had a refreshing verre de vin rouge!

Le Cochon à l'Oreille
15, rue Montmartre

Tower of Macarons

These macarons are guaranteed to have NO calories and will not cause weight gain! Aren't they lovely... spied in the holiday windows on Boulevard Haussmann.

Galeries Lafayette

Taken in December 2009, the neo-Byzantine stained glass cupola of Galeries Lafayette becomes the "theatre of the holiday season" with a multi-storied display. Each year's design seems to out-do the previous, and I am anxious to return to see what les grands magasins have in store for 2010!

Galeries Lafayette's Haussmann Boulevard is Belle Epoque architecture modeled after a mideastern bazaar. Although this photo is looking from the bottom floor up (rez de chaussée), Laurent of Daily Photo in Paris has a wonderful view looking down from le troisième étage.

"Something is always happening at Galeries Lafayette!"

40, boulevard Haussmann

La Madeleine III

Above the altar of l'Église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, or simply... La Madeleine.

I have brought you here before to see this beautiful church on Rue Royal facing Place de la Concorde and the Seine from its elegant perch. If you missed it, the previous posts are here and here.

Bon dimanche

Petit Pont et Notre Dame

An overcast day on the Seine....

Art Deco Reflection

The intricate ironwork door at 29 Boulevard de Courcelles is only one section of this beautiful building with its curved balconies and floor to ceiling windows. It is just a few steps from Monceau Fleurs. Très chic.

To see more reflections... James' Newtown Daily Photo

Une tarte aux fruits

Does this just make your mouth water?

Oh, I just snapped a photo of this deliciously-adorned tart... but I ate the chocolate pâtisserie....

miam-miam

Salon de Thé en bleu

I am not sure about the food here but the appearance from the street was charming and inviting... A facade of blue and a row of Velib.... Think they have un petit verre de vin?

La Fourmi Ailée = The Winged Ant
8, rue Fouarre

Marché aux Puces St Ouen-- tapestries

Look what we found in Paul Bert Market at Marché aux Puces, St-Ouen!

Paul Bert Market

96, rue des Rosiers

Les Puces de Paris - Saint-Ouen

Petit Palais II

The beautiful Petit Palais is a treasure trove of incredible wrought iron created by the building's architect designer Charles Girault himself. The entrance gates are stunning and the banisters, peristyles, balconies and windows exhibit a certain elegance.

We visited the courtyard here and will come again as there is much more to discover.


(I have been on the road since last Thursday, not in Paris, and I am loading these photos from my laptop, untouched. Please accept them naked as they came right out of the camera. Also, please forgive my lack of accent marks as I am stumped on my baby computer)

Notre Dame illuminated....

Taking another look at Notre Dame and the iron lamposts

facing this reknown cathedral

Bon dimanche

Paris -- La Ville-Lumière

Late afternoon on a cloudy December day, the clouds parted and a beam of light illuminated the distant buildings of the Marais.

All I can say is.... wow.

Reflect on these! Oh la la!

Do you know these fine shoes? Louboutin! One could say that they are "all the rage" in NYC (and elsewhere) but they are so pricey! All I could do in Paris is lèche-vitrines!*

(lèche-vitrines = lick the windows = window shopping!)

Must be a french girl III

This little miss was out for a stroll in Parc de Monceau...

Definitely a French girl...

Parc de Monceau
Boulevard de Courcelles

Marché rue Cler -- des legumes

Fresh fall vegetables on Rue Cler....

After a week (eating) in San Diego followed up with a week (eating) in New Orleans, I thought it would be better to go for the vegetables rather than the macarons. Okay, so I am stoic!

(but I'll be back on the pâtisseries et les macarons soon -- miam-miam!)

One-way path....

Père Lachaise is so large that I cannot imagine ever seeing all of its narrow paths, marble cherubs, forlorn flowers on tombstones, and memorials to its famous and not-so-famous inhabitants.

I thought that the shadow on the left looks like a man in a bowler hat. Perhaps I should have looked over my shoulder.

Métro, Boulot, Dodo....

Métro, boulot, dodo.... C'est lundi encore!

Monday again and it seemed a good day to post the routine... For me, it is the gym, my office (upstairs), lunch with my DH, work, etc.... How about you?

Don't you wish you were stopping off with your petit chien for a chat and the news to start your day like this Parisien?