My soup

Tomate Party

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:02:00 GMT

Here is my little tribute to my "oldest" follower (well, I guess) for when I saw this poster, I could not help but thinking of Tomate Farcie (stuffed tomato) who is a regular commenter to PDP! In this particular case Tomate has nothing to do with food, nor gardening, but with "music" and dance. If you're interested - and I'm sure you are! - it'll start at 6 am (yes AM!) on Sunday morning at the Plaza Madeleine at 8 place de la Madeleine. Have fun! (Why on earth do I suddenly feel so old?!)

African art at the cloister

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:07:00 GMT

There is a lot more that funny shaped baguettes in Le Marais ;-) There is also a lot of art. Hence this African art exhibition in Le Cloître des Billettes (the Billettes cloister) - a sublime place built around 1430 ! - I love African art so I'm a little biased of course, but I'm sure you will all agree that these sculptures are positively stunning. I wish I had won the lottery and could afford to buy them... See the little video here if you want to know more about this exhibition and about Marie B who made them.

Magic Wand

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:54:00 GMT

If the shape of these baguettes remind you of something, well don't be surprised. Yes, they are shaped like penises! I found them in the gay area of Paris, in a boulangerie called Le Gay choc (choc is a play on words between chocolate and shock). Big tourist attraction, needless to say. I did not get to taste them, but I see no reasons why they should taste different than regular baguettes... A little harder, maybe?! Tss, Tss ;-)

Market

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:04:00 GMT

Today is the 1st day of the month, therefore a theme day within the City Daily Photo community. Today's theme is pretty easy, as we have plenty of those in Paris: open air markets (check here for a complete listing and here for a map). Instead of showing you a colorful fruit and vegetable display, I chose this "sauerkraut", a typical dish of Alsace (a region in the East of France, close to Germany) that we call in French Choucroute. I took this photo at the Place Monge market in the 5th on the stand of a pork butcher... . See here, what the markets in London, Dubai, Moscow, Tokyo... and all the other cities part of the City Daily Photo community have to offer.

Gypsies...

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:01:00 GMT

If you visited Paris, you probably noticed what we call the "Roms" (Gypsies), that is an ethnic group who originates from India and who settled down mostly in Eastern Europe. They are very poor and not really welcome anywhere (including their home country) but with the opening of the EU borders a lot of them emigrated to the West, including France. They are now in the middle of a political battle as the government is trying to send them back to where they are from (Romania mostly) and the opposition is accusing the Government of being inhuman.

Medecine History Museum

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 22:09:00 GMT

If you come to Paris, do pay a visit to "Le musée de l'histoire de la médecine" a very interesting museum you can find in the former Medicine Faculty, in the heart of Le Quartier Latin. It's fascinating to see the old instruments, the dummies and the odd tools they have used to cure people throughout the ages. One thing I can tell is that I'm happy to live in the 2000's (mind you in a 100 years, somebody will probably write the same caption saying "I can't believe they had to operate on people to remove the appendix in the 2000's!"). By the way, here is a little Animoto I made after the photos I took there.

What's cookin'?

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:04:00 GMT

What's cooking? Well, probably croissants and baguettes, paints au chocolat and pastries... as I spotted these guys - probably on a break - just outside the Boulangers-patissiers (bakers) chamber which happens to be on L'île Saint Louis since 1845, one of the best locations in Paris. As you can guess, among other things, it's a training facility, so that is probably what these people were doing: getting trained. I wonder what they do with the leftovers !

Nice Chairs

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 22:07:00 GMT

A heartfelt thanks to all of you who have made lovely comments yesterday. I'm very touched. I thought of another quiet scene for today and a very Parisian one. I took it at a café terrace in the 9th arrondissement near my home, but I forgot the name of the place... Not very important, I just love this shot. Have a nice weekend everyone ;-)

Rest in peace

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 22:09:00 GMT

Some of you have been following my regular trips to Trouville, where my Aunt Francoise was living (see two photos I posted in 2006 here). Well, she came to the end of her journey on Earth at a very respectable age of 97(!) and is probably with her fellow angels now. I'm not sad, I think she had a wonderful - long! - life and took hold of all the things that the world had to offer. I'll be in Trouville for the last time today for her funeral, as she won't be buried in Le Père Lachaise cemetery where I took this photo, but in the local churchyard.

Thalys: Time to reserve your seat...

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:03:00 GMT

... And when I says reserve your seat, it's really reserve the actual seat, not the sitting! Explanation: Thalys is the name they gave to the TGV (bullet train) that goes from Paris to the north of Europe (Brussels, Cologne, Amsterdam...). They've been running for quite some time now and that is why they are renewing them at the moment. And instead of dumping the seats, they... sell them on ebay! Check it, it's even in English. I must say I'm tempted to buy one...

The Crying Euro...

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 22:05:00 GMT

The Euro is not doing too well these days (that is one of the reasons why tourists have returned to Europe - and France in particular, as I already mentioned it here). I thought this sign was very appropriate. I'd like to think that the paint drippings was all natural, but I think it was made on purpose... We'll probably never know.

Rider on the storm...

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 22:06:00 GMT

... Well OK, it's not really a storm but a little rain, but I did not resist borrowing my title from the Doors! Anyway I took this shot today rue Beaubourg, and, as you can see, the rain has returned in Paris. Some people don't care, they just open their umbrella, even if they're on a bike ;-) Cute.

Back to school...

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 22:05:00 GMT

That's it! The end of the summer vacations is close. A lot of people have started coming back, as many start working today (Monday 23) to prepare La rentrée (back to school), a very important moment for business. I thought this sign was very appropriate and pretty aesthetic in a way. It's funny to see that this shopkeeper was probably too lazy to make a new sign on a computer: he obviously erased the one of last year and changed the dates manually!

An elephant at Orsay

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 22:07:00 GMT

This sculpture is called "the trapped Elephant" and it was made by Emmanuel Fremiet for the Universal Exhibit of 1878 (it used to be gilded then!). To me it has a special flavor as... before being in front of the Musée d'Orsay like today, it was located at Porte de Saint Cloud, in the 16th arrondissement. I used to pass by it everyday when I was a little boy and would try to climb on it!

Sprinkler at Paris Plage

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 22:01:00 GMT

I know you're going to say I'm obsessed with kids playing with sprinklers (remember?), but what can I say, I think they make great photos. This year, they installed some of them in a sort of jungle area, which makes it even more out of place! Great success among the kids, needless to say. Especially since the nice weather has returned and that we're expecting very high temperature this weekend. I'll be in the South again, after 4 days in Trouville where it rained ;-)

Master Chef in France!

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 22:04:00 GMT

You probably know the Master Chef TV show... If you don't, let's say it's a cookery game show, where amateur must cook a gourmet, three-course meal in under one hour. You'd think the French would invent such a game, but no, the Brits did! And they exported it to many other countries... (mostly English speaking ones apparently!). Anyway, the French 1st channel (TF1, which building I photographed) had it on yesterday evening for the first time in France and they're expecting it to be a huge success. I haven't seen the ratings yet... But I hope it'll work as it is a very close friend of mine who imported it to France ;-)

The exercise tower

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 22:28:41 GMT

Here is a pretty interesting sculpture I came across by coincidence in the 17th. It was made by Wang Du, a Chinese artist who has been living in France for 20 years now and who was ordered a monument dedicated to the Paris firemen, by the Paris town hall. It's called the Exercise Tower, and it's located right in front of one of the largest fire stations in Paris, at Place Jules Renard. It weighs 7 tons, it's 11 meters high and it's made of polished iron, just like the firemen helmets. Which makes it pretty difficult to photograph LOL!

Learn to play soccer young!

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 22:18:06 GMT

Here is a very popular game in France... We call it a "baby foot" (yes, we often create faux English words to make things sound more fashionable!) and there used to be one in every single café throughout the country. Now they have been replaced with arcades games or pinballs... I found this one at Paris Plage and loved it because it's particularly small (a baby baby foot in other words...). And I love the energy in this photo too.

Rotten summer!

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:04:00 GMT

I came back Sunday evening from Nice to find this terrible weather (I took this photo Monday afternoon). They say in some areas it rained in 2 days the equivalent of 2 months of rain... The poor tourists don't need to worry about getting to much sun, like a at the begining of August, but what to do in Paris when it rains (not that we're short of museums mind you!). As for me, I'm off to Trouville again (Normandy) and something tells me the weather there will be quite similar to this one ;-).

Water for 1 €

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 23:05:16 GMT

Here is a photo I've been dying to take for a long time, but I never dared digging out my camera in front of one of these guys. "These guys" are more or less illegal immigrants, all part of a "business gang" that sells water or miniature Eiffel Towers to tourists. According to an article I found on the web, they make about 400 € a month on average, which is not much. Needless to say they are pretty camera shy as their business is not exactly appreciated by legal shopkeepers, nor the Police... I personnaly would not buy water from them, not because they are illegal, but because I'd be afraid of what is really into the bottle! Did you ever try?

Joan of Arc at Saint Augustin

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 22:04:00 GMT

There are three statues of Joan of Arc in Paris - I generally show the one by the Louvre, at the entrance of rue de l'Amiral Coligny (the street that leads to the PDP picnic area!) but for once, let me show you another magnificent one. It's located Place Saint Augustin (after the Saint Augustin church that you can see in the background) and was made by sculptor Paul Dubois, and was posted there in 1896. The 3rd statue is located at Boulevard Saint Marcel; I'll show it to you the next time I go there...

Resting in the grass

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 22:02:00 GMT

What to do on a summer Saturday in Paris? Rest on the grass of course... It is not always allowed (because the grass also needs to rest from time to time...) but it most gardens it is now permitted (I also took this photo at Parc Monceau like yesterday). FYI, here is the gardens and parks of Paris portal (only in French, unfortunately).

Roman remains

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 22:05:00 GMT

There are many Roman remains in Paris even though the Romans left a long long time ago ;-) (the end of the 5th century). Most of them are to be found on the left bank, where the Romans actually settled down originally (that is why a part of it is called the "Latin quarter"). These remains I found in Parc Monceau, in the 17th arrondissement, on the right bank, very far away from where the Romans used to live. No wonder then, that they are totally fake and just part of the garden decor made by Louis de Carmontelle then man who designed the garden back in 1778!

Reflexion

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 22:08:00 GMT

This could have been the perfect photo for a "reflexion" theme day ;-), but no, I photographed it just for the sake of it. I found this Bugatti - yes it's a Bugatti! right at the bottom of the Paris Hilton, which is not really known for sheltering homeless people ;-) The car was really the center of attraction, and I felt a little silly photographing it, just like everybody did, in the street. But at least I have an excuse: it was for PDP!

Deck chairs at Paris Plage

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 22:01:01 GMT

I went to Paris Plage today to take a few photos and my favorite one is probably this one, as it shows exactly what this event is all about: spend some quiet time by the Seine, surrounded by the magnificent scenery of the river banks in the same exact deck chairs you could have in a sea resort. I love it! And though it's time for me to take a little break by the "real" sea... And it's not going to be Normandy this time, nor Brittany, but the South... (And don't worry, I will still post a photo everyday on PDP, needless to say!).

Roman Warrior

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 22:17:58 GMT

Yes, I know, it's another boring Paris Statue... ;-) But I took it at sunset and it gives it a little flavor that you won't see that often! FYI, it's called the Roman Warrior, it's one of the four statues that are to be found on the Pont d'Iéna (the bridge just underneath the Eiffel Tower) and it was made by Louis Daumas a sculptor we know very little about...

Les toits de Paris

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 22:32:42 GMT

I don't know why exactly, but there is something really special about the Paris rooftops. First of all, because you can easily see them (buildings must not be higher than 25 or 31 meters depending on the areas - with a few exceptions though) and second because most of them are shaped the same way, and made of Zinc with orange chimneys. I love them. And I'm not the only one... They have inspired several artists, including film maker René Clair or Hiner Saleem and of course, this very famous song by Berthe Sylva!

Sprinklers for ET...

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 22:18:00 GMT

I spent a couple of days in Brittany (in Saint Malo to be more accurate) in the West of France, but now I'm back in the home of the Eiffel Tower! They installed sprinklers at its base (well actually they are located on the river banks, right where the bus sunk...) for the summer, which is not a bad idea (especially for photographers LOL!)

Impasse d'Antin

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 22:09:00 GMT

Yesterday I had a meeting Impasse d'Antin, a little street near the Rond Point des Champs Elysées, that I never knew of before this meeting. The meeting went bad, but I had the chance to take this photo, which, even if a little over exposed, looks nice to me. That's all! (It's August, I have the right to be lazy LOL!)

Japonese Tourists

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 22:07:29 GMT

I often heard Americans "worrying" that Parisians may spot them right away because of their sneakers, caps, white socks... you name it. As if it mattered... Anyway. I thought of that when I saw these Japonese tourists at the Louvre the other day. No Parisians would ever consider using an umbrella to protect himself from the sun! Sunny days are much too scarce in Paris, we surely don't want to miss a single ray, when the sun is shining LOL!

Mona Bismarck foundation

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 22:10:00 GMT

Amazing! After so many years in Paris, there are still buildings that I have passed by a thousands times without knowing what was to be found in them! In this particular case, I'm talking about the Mona Bismarck foundation, a magnificent building located avenue de New York, in which I took this photograph today. Guess what it's made of? Buttons! And they have many more, as, precisely, they are having a buttons exhibit until August 14th. Quite fascinating. BTW the author of this "painting" is Lisa Kokin. On a - very - different note, I would like to ask you for a favor... Lynn (from the UK, that you all know if you're a regular visitor to PDP) is at the verge of winning a free trip to Paris. But she needs many more votes. Can you please just take 5 seconds and click here then on "Vote for this tip"? Thanks for her.

Paris Plage 2010

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 22:01:00 GMT

Here is my first Paris Plage photo of the season! And I did not take it along the Seine, as I usually do, but along the Quai de Seine (which despite its name is not located along the Seine, but along the Bassin de la Villette, in the 10th). Same principal though: sand, beach games, sprinkles, bars, pétanque... (have a look at what they have to offer on the site, it's also in English). It looks like a real beach, even though it's not a real beach. But it's still nice, especially when the weather is perfect, like it was today.

True art

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 22:04:00 GMT

I found this "graffiti" (I don't really dare calling it graffiti, as it's really more of a painting than a graffito to me), at the entrance of Jardin Villemin in the 10th arrondissement, by the Gare de l'est. I could not help but thinking of the cave men whose painting is now considered as work of art by our civilisation... Will this painting also be considered as a work of art in thousands of years (providing it survives that long!) or just as another tag on a wall? I tried to decipher the signature in the upper left corner - it reads Cho, or something like that - but I have been unable to track him/her down on the Internet.

The end of the Summer Sales

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 22:02:00 GMT

Today is a bad day for shoppers... Not only is tomorrow (August 3rd) the last day of Les Soldes (Sales) in Paris, but on top of that a lot of shops will close for the month... Parisians usually go away in August for their summer holidays and shopkeepers do too... Don't worry, though, if you're a tourist and plan to come during August, the big retail stores and department stores are open of course. I found this cute little Sales announcement in a shop called Desigual at rue du 4 septembre, near the Opera.

Theme Day: Bright colors

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 22:01:00 GMT

Here is a very nice theme day. I really encourage you to check the photos of all participants in this Theme Day around the world, as there are some amazing shots (I just did and saw what people who are ahead of (my) time photographed and it's really cool - and bright!). I took my photo in a souvenir shop near Montmartre (the same day I took this one) and I saved it for today. It's got everything: Eiffel Towers and bright colors! Enjoy your Sunday everyone.

The sinking bus...

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 22:30:04 GMT

I did not really have the intention to go to see the bus that fell into the Seine, but I happened to pass by the "crime scene" this afternoon (Friday) and I could not help but stopping and taking a photo. For those of you who haven't seen my news flash yesterday, an Austrian bus fell into the Seine right at the level of the Eiffel Tower. No casualties as there was no one on board, but a pretty unusual scene. They had to find a crane large enough to extract the bus from the river, and it was not that easy... But they finally managed. The driver said he did put the breaks on, that he does not understand what happened... Anyway, if you haven't seen the video, check it here (huge success: 300 000 views in one day!). Don't know why, but this made me think of this commercial...

Montmartre Sales

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:02:00 GMT

I photographed this scene at the Sacré Coeur, the large church on top of Montmartre. During the tourist season (which is basically 365 days per year!) you can see lots of "Vendeurs à la sauvette" (street hawkers) that sell everything from fake Vuitton bags to silly little stuffed puppies like in this photo. Of course this is highly illegal, but the Police cannot chase them every minute and they always have someone on the watch. I must confess it made me feel uncomfortable, because it gives this place a kind of Souq atmosphere which is pretty far from the high-end, sophisticated fashion capital Paris likes to think it is...

A taste of the old times

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:05:00 GMT

I took this photo in the upper part of La rue des Martyrs (the one part that is at beginning of the Butte Montmartre. It's a very traditional street, with old shops and active local life (and a few tourists too, yes!). It's been named that way after, - supposedly - Saint Denis, bishop of Paris in 250 AD, walked through it after he had just been beheaded (yes, you read it right after!). Actually he is said to have picked his head up and walked six miles after it was chopped off! See the whole story here.

The Mask!

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:03:00 GMT

I don't know if you remember, but I already showed you one of these masks last October and I know some of you find them scary, but I can't help being captivated by them. Unlike "simple" graffiti, they are strongly glued to walls, facades or, in the present case bridge (I took this photograph at Le Pont du Louvre). Like I already explained, they represent the face of Gregos, the artist who makes - and glue - them!

Tourists are back in Paris!

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:02:00 GMT

Yes! Ladies and Gentlemen... Tourists are said to be back in Paris - and in France in general. Well, we'll know for sure at the end of the year of course, but "they" say that due to the slight drop of the Euro, people from outside Euroland are more likely to come back. In 2009 "only" 74 million visitors had crossed our border (that is 6% less than in 2008) and among them -10% Americans and - 17% British! France still remained the #1 tourist destination in the world though! I took this shot near Montmartre (you can see the Carousel in the background) last Saturday and, believe me, it was full of tourists...