King Kong in Paris!

Remember yesterday? I told you I went to the Palais de la Découverte for the launch of a new service. Well in this Museum, they are also running an exhibit about Gorillas and to attract visitors (well, I suppose so...) they had the idea of putting a "real" one outside the Palace. It is very impressive and it's so well made that, at first, you think it's alive!

Cocktail in Le Palais de la découverte

Yesterday evening I attended the launch of a new search engine called Accoona. This launch took place in Le Palais de la Découverte, a huge palace off the Champs Elysées dedicated to science and technology (it's a great place for kids to learn about physics, nature, space...). I caught on "film" these two guests who were discussing by the main entrance door. I love the light.

A ball of red, s'il vous plaît!

Although the French drink less and less wine (70 liters per person per year in 2005 vs 160 liters in 1965!) it is still pretty common to order a "ballon de rouge" ("ball balloon of red", after the shape of the glass) in a bar or a restaurant. Some even drink that in the morning... As for this photo, I took it at lunch time in a restaurant in Le Marais (4th arrondissement) from the first floor.

The real Moulin Rouge

You may have seen the film and thought "oh this cannot be true" and though yes, The Moulin Rouge does exist and dancers still dance the Cancan there! Of course, between the real thing and the romantic old fashioned story that was depicted in the movie, there is a huge difference. But still, the Moulin Rouge is a pretty effective attraction in Paris and I would surely recommend it.

New Paris Museum

I's not everyday that a new 97 000 sq feet (9 000 m2, exluding the gardens) museum opens in a city. And though that is exactly what happened last week in Paris. This new museum, called Le musée du Quai Branly, is dedicated to non Western arts and has, in total, no less than 300 000 objects on display. The building itself is worth a visit for it was made by famous architect Jean Nouvel and has, on one end (the one on the photo) a quite impressive vertical 8 600 sq. feet (800 m2) garden facade composed by Patrick Blanc.

Paris Gay Pride 2006

Like every year now on the last Saturday of June, it's Gay pride day and this year made exception (especially in view of new elections next year the gays are clearly demanding a legal wedding law like in Benelux, Spain, England, Sweden...) I thought this was an excellent opportunity to take good photos... And, you know what? I took no less than 551, and I like almost none of them! This one, is the only one that has something in my opinion. 'Update: 20 additionnal ones here.)

Supermen for Superman

I always wondered how they managed to hang these huge posters on movie theaters. Now I know, they use cliff hangers! Isn't that ironic when it comes to a Superman poster?

La Samaritaine department store

Located on the right bank end of Le Pont Neuf, La Samaritaine used to be a famous department store in Paris. It was created in 1869 by Ernest Cognacq and his wife, Marie-Louise Jay and was only, at that time, "a little shop around the corner". It owes its name to a hydraulic pump installed near the Pont Neuf, which operated from 1609 to 1813. Last June (2005) it was shut because of serious securitysafety problems and it will not reopen before... 2011. In the meantime, you can still have dinner at the Kong, located on the last floor of the building- in a safe environment! Very trendy and very good.

Fete de la musique

Yesterday was the Fête de la musique (music celebration) day. It's been taking place on the 21st of June for 25 years now. The principle is that anybody - just anybody - can play music anywhere without a permit. I loved last year's picture but I thought this one was cute. You can imagine that it was a big occasion for these two "rock stars to be" to show their talent and that half of the audience was their friends!

The hidden bridge

I thought that after all these years in Paris I would know all the bridges... Wrong! Yesterday evening, as I was walking by a new monument that I will show you on Thursday, I came across the Passerelle Debilly, a pedestrian bridge located a block away from the Eiffel Tower. Can you think of a more Parisian place to jog?

PS : Last night I also met Rodney from Aliso Viejo, CA, who is currently in Paris for a week. We had a real techie talk over a drink on rue Cler c and he kindly gave me a framed picture of his. really touching.

Protesters with guts!

This happened last week and I was really mad to have missed it. Fortunately Tomate Farcie, who was in Paris that very day, took this photo and sent it to me as soon as she returned to SF. The two guys you can see are Iranian anti nuclear protesters and, to show, their "disagreement" with their government then spent last Tuesday night on top of the Arch of Triumph. Needless to say that this is strictly forbidden, although apparently nothing serious happened to them once they "landed" and got stopped by the Police.

Tourists in Paris

It's June, it's warm(er), it's sunny... No wonder tourists start coming to Paris (speaking of which, I unfortunately missed Nahal - one regular commenter here - this week-end because I was away but I spoke to her on the phone). I thought this photo of an Italian couple on the Pont des Arts (yes, again!) wondering what they were going to visit next was a perfect example. The woman on the bicycle is definitely French! Have a nice week.

Juggling the heat

With the raging heat in Paris right now, people spend more time outside than in (you know we don't have much air conditioning here...). I came across this juggler in the gardens at Les Halles in front of Saint Eustache, and he seemed to be taking advantage of a captive audience getting relief from the sun. If only he could juggle the rain clouds a bit... To know more about juggling in Paris or somewhere near you, check out the Internet Juggling Database.

Frog hangouts

This photo is of one of several of the FrogPubs chain which was started by a couple of students studying for their MBA at Insead university. The Frog and Rosbif is their signature pub, which opened in 1993 on rue St Denis, and is now part of 6 other pubs started from a school project. Imagine the homework necessary to come up with this concept! The chain is a big success with expats, tourists, and local Parisians.

Carreful with the glasses!

Another sunset today, but not on a monument! Only on a bunch of glasses from Le Petit Zinc, a typical Belle Epoque (1900) restaurant located in the Saint Germain des Prés area. I took this photo around 10 pm. I am off to the provinces (Vichy) again until Sunday so I won't be able to reply to your comments (but I will read them with pleasure on my mobile phone!). Needless to say that the photo posting does not stop... By the way, I don't know if you noticed but there are currently 99 active City Daily Photo blogs at the moment. Which city is going to be the hundredth?!

Update: I know now who the 100th City Daily Photo Blog is! And the winner is... Indianapolis by Shelly. Congratulations...

Pont neuf at sunset

This is the Pont Neuf (New bridge). Despite its name it is not new at all but, on the contrary, it's the oldest bridge in Paris... It was started in 1578 and completed in... 1604 (the French kings needed more money for the war than for bridges then). At that time it was really something: 20 meters wide (66 feet), real sidewalks (and unusual thing at that time) and 384 Mascarons (masks sculptures in stone) on each side. And more than that, it was our picnic scenery all evening long, last Friday... (it also inspired Michel, from Spirit-of-Paris)

Put this photo on a card, calendar, mug, t-shirt, bag and more here!

World cup waiter

Yesterday evening France played its first World Cup match against the Swiss. Nobody came out as the clear winner except the bars and cafés... Around 5 pm, people started leaving the office (people usually work until 7 - 7:30 pm in Paris) and sat in a cafe or on a terrace where they could see the TV screen. In some bars, even the waiters were wearing the French football team colors, like in the Café Brébant on the Grands Boulevards (9th arrondissement).

One last cow

Not that you're cownting, but it's the second cow I posted here. The reason why I show this one today is that the cow parade is coming to an end. The "cattle" will soon be heading towards La Defense where there will be a big final round-up from June 19 to June 24 (I'll show you a photo if I can). Unfortunately, this Paris cow exhibit did not avoid damage from vandals; several of them have had to be fixed and one was even stolen a couple of days ago...

French Tennis open final

One last stop at Roland Garros, the French tennis open. This past week-end the women and men finals took place: Belgium's Justine Henin-Hardenne won for the 3rd time and Rafael Nadal defended his crown over top-ranked Roger Federer. You might not be interested in tennis but it's just for the sake of showing this picture that I took inside of the stadium this time, unlike the previous one.

Gourmet French food

I came across this row of pizza delivery scooters, all lined up and ready to go and thought you'd like to know that even we French have to take a break from gourmet food from time to time. This may come as a bit of a shock to some of you Francophiles, but we don't always spend hours in the kitchen preparing fancy meals when the kitchen can come to us! Now with the World Cup underway, the pizza companies expect huge rises in sales as people are afraid to leave their television sets. Pizza Hut ("pizza hoot" in French) has even dedicated a whole site to the World Cup here. Be sure to check out the "videos" there. You'll enjoy their tongue-in-cheek look at the change of French culture with the onset of pizza and sports.

PDP Meeting in Paris

What could be better than a picnic along the bank of the Seine with the full moon, the Pont des arts in the background and a group of Paris lovers? Oh yes, did I mention the Rosé wine, the saucisson, Fromage de tête (real one!), Cantal cheese, and good conversation. But wait, there's more... A telephone call from Buzzgirl from San Francisco to top it all off! There are more photos to come on "The making of" but it's too late now and I have to wake up very early tomorrow. I just wanted to give you a peek...

A dress to diet for...

If you can't take it off, eat your way through this dress because it's made entirely of chocolate! I came across this shot at Stohrer, a pâtisserie in business since 1730, direct from King Louis XV's court pâtisserie at Versailles. Today it is still very popular, they even have a rack-load of postcards you can buy of photos of the chocolate Easter egg designed especially for Queen Elizabeth who visited in 2004. It must have been great for business!

PS: Paris Daily Photo general meeting is today (Friday June 9). Come and meet me!

Botanical garden

Not far from the Porte d'Auteuil in the 16th arrondissement there is a spectacular botanical garden, also called Serres d'Auteuil. They have all sorts of plants and trees, including a caramel tree (that smells like caramel in fall!) and more than 5 000 plants in huge greenhouses. I shot the entrance door (well one of the entrance doors) because it reminded me of the fashion museum. The weather is superb in Paris at the moment, you should definitely come to the PDP meeting Friday evening for it will take place outside and everybody is welcome to come... (more details here).

PS: Paris Daily Photo general meeting minus 1 day (Friday June 9)

Eric's angels...

No, this is not Jacklyn, Kate nor Farrah but close! Let me introduce you to Nicola, "Sam" and Andrea, who respectively run Wiesbaden Daily Photo, Montchauvet Daily Photo and Bazainville Daily Photo. I took this photo yesterday evening while we were having a drink and good laughs at the terrace of Les Deux Magots, in the Heart of Saint Germain des prés. Without all this city daily photo thing I would have never met them, and I would have missed 3 really charming ladies.

PS: Paris Daily Photo general meeting minus 2 days (Friday June 9)

At a snail's pace...

Although I've never eaten at this restaurant, l'Escargot-Montorgueil is a Paris favourite since 1875 (Yes, we do eat snails in France!). It was founded by Mignard and Bourreau, and later, one of the owners was André Terrai, the same founder of the the hotel Georges V and famous Tour d'Argent restaurant. It has hosted some very famous people such as Sarah Bernhardt, Marcel Proust, Sacha Guitry, Georges Feydeau, Cécile Sorel, Charlie Chaplin, Mistinguett, Jean Cocteau, Picasso, and Salvador Dali. So you see, snails aren't all that bad! (And they have them in London too!)

PS: Paris Daily Photo general meeting minus 3 days (Friday June 9)

Sometimes brunch is best...

I was having brunch with some friends at Joe Allen's restaurant yesterday and fell in love with this jukebox. They just aren't something you see in French bistros, and this American restaurant really is a good setting for one. If you're looking for a good, traditional, American brunch, Joe Allen is the place to go (30 Rue Pierre Lescot, 1st arrondissement). There may even be one near you (Paris, New York, London, Miami Beach and Ogunquit).

Parisian newstand

There are about 300 newstands in Paris. It's a tough life: long hours of work, low margin (about 18%), small turnover (1/3 of the newstands make less than 170 000 € par year), not toilets (it's not a small detail!) and... a real headache to manage to put on display almost 10 000 different newspapers and magazines (about 800 new titles are created every year!).

Photo metissage

In Paris there is a famous pedestrians only bridge called "Le Pont des Arts". It is used to cross the Seine, of course, but it's also the place where young students gather at night when it's warm, or where people demonstrate (like I showed you here, for instance). At the moment it is used to exhibit the photos of Francis Gazeau, a professionnal photographer who travels the world and mixes the different shots he takes. That is why this exhibit is called "Metissage" (Mixed blood).

Roland Garros tennis tournament - the cheap seats

If you are into tennis, you are probably aware that the Roland Garros tennis tournament has just started in Paris. I went there today just to take a picture. I could have shown you a tennis court (more orange!) but instead I chose to photograph this guy sneaking a peek at a court behind the grids, from the street... Yes it's hard to get tickets!

More orange and grey mix

Sometimes the most basic things can have a tremendous effect on a photo (well, so I think!) I took this shot yesterday on my way back from work. I noticed these cones, that are used to temporarily prevent cars from parking on the sidewalk, were well aligned and offered a nice perspective and contrast. The guy who had just installed them was really puzzled that someone stopped just to take a photo of his "artistic performance".