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February 03 2012
Petit déjeuner (Breakfast)
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.
January 29 2012
Montaigne, the lucky charm...
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!
January 26 2012
Pont Neuf ornaments
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...
January 10 2012
Place de la Concorde
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 ;-)
January 08 2012
Parisian fireplace
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).
December 31 2011
Best photo of the year
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.
November 22 2011
On high horses...
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.
November 11 2011
Sacré Coeur in the mist
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.
September 28 2011
A cute little theater...
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.
September 21 2011
La Baronne de Paname!
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.
September 20 2011
Sotto Sopra
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.
September 13 2011
Sunset over Tour Saint Jacques
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).
September 05 2011
Hotel Crillon
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?
September 02 2011
Paris Coat of Arms
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...
August 23 2011
Dinner outside
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?!
August 21 2011
The sun has returned
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.
June 17 2011
Cour Carrée du Louvre
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...
June 08 2011
Celebration
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 ;-)
June 07 2011
La Grande Halle de la Vilette
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.
June 06 2011
Stunning ceilings
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!
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