My soup - posts tagged '08th'

Change of lighting?

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:30:02 GMT

I had a busy, tiresome weekend and I did not find a single minute to go out! Therefore here is a photo I meant to show you earlier and totally forgot about it. It's "an" Eiffel Tower - not THE Eiffel Tower - taken at the Christmas market they had in the lower part of the Champs Elysées. Also a one which lighting is probably not copyright protected, unlike the one of the original one - which I think is a real scandal, but don't get me started...

Caught in the act!

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 07:57:05 GMT

So I did have to go out today (to pick up my latest presents I ordered online!) and I could not resist grabbing one of these excellent crèpes that they sell everywhere at the moment. I had a chestnut one stuffed with crème de marron (only in French, I did not see any entry in English spread). Yummy! The woman was really wondering why I would take that many photos during her making the crèpe ;-) Anyway, I thought this would put a smile on your face to see how greedy I am (and why I have to go to the gym every other day LOL!) Have a wonderful Christmas eve tonight everyone, for those of you who celebrate Christmas of course.

The first food truck in Paris

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 23:00:04 GMT

It may not be the best photo you'll find on PDP, but I absolutely wanted to share this slice of Parisian news that I just came across with, by coincidence. This, lady and gentlemen, is a "gourmet" food truck and It may not seem very extraordinary to you, but for us Parisians it is! It's called Le camion qui fume ("the truck that smokes") and it was "invented" by chef Kristin, a Californian girl (what a surprise!) who came to Paris to attend a cooking school (Ferrandi). The interesting part is that she also seems to be an expert at promoting the concept on the Internet (Website, Facebook, Twitter... you name it). I photographed the truck at Place de la Madeleine, but it moves everyday. I wish her all the success she deserves and next time I see the truck, I will surely try the food (see a review on this blog and/or this one).

More Christmas lights...

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 20:38:59 GMT

I'm just back from dinner in Paris and on the way back I passed by Avenue Montaigne, a famous avenue located off the Champs Elysées. It's one of the most luxurious streets in Paris and for Christmas they decorated the place in a stunning way. It was hard to capture the beauty of the scenery in a global photo so I chose to show you a close up - the "flower" in the foreground actually belongs to one of the fake trees they installed at the crossing of avenue Montaigne and rue François the 1st.

Place de la Concorde

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 23:00:02 GMT

Today I left home when it was still dark and I came back home when it was already dark! No chance for a day shot! Which is OK, since the big Ferris wheel is back on the Place de la Concorde and it looks much better at night! Besides, this view too never ceases to amaze me! I'm having another long day at Le Web tomorrow, so I don't have much time to write intelligent stuff in this caption, sorry ;-) I'll catch up on Saturday!

The PDP calendars are out!

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 23:02:00 GMT

Here is another photo I took at the Petit Palais while I was visiting in the inside garden. unfortunately I forgot to make a note of the sculptor's name, so there is not much I can tell you about them. Instead I'll seize the opportunity to let you know that the 2012 PDP calendars are just off press (well, off Zazzle!) and that there is even a 30% off offer until midnight Pacific time. Like last year, there is a B&W version and a color one. I hope you'll like them.

Another good address...

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 23:05:01 GMT

Here is a place you have to make a note of, if you come to Paris. You'll find it right in the heart of Paris, off the Champs Elysées, but you'll be surprised how quiet it is! Why? Because it's located right in the middle of Le Petit Palais... Tip: when you walk in ask for a free ticket to the "permanent collections", you can then walk in to this little secluded garden and enjoy a two course meal (including a glass of wine and coffee) for 24 € ! BTW, I took this photo Friday morning, as you can see we're having a sort of Indian summer at the moment.

Biking on the Champs Elysées

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 22:01:01 GMT

Another nice dawn view on the Champs Elysées. Nothing to add, I'm sure you'll like it too ;-)

Champs Elysées at dawn...

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 22:05:00 GMT

OK, it was not exactly dawn, but 9 o'clock... But at this time of year (we're about to change time this weekend) it's almost like dawn! The light was really beautiful and since it was Sunday morning Les Champs Elysées were almost empty.

Vive la France!

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 22:04:00 GMT

So we did not win (the World Rugby Cup final) yesterday, but I had great fun. I woke up early to make it to "The Freedom" a pub located off Les Champs Elysées that I already mentioned here where the owner of fashion store Koko (a true Kiwi!) had organized a giant NZ meetup (French could join too ;-). Needless to say that the atmosphere was, well, very festive and that we heard a lot of "La Marseillaise" (listen) and "God Defend New Zealand" (listen) singing. Great moment.

Hotel Crillon

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 22:05:00 GMT

Due to its location (facing the Place de La Concorde), the hotel Crillon is probably one of the most luxurious hotels in Paris. The actual building was constructed in 1758 by architect Jacques-Ange Gabriel, then it was later bought to be used as a private home (yes a private home!) in 1788 by the Count of Crillon. It was confiscated during the revolution period (in 1791) then becamee a hotel in 1907 (read the whole story here is you're interested). What you see on the left is not the actual building, it's a fake facade which purpose is to hide the real one while it's being redone. Cool isn't?

The most expensive avenue in Europe

Sun, 04 Sep 2011 22:07:00 GMT

The news came last Thursday after commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield released their annual study regarding the price of the rental value of the major shopping streets in the world : The Champs Elysées is the most expensive shopping street in Europe - and the 5th in the world - before New Bond street in London. It will cost you 7,364 euros per square meter per year if you plan to open a little shop around the corner down there! No wonder only big chain stores can afford it... After Abercrombie and Fitch, Tommy Hilfiger, H & M it will soon be the turn of Banana Republic and... Marks and Spencers (from the UK). BTW, I took this photo from the Arc de Triomphe, as you probably guessed already!

Paris in the 50's?

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 22:04:00 GMT

No, it's not Paris in the 50's, it's Paris in the 2010's! And though when I took this photo it really made me think of it. Something about the color probably - that I did not modify, before you say it! The funny part is that Les Champs Elysées have not changed much since then - have a look at this site, and this photo in particular. Or even Parisavant.com, that I already mentioned here and where you can see the same locations taken from the same angle with a 50 or 60 year difference.

Creative architecture

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 22:07:00 GMT

You find this building a little dark for a Haussmanian construction? You're right, but wait the story is interesting! As you can guess, it's not a real one, but a concrete cast of a Haussmanian facade. And why is it so? Because the architect (Edouard François), had to solve a problem: unify 7 different era buildings into a unique one. He had the clever idea to hide them behind this facade, that he calls a "concrete 3D wall paper with glass windows hanging like paintings". Pretty creative... BTW, it's a hotel and it's located at the corner of rue Quentin Bauchard and rue Vernet, just off the Champs Elysées.

Vive l'Australie !

Sun, 24 Jul 2011 22:01:00 GMT

Today the Tour de France landed on the Champs Elysées, like every year since 1975. You may know it already as this race seems to be extremely popular throughout the world (they say it is broadcast in 190 countries!), this year an Australian (Cadel Evans) won for the first time. I'm really happy for this country that I really like. Now I debated between showing you a photo of the winner and a stunning aerial photo of Paris that I stole from the television and... well the latter won! You can see the Seine on the left, the Eiffel Tower of course, in the foreground Le Grand Palais and the big avenue in the middle is... Les Champs Elysées. Again, a very rare occasion (with the 14 Juillet march) to see Paris from the Sky.

Bird's-eye view of the arch....

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 22:04:00 GMT

Thank you so much for your nice wishes yesterday ;-) Like last year I don't resist showing you an image that I grabbed from the television and that you will rarely see (it is normally forbidden to fly over Paris). The Arc de Triomphe in the middle of La Place de l'Etoile from the sky... I love it. Did you notice the red trucks? They belong to the firemen brigades that marched, like I was telling you yesterday.

Celebration

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:29:38 GMT

I'm just back from a dinner with very good friends of mine, in the suburbs. On the way back, I drove through the Champs Elysées and saw the French flag was hanging, in between the arches. This generally happens when we celebrate something, like Bastille day (le 14 juillet,) or the end of WWII. In this particular case I don't know why... Maybe one of my readers will give us the solution. Anyway, it's a classic, but it's still beautiful ;-)

Visit Paris in a Tuk Tuk

Thu, 26 May 2011 22:08:00 GMT

There are many ways to visit Paris, other than with the public transportation... I already showed you the hop on hop off bus, the 2CV tours, the bike tours, the Segway tours, the Bateaux Mouche tours, here are now the Tuk Tuk tours! One never ceases to innovate in Paris when it comes to dragging tourists around! Apparently there is half a dozen of Tuk-Tuk companies (I have no particular interests in this one, I just photographed it by chance). PS: Saturday the weather should be fine, so don't forget the picnic...

A sunny day in Paris

Wed, 25 May 2011 22:08:00 GMT

I spent the whole day in Trouville today (no, not to prepare the G8 summit! but to sort out some personal matters), and on the way back I passed by the Champs Elysées where the sun was slightly going down. It was one of those days where I feel really happy to live in Paris. Silly? Yeah, a little bit, but I'm sure that a lot of you - Paris lovers - would have liked to be in my shoes ;-).

French billionaires

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 23:06:00 GMT

The French may not be good at high-tech products or industry in general (even though we have a few blue chip companies, like Alstom, the maker of the TGV (bullet train)), there is one area in which we excel: luxury! It was not really surprising therefore to find out today in the 2010 world's billionaire list made by Forbes, that among the 5 richest Frenchmen in the list, 4 owe luxury businesses : Bernard Arnault (LVMH), Liliane Bettencourt (L'Oréal), François Pinault (Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent...) and Alain et Gérard Wertheimer (Chanel). The first one - Bernard Arnault - is even the 4th richest man on earth and the richest one in Europe...

A Paris Institution

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 07:32:53 GMT

Ask any Parisian and he'll probably know what you're talking about if you say "Mollard". It's one of the oldest Brasseries in Paris, located right by the Gare Saint Lazare. It was founded in 1867, at a time when this area was "the suburbs" - which sounds really funny nowadays, as this neighborhood is now considered as "central Paris!" Anyway I had dinner there last evening for the first time of my life(!) and I did not regret it (I had seafood, one of their specialties). Definitely a place I would recommend (and this is free advertising!). [Sorry for the late posting, I messed up with Blogger, as usual!].

J'adore Dior!

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 23:09:00 GMT

This is a pretty rare document: an original drawing by French designer Christian Dior that I photographed during my visit of the Plaza hotel. I thought of showing it today because Dior (the haute couture brand that now belongs to LVMH) is a lot in the news these days and not for a good reason... Why? because John Galliano, who is the current and talented designer of the brand was caught on a tape at a restaurant in Le Marais, having a racist rant (read the story and watch the video here if you're interested). Christian D must be rolling over in his grave...

Hep Taxi!

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 23:09:00 GMT

If you already came to Paris and took a taxi you probably found it hard 1) to spot them 2) to know if they were available or already taken. Not surprising for until recently it was not really easy: you had to guess if the little white light on the rooftop was lit (free) or not (not free). The state of the light though was not easy to see and a lot of people - even Parisians - would shout "Taxi" without even taking a glance at the light ! Now there is a new rule: if the light is red, the taxi is busy (like in this photo) and it is green then the taxi is free. This has been the PDP tip of the day hoping to make your life easier...

Free-zing!

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 23:06:00 GMT

The cold is back again... Of course in January it's pretty normal, but since we already had a cold wave in December - which is rather unusual - I was hoping January would leave us alone! Anyway, I thought this photo was and excellent illustration of winter. I took it avenue Monceau where they have a huge air grating, probably leading to the Metro. It's much less sexy than Marylin Monroe's famous photo, but that is all I could find in the middle of winter!

Upstairs, Downstairs...

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 23:08:43 GMT

So here you go! This stairway belongs to... the Plaza Athénée Hotel, where I also took yesterday's photo. I spent a few hours there, and was lucky enough to visit some of the best parts of the hotel, including the bar, the Dior institute, the wine cellar and... the kitchen (I did not get to meet 3 star chef Alain Ducasse though, but head chef Christophe Saintagne...) an its dozens of cooks. It was a delightful moment needless to say, especially since it weren't for Paris Daily Photo (and you, my dear visitors!) I would have never had the chance to see and experience all this. As always, when I visit an exceptional place I took several photos, you can see a selection of them in the little Animoto at the top of the right column of this blog. Have a great weekend.

A room with a cool view!

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 23:04:00 GMT

Here is a little teasing... Once again I was lucky enough to visit one of the finest hotels in Paris. I'll disclosed which one tomorrow, but in the meantime (and to give me enough time to select the best pictures among the zillion photos I took!) I thought I'd make you guess which one it is. Like I said, it's one of the top palaces in Paris. Little hint: the King of Pop enjoyed this view last time he was in Paris...

Champs Elysées

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 05:41:54 GMT

I had lunch with a friend near the Champs Elysées yesterday (Tuesday) and before I went back to work I walked a little bit on the avenue. I saw this lady with this purple umbrella and thought immediately it would make a very Parisian photo (even though I believe the young lady might be Japanese - she was waiting in front of Louis Vuitton!). I was not too happy about the guy walking by on her left hand side, so in the end I cheated a little bit by turning the photo black and white, except for her!

Sunny Paris

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 23:03:00 GMT

This weekend I went to buy sport shoes at Decathlon, near La Madeleine church and when I came out of the store, there it was, all golden because of a ray of sun do yo know me, I pulled my trigger! It's a classic, I know, but that's also what PDP is about : a scary tunnel one day and a magnificent building the next day! BTW, did you know that it took 85 years to build this church (it was completed in 1845) and that it was almost turned into a railway station in 1837! (More here, if you're interested). Have a great week everyone, mine will be pretty busy, but I'll still be here ;-)

Marché de noël

Sun, 26 Dec 2010 23:03:00 GMT

You think I took this photo in a ski resort in Switzerland or something? I did not! I took it on the lower part of the Champs Elysées where they have a huge Marché de noël (Christmas market). These markets originate from Germany (apparently at the beginning of the 15th century) and progressively "overflew" to the east of France. Now they are everywhere in France, including Paris. You find there typical Christmas stuff like decorations, food, candies... and gifts in general that are of lesser interest, for not very typical (mostly made in China gadgets!)

Joyeux noël everyone

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 23:03:00 GMT

I know, it's not very original, but, hey, when else could I use this photo?! I took it 2 days ago on the lower part of the Champs Elysées where they installed a cool merry-go-round for Parisian kids (tourist kids are welcome too ;-) I found this puffy face was a good way of celebrating Christmas. If only next year would be as smiley as this Santa... Anyway, when you read this I should be on my way back to Paris, ready to pack for some other adventures in the snow! I hope you had a nice, warm family day.

Cute!

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 23:03:00 GMT

I went to the prestigious rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré today, where they have all these luxury stores hoping to find the last minute gifts I'm desperately seeking for. I did not find anything - way out of my budget! - but I found this cute little dog in the shop window of Lanvin. I did not have my proper camera with me so the quality of the photo is not too good (a little grainy), but good enough for you have the spirit of the scene ;-)

Public Transportation

Sun, 31 Oct 2010 23:03:00 GMT

First of the month=theme day! You must know that by now! And this month, I paid attention and did not forget about it, like last month ;-) This November theme day is "Public Transportation" and God knows that when it comes to underground transportation, buses and even funiculars we have the choice in Paris. I chose a rather futuristic view of the Metro; the brand new turnstiles. Now have a look what public transportation looks like throughout the world.

Wish you were here

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 22:02:00 GMT

We're having a wonderful weather at the moment and it's really cool. I had my weekly meeting at La Défense today and on the way back I could not help but taking a photo of the arch with the clear blue sky in the background. I know you've seen this arch a few times on PDP, but there is always something to learn about it... Did you know it's 160 ft (50 m) high, that the large vault is 95.8 ft (29.19 m) high and 48.0 ft (14.62 m) wide and that a plane managed to fly through it once (in 1919)!

Return to Royal Monceau

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 22:54:06 GMT

In June 2008 I posted a photo of the inside of the Royal Monceau hotel prior to its complete renovation. Well, here we are, 2 years after, the work is done and the hotel is about to reopen soon... I had the chance to visit it yesterday evening and to wander in a couple of rooms, the bar and the lobby. Stunning. Philippe Starck managed to combine luxury, modernism, classicism and "Frenchism" . It's impossible to explain in words and hard to show in photos. You will have to come and check for yourself... BTW, did I mention the Patisserie (including the Macarons) is made by Pierre Hermé?!

Coffee at the Marriott

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 22:03:00 GMT

I don't always have the time to meet PDP followers who come to Paris, but today I did! Thus, I had the pleasure of having coffee with Ed and Barbara from Atlanta in the lobby of their hotel: the Marriott on the Champs Elysées. And you know me, I can't go somewhere without taking a photo ;-) So I did. That is how you're looking at the magnificent Atrium of the hotel. I remember that in the early days of this hotel they even had a huge tree in there. Really impressive.

My own private garden...

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 22:05:00 GMT

Today - and this has nothing to do with the surprise I mentioned yesterday - I would like to share with you one of my "secret" addresses in Paris... This is the Hotel Salomon de Rothschild in the heart of the 8th arrondissement (not far from Les Champs Elysées). Right in front of it, there is a secluded garden known by a bunch of happy fews - which I'm part of since last week!... where you can lay in the sun (and on the grass). Just for you, my dear PDP visitors, I'll disclose the address ! It's at 12, avenue de Friedland (Metro Charles de Gaulle). I'm not kidding, it's really worth the trip...

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...

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!)

L'étoile !

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 22:07:00 GMT

OK, I won't even think of pretending I took this shot! Besides, it is highly prohibited to fly over Paris unless you have a good reason... No, I stole it from the television on the occasion of the arrival of the Tour de France on the Champs Elysées (that is actually what I like about this event each year: they show breathtaking views of Paris). Now, look more closely (click in the photo to enlarge it). Do you see the little "arms" around the Arc de Triomphe, embedded in the pavement? Very few people know they are there, because you can only see them from above. Well, they are star arms and that is why before being called the Place Charles de Gaulle, it used to be called "L'Etoile" (the Star).

Wet march

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 22:04:00 GMT

Yes people, I know every year it's the same: bal des pompiers on the 13th, March on the 14th in the morning and fireworks on the 14th at night... But this year, during the march, something was different! The sky was full of threatening clouds that poured tons of rain from time to time. Look at these poor guys who had to play music in the rain! And yes, the blurry shape in the background is... l'Arc de Triomphe! Not to mention the planes that were barely visible in the sky! Fortunately the sky cleared up for the fireworks...