The big ferris wheel is back

between the end of June and August, there is usually a small - very small - amusement park in the Jardin des Tuileries (on the Louvre side). Its main attraction is a huge Ferris Wheel, located on the Louvre side of the gardens. Last evening, on the way back from a house warming party of a friend I photographed it just at dusk. The sky was cloudy but still a little blue, it was really stunning. I'm not sure I managed to catch this scene exactly as I experienced it though.

L'Espérance

If you happen to be in Paris these days (until the end of August) you have to stop by La Madeleine church. They currently have on display (all around the church) a few sculptures by Louis Derbré which are absolutely stunning. This one is called L'Espérance (hope), it is pretty tall and it's really beautiful.I must confess I did not know who Louis Derbré was, but I found out he used to "hang out" with Maillol and Rodin in the 60s, so no wonder he's talented! Have a look at some other photos I took there.

An Iceberg on the Seine

You might have heard the story already... An iceberg was just found in Paris on the Seine, by the Eiffel tower! I went to check myself and here is the photo I came back with. This 16 meter (52 foot) high "thing" is not made of ice, but of plastic and is actually inflatable. It was installed yesterday morning by Greenpeace to draw the attention of President Sarkozy on climate change while the G8 summit is taking place (in Italy). I don't know if it will have much influence, but what I can tell you is that the media coverage was really remarkable. If you want to see other points of view, just click here.

Do I have Le Bac?

Le Baccalaureat (more often called "Le Bac") is a very important exam in the life of a French person; without it, you cannot go to university. The 2009 results were this morning and I happened to pass by a Lycée (high- school) at ten, right when they opened the doors. I could not help but stop and take a photo (which, of course, is forbidden - the principal made that clear to me!). It reminded me of my own Bac which put a smile on my face... Let me congratulate the 622 322 students that took the Bac this year, of which 487 900 succeeded (78,4%)!

Visit the Champs Elysées right now!

Last evening I went to the Champs Elysées especially for you to take this street plate. The reason why is that yesterday (Monday) I received a press release announcing the opening of a new 360° photo site that allows you to visit the most famous street of Paris "without having the burden" of taking the plane to come here! Click here and try it. It's fun.

Paris, such a green city!

Paris is said to be much less green than other big European cities like London or Berlin, but trees and grass do manage to make their way through concrete! And more precisely, according to Wikipedia, we have 450 "green spots" including: 2 woods (almost 20% of Paris surface), 16 parks, 137 gardens, 274 squares, plus a few walkways and other miscellaneous surfaces. I took this photo at La Pelouse de Reuilly, in the 12th arrondissement (and no, before you ask, I did not photoshop the green!)

Paris, really?

I could have taken this photo in a little village somewhere down in the South of France or in Italy, but no, I took it in the middle of Paris, in the 2nd arrondissement right after they cleaned the street. I'm not 100% happy with it - it would have looked better if the two ladies where more in the middle of the street - but I like it globally. That is also what I love with Paris: you can find yourself in a very modern area then walk down a few blocks and go back in time a few centuries!

Happy 4th of July

I know I have a lot of American visitors and since today is the 4th of July I thought I would celebrate with a very French American citizen: David Lebovitz. David left the Bay area in 2002 to settle down in Paris and live off his precious art: making des[s]ert (and teaching people how to make them). I see him very rarely but last weekend I caught him in the middle of a book signing (his latest: the sweet life in Paris) at La Cocotte, a bookshop specializing in food. Do pay a visit to David's blog if you're into food and are looking for tips about eating out in Paris. And once again: happy 4th of July to my American visitors ;-)

Resting in Les Tuileries

I went to Les Tuileries Gardens last night for a professional event that took place in what they call "L'orangerie éphémère" (The temporary orangerie). I did not find anything interesting to photograph there, but on the way out, I felt like taking [a photo of!] these two ladies, having some rest by the pond after a hot day (you can see the storm coming up in the sky). FYI, les Tuilerie gardens are said to be the first public gardens in Paris. Apparently it was Louis the XIVth, after he commissioned famous gardener André Le Notre to design them, who decided that Parisians would be granted to right to walk through them every year on June 24!

Photo exercise

It may come as a surprise to some of you but I know nothing about the basics of photography. I always use the automatic settings, I "cheat" when I need it (for instance to obtain a blurry effect in the background) and I use Photoshop from time to time to fix my mistakes... Yes, that is the naked truth! But wait... Don't give up on me. Today I took my first photo lesson with these people and this photographer in particular (who happens to have worked with the 6 billion others project with Yann Artus Bertrand - remember this photo?). We went to the Palais Royal gardens, I took a lot of shots, but I finally kept this one. Now I know everything about field depth (see the result in the making of)! Update: this photo has been featured on Sportedbylocals.

If the sky was empty ?

Today is the 1st of the month and, as usual, it's a theme day. Today's theme is: "Empty". I must say I had a lack of inspiration... And then I thought of a song by Alain Souchon - a French singer - who sang a few years ago a song called "Et si en plus y a personne!" in which the lyrics would go "If the sky was empty?". So let me offer you an - almost empty - Paris sky. That's all ;) Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Paris Gay Pride 2009

Last weekend was really busy. After the group moonwalk that I posted yesterday, I rushed to Bastille, to reach the end of the 2009 Paris Gay Pride. It was not very different from last year of course, only this time I've tried to get a broader view, in order to get a Paris monument in the picture... Here you go! This big dome in the background belongs to the Pantheon and it's located 1,25 mile away from where I took the photo (yes, it was a clear day!). Like always I took a zillion photos. Have a look at this little Animoto if you want to see them.

Group Moonwalk in Paris

Michael Jackson must be happy if he sees what turmoil his death did to the world! There were several celebrations given in his honor last weekend in Paris including two "giant moonwalks". I went to one of them, rue Oberkampf, in the 11th and it was quite fun to see the happy faces. I took many photos of course, but I chose this one in the end. If you miss the motion, have a look at the videos taken by the zillion spectators! [Sorry for the late posting, I made a mistake setting the post date!]

Where is Amir?

Today is not the first day of the month and though the City Daily Photo bloggers have arranged a "sub theme day" to support Amir, the owner of a daily photo blog from Tehran called Tehranlive.org, who has been reported missing - well at least who stopped blogging - since June 17, 2009. We are all concerned about his situation and we want him back! More in this forum, and, like for all theme days click here to view thumbnails for all participants. [update] Amir is safe and sound with his family, as reported on Oeirasdailyphoto.

Paris, the city of Music

I spent the evening listening to American hit songs... You think I remained glued to my TV, watching all of the Michael Jackson tributes don't you?! All wrong. I went to a show called, "Trois Américains à Paris", starring 3 excellent performers. They sang all the classics (The Sound of music, Cabaret, Singin'in the Rain, An American in Paris, That's Entertainment, Yentl...). I had a very nice time. It was the last performance, so, even if you're in Paris now, you won't be able to see it (not to mention that if you're in Paris, you probably don't want to listen to American songs!). However, if you want to listen to music in Paris at the moment check Les Musicals, a festival that is currently taking place in Paris (have a look at what they did at Sacré Coeur for their opening).

Somewhere in Le Sentier

I told you already how I think the 2nd arrondissement - and more precisely the area we call Le Sentier - will be the new up and coming area of Paris. Well, for the time being, the buildings - and some of the people! - are pretty old and need renewal (what the town hall is currently trying to promote actually). You still have old lanterns, like the ones that were used at the time of gas.

Eglise Saint Séverin

I was at a product launch party last night and I thought the place was going to be nice enough to make a decent photo. In fact there was nothing interesting about it... So instead let me show you the back of the cloister of Eglise Saint-Séverin, a church that you can find in the Latin Quarter, in front of which I pass every morning on my way to work. It's a beautiful place, that you must visit if you're in the neighborhood

Typical Paris Skyline

Last evening I helped a friend to pack a few things before his removal. He lives by the Square des Epinettes, a public garden located in the 17th arrondissement. When I saw the view he can enjoy from his apartment (he lives on the last floor of a 7 story building) I grabbed my camera and shot! As you can see all these buildings have different shapes and sizes and their facades are much more simple than Haussmanian style buildings that were built after these ones.

Champs de mars

I passed by the Champs de Mars today. The weather was so beautiful that I had to stop! When I saw this kid on the scooter, I thought it would be perfect to have him in the foreground while the Eiffel tower would be in the back. I rushed, took several photos and finally selected this one because of the composition, the colors and the fact that he does not face the camera. The monument you can see in between the Eiffel Tower and him is the Peace Wall that I already mentioned in 2005.

Fête de la musique 2009

I'm just back from Nice but I managed to offer you a photo of La fête de la musique (the Feast of Music) in Paris! I took it on place du Châtelet, one of the many locations where music is celebrated throughout France. The French are pretty proud to have "invented" - in 1982 - this feast which now takes place in about 120 countries throughout the world! This year's theme was "50 years of French songs". If you are into French songs and can read French, then you will have hours of fun on the exceptionally comprehensive website that the Culture Ministry made especially for the occasion. Here, for instance, you can listen and/or download the scores of 5 memorable tunes. And here you can take a quiz. I did - the simplest - and I only got 75%! Shame on me...

Perpendicular Parking!

I'm sure you know what parallel parking is all about, but have you ever heard of mixed parallel/perpendicular parking?! Well, in Paris, we have and here is an example! Smart Cars are so small that some of their owners think they can park either way. Hence, this example that I took near my home. A Smart Car is 2,50 meters long, whereas an average car is 2 meters wide, so it's not that bad... I'm not sure that the Police agree with that though. That is all I just wanted to show you a bit of Parisian life on this Father's Day (for us).

Jardin Ephémère 2009

Amazing what they do in front of the Hôtel de ville (town hall)! You may remember the French tennis Open recently, or the ice rink last winter, now they installed a giant temporary garden (un jardin éphémère) like last year, and the year before. This time, I found it a little less impressive (there is no pond!), but I suppose it's still interesting if you're into all these gardening stuff  (I'm not, I'm a city boy, LOL!). Everyday you may even want to talk to some Paris gardeners (there are many many!) as they organize little gatherings to answers Parisians' questions. Isn't that cool?

Recycling Party

I'm just back from a "Recycling party"! It took place at a famous concert hall in Paris, called l'Alhambra (near Republique) where the European Recycling Platform teamed up with No Major Musik, a music producer in order to organize a big concert to stimulate the recycling of electronic goods. Thus, anybody who showed up with something electronic to recycle was granted free access to the concert. Clever idea for a pretty boring topic, isn't?! PS: I'm off fro 3 days in the South of France, but I'll feed you with photos of Paris as if I was still in my beloved city ;-)

Biking in Paris

Sorry, I have to get up very early tomorrow and it's late already so you won't have a caption today, just a photo ;) Why don't you make your own, then I'll use the best!

10 PM update. OK, though choice of course. I loved - and laughed at - TF's words, but it's more a report than a real caption. I blushed - and also laughed - at Michael's one (New Paris Monument unveiled) but it would be a little vain for me to pick this one. So I'm happy to declare Drummond the winner of the day with:

"Latest Paris Velib is eco disaster, say critics!"

The Mairie de Paris (sounds familar) was roundly criticised by enviromental groups today after unveiling its new Velib prototype. Despite the cost of over 10,000 Euros per unit, their anger was targeted mainly at the environmental impact of 20,000 additional motorcycles on the streets of Paris.
Following on from proposals to turn the Tour de France into a motorcycle event, this latest bombshell did not go down well with both traditionalists and Green campaigners alike. Both President Sarkozy and his Wife are keen 'bikers',as is the Mayor of Paris. "In the name of equality why shouldn't everyone have a Harley just like us?" they declared in a joint statement issued earlier today.

Paris Paname!

Last evening I had a business party on a boat by the Eiffel Tower. It was very nice. Not far from the boat I was on, I saw this one and it made me realize I never told you about "Paname". Paname is a slang name we give to Paris on some occasions that are difficult to explain - namely when we think of the city as an exotic place! Apparently this nickname was first given to those Parisians who wore Panama hats at the beginning of the 20th century.

Playing with color and black and white

Here is another one of our famous street artists. His name is Miguel Donvez, aka "Mimi the clown" and you can see several of his stencils in the streets of Paris (I think I took this photo in the 6th arrondissement). Anyway, have a look at his website if you want to know more about him (it's also in English). This stencil made me think of a little animation film made by a group of students from the Paris VIII university where color and black and white, play a large role. Have a look...

Paris?

City Daily Photo police: "And you think we're going to believe you took this photo in Paris?". Eric: "I swear, Officer, I did, in the 8th arrondissement!" Pfff... I did not end up in jail, but you've gotta say,it's hard to believe, isn't? This pagoda used to be an old Louis-Philippe style building that a yound student that became an art dealer at the begining of the 20th century (Mr Ching Tsai Loo,) had turned into a pagoda. Very impressive. You cannot really visit it, but if you happen to go to the Jacquemart-André museum, well it's not very far: it's located at 48, rue de Courcelles.

Open air Opera at Le Sénat

Call me lucky because I'm just back from the Luxembourg gardens where I attended a unique performance of Rigoletto (an opera by Verdi, with this famous aria, I'm sure you know). Every year for the past 9 years, between June and September, Le Sénat (the Senate), welcomes l'Opéra en plein air (the open air opera). The weather was great and the performance stunning. I'm very grateful to my neighbour who gave me these tickets to thank me for helping her out with her computer ;-)

Fiddler on the sidewalk...

Look what I found near the Palais Royal. A nice little chamber orchestra playing for the passers by. FYI, you need a written authorization to play music in the streets of Paris, otherwise the police may ask you to stop, "bail" your instruments or fine you... Have a nice Saturday everyone, I'm off to bed after a pretty long week (imagine, 5 days of work!)

Le dîner en blanc 2009

Like last year, and the year before I went to the white dinner party (Le dîner en blanc), only this year I was too tired to do the whole thing, I just went to take photos. It took place at La Concorde, a dream place to be having dinner outside in Paris. Like always there were a lot of people and the atmosphere was really good and very chic ;-). I took a zillion photos, of course. I gathered my 34 favorite ones in a little Animoto that you can watch here. BTW, this masked gentleman is Nicolas Mazet and he his an art gallery owner in the 8th arrondissement.