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| Here are the colorful sailboats for hire by the pond in the Tuileries Gardens. |
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| I actually took these pictures on a very cold day in February, but the boat man was doing a brisk (sorry) business all the same. [Orange You Glad It's Friday? If so, go here. And if you're Dreaming of France, visit Paulita's meme.] |
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| These bright nasturtiums were growing at Marie-Antoinette's petit hameau . . . |
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| where the ill-fated young queen and her ladies-in-waiting liked to play at being simple farm folk (ironique, n'est-ce pas?). [To see more Mandarin Orange, visit LorikArt. For more Mellow Yellows, go here. For more Macro Monday shots, go here. And if you too are Dreaming of France, visit Paulita's meme. And I promised to link up with Orange You Glad It's Friday.] |
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| I have an acquaintance who is lucky (and wealthy) enough to own an apartment in Paris and I was lucky (and needy) enough to get to borrow it once, in the time bdc (before digital cameras). It was lovely to wake up to this view—through the old wavy-glass windows—of the local rooftops across rue Jacob. [To see more monochromes, visit Dragonstar's meme.] |
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| Did you know that Paris firefighters are part of a French army unit? And that the Paris fire dept. is the 3rd largest urban fire service in the world? When I lived here back when, my only contact with the pompiers took place each year on the eve of Bastille Day, when fire stations all over the city hosted dances—and the firemen were a good-looking crew back then too! [Today is ABC Wednesday. To see more posts that feature the letter P, go here.] |
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| Things have changed at the Musée d'Orsay. Now you're not allowed to take photos at all, but when I shot (w/o flash, of course) this closeup of Manet's Oeillets et Clematites Dans un Vase de Crystal back in 2005, pas de problème. And there was a guard sitting almost directly underneath this little painting too. I think it's the "flashers" (you know who you are!) who have ruined it for the rest of us. Just sayin'. P.S.—it's worth enlarging this to truly appreciate the beauty of Edouard Manet's brushstrokes. [To see more Macro Monday shots, visit Lisa's Chaos. To see more Blue Monday pics, visit Smiling Sally. And if you are also Dreaming of France, visit Paulita's meme.] |
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| This is the corner of rue des Rosiers and rue des Hospitalières St. Gervais (a very long name for a very short street). The street art appears to be a collaboration: I don't know who did the robotic creature in the background, but I think I've seen his (her?) work in the 13th; Nature's Revenge is usually associated with the artist Ludo, but I can't see what he contributed here (maybe the butterflies?); the beautiful tigers are the work of Mosko et Associés (founded by two old friends, Michel Allemand and Gérard Laux, who grew up in the area north of Montmartre called Moskowa). [I'm linking back to Paulita's meme, Dreaming of France, because I am, always— and also to Orange You Glad It's Friday.] |
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| It's worth getting up early to have Notre Dame (almost) to yourself, whether you want to appreciate it in peace and quiet— or take unpopulated pictures. |
