Fountain

I had a lovely dinner yesterday evening at Boulevard Richard Lenoir. On the way out, I found a nice fountain where the sprinklers come from under the pavement. Nice effect, especially at night (and if you lay your camera on the ground!). 

An evening at the opera...

I'm just back from the Bastille Opera (the second largest opera house that we have in Paris). I when to see Tosca by Puccini, it was really great. I took this photo, which I like because of the light effect on the people silhouettes!

Folk danse

Like every year I went to Les vendanges of the Melac Bistrot . It's a fun event that takes place in the 11th arrondissement where they install tables in the streets around the bistrot and harvest the grapes that grow above the café! All this being just a way to drink, eat and have fun! Which I had... This year they also had a crew of folk dancers from Aveyron - a region in France from where most café owners in Paris are from.

Vive la France !

Tonight (Monday) at 6 pm France is going to play a very important soccer/football game against Nigeria. If we fail, we'll be out of the competition. I'm not a big football fan, I already said it, but I like it when France wins! Not too mention that winning at football is also a very good mood enhancer! I photographed this young lady during a previous game, cute, isn't it?

Painted ad

I love it that in Paris, in some places, you can still see old painted ads like this one for "Bouillon Kub", a dehydrated broth formed into a small cube (hence the name Kub!). I took this photo in the 11th arrondissement, but you find these ads everywhere (I already showed you one, once). 

Le Bataclan

Here is a very famous theater in Paris that I've been willing to show you for a long time, but I never managed to. As you can see it's really beautiful, but there are 3 trees in front of it and from spring to autumn/fall, there are too many leaves on these trees. I'm still not too happy with this photo, but at least you get to see something! Le Bataclan was built in 1864, it originally had a Chinese architecture (which you can see here) and it was originally a "Caf-Conc" (café-concert) where people could dance. Now Le Bataclan offers a wide range of  shows from rock concerts to stand-up comedy and still offers a dance floor from time to time. 

The irrepressible need for expressing yourself...

I'm often amazed to see how street artists manage to put their art up and high. In fact, for some of us, there seems to be this irrepressible need for expressing their mood and paint/stick it anywhere for everyone to see. After all, is it that different from what the first cavemen used to do. Take the famous Grottes de Lascaux, for instance, a stunning site that was discovered in the 40's (1940's) in which you can see paintings that were made about 18 000 years ago! Well, in 18 000 years, it's not unlikely that some people will talk about our mural paintings the same way... (This piece of art is by Konny, BTW!)

Paris wine!

Every year, since my friend Roniece made me discover it, I go to the Vendanges du "Château Charonne", a fun event organized by the Café Mélac, named after its (former) owner. Of course the whole thing is just an occasion to party, drink a lot of wine and eat typical food from Aveyron (a region of France). And there is no such thing as a "Chateau" at rue Charonne, just a few grapes that some familiar faces (to PDPers!) have tried harvesting with style! These legs however belong to no one I know, just some random girl who wanted to experience the feeling of crushing grapes! And before you ask, no, we did not drink anything from that bucket!

Happy for you!

It's obviously not for the aesthetic of this scene that I posted this photo today, but because, when I passed at 48 boulevard du Temple yesterday, I could not help but have a second look at this graffito! Was someone that happy to just have had sex that he/she felt compelled to write it in big letters on the wall? Or was it more some wishful thinking?! I guess we'll never know... 

The Paris Syndrome !

This may sound like an April fool's day joke, but apparently it's not! The Paris Syndrome is a - mostly - Japanese disorder that happens when people realize that Paris is not all about sipping wine at a terrace on a quaint square while playing the accordion and dancing with a Parisienne in the middle of the street (even though it happens, like in this photo that I took at the Vendanges de Mélac last September!). According to this article and this Wikipedia entry some people cannot cope with this bad news and are so disappointed that they have to see a psychiatrist... Like I said, it really sounds like a joke.

So hot!

It's La canicule (heat wave) in Paris (and in many places in France - and Europe - I hear that a lot of old people have started dying because of the heat in England). A canicule, is a long period of high temperatures during which  it does not get cold (enough) at night so that people's body has time to cool off. When it happens - rarely - old people die first. And younger ones take advantage of it to do things they would not normally do, like put their feet in public fountains, like in the photo that I took two days ago at the "new" Place de la République.  And of course, there is almost no air conditioning  in France !

Mandela day concert

I'm just back from the place de la République, where they organized a huge concert to celebrate Mandela. As you all know he turned 95 yesterday, and well, it's very likely that it's going to be his last birthday. I wanted to make a cool photo, including the Republique statue and his face, but the more I look at this photo, the more I dislike it LOL. And though it's too late to change, I have to wake up at 5 am to catch a plane, so that's all you'll get for now ;-) I'll do better tomorrow ;-) Lots of love from Paris and... to South Africa!

Notre Dame d'Espérance

There not only old churches in Paris, some new ones too. Some VERY new ones even... Like this one inaugurated in 1997, located at rue de la Roquette in the Bastille aerea in front of which I passed several times without finding the righ angle to shoot! This time I went for the "closer to God" angle ;-) Thank you for your best wishes yesterday; I'm still not recovered (this photo is not fresh of the day!), but I hope to be better tomorrow.

Dancing the salsa in Paris

Last evening I went to a Microsoft press conference at the Cuba Compagnie, a Cuban style café near Bastille and on the way out I noticed that there was a Salsa session going on on the ground floor (apparently organized by a "coconut water" drink. So I took a photo... Salsa dancing is very popular in France - so is Cuba - and you find many places where to dance it - and/or learn it - in Paris. I like this photo because of its colors and energy. 

Playing with water

On the "new" Place de la République, there is a sprinkler fountain (I don't know how to describe it exactly) coming up from the ground and children love it! Yesterday I was passing there and I saw two kids dressed in flashy raincoats playing in the water and I could not help but running and taking a photo. I hope that this will put a smile on your face, like it did on mine!

The mayor of Paris...

I very rarely showed you the mayor of Paris for I thought you probably weren't that much interested in French (local) politics, but for once I'll make an exception. First because, he was this morning at Place de la République for its reopening (it's been totally renovated, I'll show it to you later...) - he's the man in the grey suit shaking hands (he a politician, remember?) - and because he'll leave his office next year which gives way to a new race between two - or three - female candidates (and if you want to know how I took this photo, visit my Facebook wall!)

Beauty of decay

Today's theme day within the City Daily Photo community is "The beauty of decay". I must say that I really did not know what to post! I thought of digging something into my street garbage cans(!), but I quickly gave up! Instead I chose this shot that I took a few months ago that shows a "decaying" building somewhere in Paris. Whenever this happens graffiti artists take advantage of this "open air canvas" to turn it into a fancy (well sort of...) painting. So here you go... (I know it's a little far fetched!). Check other "decaying scenes" throughout the world!

Spring!

Here I am talking about spring again, but this time not about the season, about this water spring (OK, it's more a fountain than a spring ;-)) that I found this morning in the 11th arrondissement. I did my magic Tenin perspective again and voilà! Much ado about nothing, I know, but still the effect is cool ;-) Facts and figures: there are 498 fountains and 3 official springs in Paris, we're surely not at risk to die of thirst... Off to a little packing now, I have to catch a plane today, remember?

Paris Carnival 2013

It was a busy weekend in Paris! Many exhibitions and two parades: one to celebrate the Chinese new year and another one for the Paris Carnival. For yes, even if it's not exactly like in Rio, we do have a carnival in Paris! I've been following it for a couple of years now and it's always fun. It rained and snowed a bit yesterday so it was not easy for the people to march, but it allowed me to take interesting photos, like this one where you can see the reflection on the pavement. I have many more, but no time to select them yet...

Crème de la crème... de marrons!

This is not something very Parisian, but surely very French. It's called Crème de marrons (chestnut spread), it's made by a French manufacturer from Ardèche (a region in the center of France) named Clément Faugier (named after the founder of the company in 1882) and well it's really good! There is very little chance that you can find it near you as, only 15% of the production is exported. You'll have to come here to test it! Have a nice Sunday in the snow or on the beach...