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August 18 2010
The exercise tower
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!
August 17 2010
Learn to play soccer young!
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.
August 16 2010
Rotten summer!
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 ;-).
August 15 2010
Water for 1 €
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?
August 14 2010
Joan of Arc at Saint Augustin
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...
August 13 2010
Resting in the grass
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).
August 12 2010
Roman remains
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!
August 11 2010
Reflexion
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!
August 10 2010
Deck chairs at Paris Plage
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!).
August 09 2010
Roman Warrior
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...
August 08 2010
Les toits de Paris
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!
August 07 2010
Sprinklers for ET...
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!)
August 06 2010
Impasse d'Antin
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!)
August 05 2010
Japonese Tourists
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!
August 04 2010
Mona Bismarck foundation
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.
August 03 2010
Paris Plage 2010
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.
August 02 2010
True art
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.
August 01 2010
The end of the Summer Sales
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.
July 31 2010
Theme Day: Bright colors
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.
July 30 2010
The sinking bus...
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...
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