My soup - posts tagged 'Typical Paris'

Petit déjeuner (Breakfast)

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:00:04 GMT

I would not recommend to anyone having breakfast outside at the moment (far too cold!) and though, I promise, I took this photo yesterday at rue Cler! In fact, it's just "advertising" that the Café Central invented to get the people to go inside, of course... In France we mostly eat sweet stuff in for Le petit déjeuner ("small breakfast") that is croissants, pains au chocolat, jam and baguette... and very rarely ham, cheese or sausage like they do in Northern Europe.

Montaigne, the lucky charm...

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:13:46 GMT

Let me share with you a real Paris insider story. This statue is the one of Montaigne, a very famous French author and public figure from the French Renaissance era (1533-1592). It's located at rue des Ecoles, right in front of the entrance of La Sorbonne university. The statue is stunning (it was made by Paul Landowski during the 20th century), but it's got a funny story too; if you look carefully at his right foot, you'll see that his shoe is exceptionally shiny... Why? Because students believe that touching it before an exam will bear them luck!

Pont Neuf ornaments

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:00:05 GMT

Cool, isn't? I took this photo on the Pont Neuf (Paris experts will have recognized the stunning Henri the IVth statue in the background) yesterday, on my way to the left bank. I searched the Web and apparently these candelabres (street lamps) were installed by Victor Baltard in 1854. They show sea gods and dolphins. Beautiful...

Place de la Concorde

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:00:00 GMT

The big Ferris wheel will also disappear soon and since I passed by it yesterday evening, I thought I'd photograph it... I don't know how I managed, but the thing is that the blurry effect only affects the Ferris wheel and its surrounding and not the Obelisque! Sometimes you just get lucky ;-)

Parisian fireplace

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 23:00:02 GMT

It's pretty rare that Parisians have a fireplace that actually works, and though, yesterday, I had a nice afternoon with friends who have, what we call a Poêle Prussien (I looked everywhere, I could not find their origin). Very cool! Most Parisians think it's forbidden to make fire in a fireplace in Paris, whereas it is allowed, under several conditions (you have to have you chimney pipe cleaned twice a year, you're not allowed to burn just anything, etc.). I have a couple of fireplaces in my apartment, now I'm tempted... (Of course the price of wood may put me off this idea, but that's another story).

Best photo of the year

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 23:00:10 GMT

Like each year it's difficult to chose and like each year I chose an consensual shot, showing one o my favorite spots in Paris: Le Pont des arts. But since I reviewed them all, I selected a few other ones, that you can see on the Making of. Again, have a wonderful year everyone, have some rest today and get ready for a brand new start! Love you all.

On high horses...

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 23:02:00 GMT

If you visited Paris, here is a scene that will probably remind you of something. It shows La Samaritaine in the background - a department store that was named after a water pump located right by the Pont Neuf - and the statue of King Henri the IVth (of France, not Henry the IVth of England), a king that all French pupils remember for he is said to have made sure that all French households would eat at least a chicken a week (there was no KFC at that time LOL). The Samaritaine is currently closed and is being turned into a hotel and shops, which is a shame because from the rooftop you could enjoy one of the most beautiful views in Paris.

Sacré Coeur in the mist

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 23:02:00 GMT

Those of you who have been following PDP for some time now will probably remember the Eiffel Tower in the mist photo (big hit!), well, now look at what I saw yesterday evening on my way to dinner at Montmartre... It was really stunning. Let's us not forget that the Sacré Coeur is located on a hill (130 meters - 426 feet). Not very high, but it does play a role when it comes to "'touching the clouds...". Have a nice weekend everyone.

A cute little theater...

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 22:05:01 GMT

I have passed by this place many times thinking each time "this is really a cute little theater!", but never managed to take a proper photo (it's located on a little square with lots of trees that makes it difficult to take photos). Anyway, this time I'm pretty happy with the result. It really looks little a mock up doesn't it? FYI, it's Le Théâtre de l'Atelier located at place Charles Dullin (who was the art director of the theater at the beginning of the 20th century), right by Montmartre.

La Baronne de Paname!

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 22:04:00 GMT

Each city has its characters. People that you notice either because they dress differently, act differently or think differently... Mélina, aka La Baronne de Paname (Paname is a cute slang word we use to call Paris), is one of these. She loves the typical "bals musette" (dances where people used to do the Waltz Musette to accordion music in-between the two World Wars and just after). She even organizes them sometimes, like this Saturday at the Pavillon Baltard. Want to go? Check out her Myspace page.

Sotto Sopra

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 22:04:00 GMT

With this photo, I feel like I'm going back in time; this is the typical type of shot I would post when I started PDP! (Remember this one?). I found these chairs at Sotto Sopra, an Italian restaurant located at 74, rue des Archives, in the Marais. Nothing extraordinary, expect that I loved their color and the way they are set on the sidewalk. BTW, if you happen to visit the Salon de la photo in Paris, I'll be talking about PDP -and its secrets! - on Sunday October 9 at 16:00 pm at stand E15, from l'Agora du Net.

Sunset over Tour Saint Jacques

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 22:31:06 GMT

On my way to dinner last evening, I passed by the Châtelet area while the sun was going down on Paris. The light was absolutely stunning... This tower - that was recently renovated as you may remember - is the only remain of a former church dedicated to Saint Jacques precisely! (See the whole story here). The other landmark you can see here is La colonne du Châtelet (The Chatelet column).

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?

Paris Coat of Arms

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 22:03:00 GMT

After all this time (6 years!) I realized I never really showed you the Paris coat of arms. So here it is... photographed yesterday on the aerial metro at Cambronne. Like you can see, it shows a vessel, which was, when it was created (around 1190 apparently) one of the major means of trade . The city motto, Fluctuat nec mergitur ("it is tossed by the waves, but does not sink") means that despite the hard time Paris can experience from time to time, it is still standing! Have a nice Labor Day weekend if you are in the States...

Dinner outside

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 22:03:00 GMT

Here is where I had dinner with a few friends to celebrate a birthday! The weather was gorgeous, the scenery (well, see for yourself!) and the food exquisite - Not to mention that since it's a no car street, it was very quiet . On the cultural side, you should know that this is the Gervais-Saint-Protais church, an exceptionnal place, both outside and inside. Now, are you jealous of me?!

The sun has returned

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 22:03:00 GMT

Let's start the week with a classic view, a bateau mouche under the Pont Neuf. Not very original, but always enjoyable. I took this photo around 8 pm, while the sun was on its way to the US! As you can see it's been a beautiful day today - very hot too. Have a nice Monday everyone, wherever you are in the world.

Cour Carrée du Louvre

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 22:03:00 GMT

Sorry, I've had a terrible day today and no time to go out and take a photo (nor to file the ones I took of the white dinner party, needless to say!). So in the meantime here is one the the Cour Carrée du Louvre, that I took when it was beginning to get dark. Sorry, no time to complete my caption with historic facts, now I have to rush out...

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 ;-)

La Grande Halle de la Vilette

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 22:02:00 GMT

Last evening I went to La Cité de la musique to attend a concert conducted by Les Arts Florissants, a Baroque musical ensemble conducted by William Christie. It was... Baroque! On the way out I took this photo of La Grande Halle, a remain of a former slaughter house that was built between 1865 and 1867 and was still used until 1975. Beautiful.

Stunning ceilings

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 22:08:00 GMT

Yesterday evening I attended the Parisapps meetup, an event that took place in the Paris City Hall town hall during which the five best mobile apps dedicated to Paris got featured. It was interesting (have a look at them and at all Paris applications, here if you're interested). What was also interesting was the cocktail they served afterwards stunning ceiling of the ballroom we were in. This is just a small bit, as the whole ceiling (painted by Henri Gervex and Aimé Morot) is 50 meter (164 feet) long!

Notre Dame x2

Sat, 14 May 2011 22:04:00 GMT

OK, I agree, this photo is a typical touristy photo, but I thought it was perfect for a peaceful Sunday ;-) Pretty soon I'll be heading back to my favorite city (I'm in Pittsburgh right now), but I won't have time to go to the Seine embankment when I return, as I will have to dive into work right away... Not to forget the preparation of the PDP picnic!

The golden arch

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 22:01:00 GMT

Yes, I know, you've it a thousand times, but not that close! I took this photo from my scooter, while I was driving (but not very fast ;-)) It was two nights ago, at sunset, and the light was really beautiful (the weather in Paris at the moment is amazingly nice). That's it, not much more to say. Have a nice weekend (and happy easter for those of you who celebrate Easter). We have a holiday on Monday here, but I'll stay in Paris to catch up on things and take a few shots!

Beautiful door

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 22:06:00 GMT

Not much today, just a door. I photographed it at 52 rue Saint-Georges in the 9th arrondissement. This neighborhood was very trendy during the last century (the 19th), so a lot of apartment buildings are actually high-end ones with lots of carving on doors and facades.

Bassin Soufflot

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 23:02:00 GMT

There is nothing I can do, but with all the terrible images that we get from Japan at the moment, I must say I find it hard to continue posting casual photos as if nothing was happening. Anyway, the show must go on as they say... This is Le Bassin Soufflot, right by the Luxembourg gardens - at place Edmond Rostand more precisely - and I passed by it many many times. Only yesterday did I notice how beautiful it is... FYI, the statue in the middle was added in 1864 and it's by Adolphe Crauk.

Man on a bench

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 23:09:00 GMT

I had dinner at Place Gustave Toudouze last evening and since I was a little early I spent some time taking photos in the neighborhood. I saw this guy on a bench with the typical Parisian facades in the background and I was sure this would make an interesting photo. Of course I used the "now famous" Tenin's perspective ;-) and worked a little bit on the color, to remove the "orange spray" due to the street lamps, but in the end, yes, I kinda like it. By the way, did you know there are 8 481 benches in Paris?!

Where I feel good!

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 23:02:00 GMT

First of the month=theme day! (time flies, it's crazy...) Anyway today's theme is "my favorite part of town". I don't really have one except, like I already mentioned it several times, Les quais - the river banks. But I chose to show you a place where I feel good, I feel part of the city, I feel like I belong here: a typical Paris café, in front of which the passersby, well, pass by! I'm sure you know what I mean, for you certainly feel the same about some places in the city where you live. Check what the other CDP bloggers love about their city.

Paris falls...

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 23:04:00 GMT

It may not be the most glamorous scene you can come across in Paris, but it is a very Parisian one! This is a close up of a very important element of or street cleaning system. For yes, ladies and gentlemen, underneath all our sidewalks there are two pipe networks: one for drinkable water and one to clean the streets (mostly fed by the Seine after a light filtering). This system was built by Eugène Belgrand - an engineer who used to work for Hausmann and is still used nowadays, only now the cleaners are supposed to be more conscious about the water consumption (I know it's not obvious from what you can see in tis photo...)

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...

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!

Winter sun

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 23:26:35 GMT

In Winter (and not only in winter!) the sky is often grey in Paris. It does not necessarily rain, but it's often covered. And then, one day, out of nowhere, you wake up to a blue sunny day, like yesterday (2 days ago actually), when I took this photo near Bercy in the 12th arrondissement. Easy shot, of course, but once in a while it does not hurt ;-) The bridge in the background is the Passerelle Simone de Beauvoir, the latest one that was built over the Seine

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 ;-)

Meeting at Place Vendôme

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 23:03:00 GMT

For my first real trip outside after my flu, I was lucky! I had a meeting at Place Vendôme in the 1st arrondissement. A really nice location, especially since the Christmas lights (the little yellow spots you can see in the background) are still on. I took several photos, but I chose to post this one which includes the nice window railing of this 18 century building I was in... Like I said, I was lucky!

Palais Garnier in the light

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 23:07:00 GMT

You may think this is the normal lighting of the Opera, but it's not. They probably had a special night or something, when I passed by it a few days ago. The quality is not very good (it's really time I change my camera!) but... you get the picture! FYI, this the Palais Garnier, after the name of the architect who built it and it's a beautiful building both outside and inside (you can visit it daily from 10 am to 5 pm for 9 € and it's worth it...

Good deed!

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 23:05:00 GMT

This is probably not the nicest Paris photo you've ever seen here, but it's very Parisian! This, ladies and gentlemen is a Calendar (not as good as the PDP calendars of course ;-), but still!). And from whom did I buy it? From a Paris fireman that knocked at my door yesterday (Friday). It's the tradition here that before Christmas (and obviously much ahead of Christmas!) Firemen go from door to door and sell calendars to fund an association that helps firemen' family in need. I was happy to buy this calendar to support these courageous guys (and that includes going door to door selling calendars too!). That's all. We're still in the middle of a very long weekend here, and I enjoy it ;-)

Endangered spieces?

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 23:02:00 GMT

These two guys are "bouquinistes", that is shopkeepers that have been granted the right to own a little box by the Seine banks to store and sell old books to the passers-by. Problem: people buy less and less books from little shop owners, they prefer to go on line or to larger stores... Consequently the bouquinistes started selling other stuff than books, souvenirs for instance, to make the ends meet. The problem is that their contract specifies that they must sell books and nothing else and the Paris town hall has started chasing those who don't play by the rules. It is also trying to find a solution to boost their income, like a Fête des bouquinistes, for instance. I doubt this will be enough.... How about selling kindles?!

More Love locks!

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 23:05:00 GMT

Do you remember the photo of the "love locks" that I took on the Pont des Arts and that I posted last June. Well today I found more! On the Pont de l'Archevêché, behind Notre Dame. I waited for some time (in the rain and the cold, thank you very much!) to get a Péniche - a flat boat that runs on the Seine - in the background, so that it would complete the perfect romantic shot ;-) Cheesy? Well yes, a little bit!

Another classic view

Sat, 30 Oct 2010 22:04:00 GMT

Here is what you can see if you walk down the street from Metro station Richelieu Drouot to the Galeries Lafayette or Printemps department stores - Precisely at rue Laffitte, a little narrow street in the 9th arrondisemment. You will have recognized the Sacré Choeur of course, in the background, but that is not the only church in this photo. You can also see Notre Dame de Lorette in the foreground. I already posted the same view a few years ago, but I passed by it again today and I did not resist taking another shot.

Youth!

Sun, 17 Oct 2010 22:01:01 GMT

One of the very positive thing about PDP is that it forces me to raise my eyes on things that I would normally pass by without noticing them. That's what happened Saturday on the way back from the Eiffel Tower where I tool the banquet photo. I walked by the Trocadero and noticed the two sculptures located on the lower parts. Very beautiful and very typical of the 30's. Through Google I learned that they were made by Pierre-Marie Poisson (1876 - 1953) and that the one I photographed is called "La jeunesse" (youth). Now my problem was to find an interesting angle for the shot. I chose to concentrate on one part, but, of course, my choice is debatable...

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)!

A night at Le Lido

Sat, 09 Oct 2010 05:17:19 GMT

If you came to Paris you probably heard of Le Lido. Le Lido is a cabaret located on the Champs Elysées, it was created in 1946 and starred people like Edith Piaf, Marlene Dietrich, Josephine Baker and more recently Elton John. But more than anything, it is known for its Bluebell girls - that is stunning dancers with endless legs ;-) - a female dance crew that was created by British dancer Margaret Kelly (you have to watch this clip from the archives of CBC-TV). In this photo you have two samples of Bluebell girls (I'm sorry I cannot show their face) that I photographed during a promotional event.