Saturday, November 29, 2008

The Ferris Wheel is back


Like every year the Ferris wheel is back. It's located at the bottom of the Champs Elysées (actually in the Tuileries gardens on the Place de la Concorde side) and you can see it from miles away... This year, due to the Color feast I was telling you about a few days ago, it also changes color regularly. Have a nice Saturday everyone. I will be celebrating Thanksgiving with American friends tonight (I love Turkey!)

55 comments:

  1. How nice to see the Ferris wheel again. It is always something to see at night, but this is even more impressive.

    Enjoy your dinner tonight.

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  2. A lovely scene at night Eric. Have a great Turkey dinner!

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  3. That's so pretty. I'm a big fan of white and simplicity so it doesn't need to change colour for me.

    Happy Thanksgiving Dinner, Eric. Have a wonderful time.

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  4. A fabulous scene, indeed! I love ferris wheels -- especially this one. Am I seeing correctly that the little cars/seats are now enclosed??

    Enjoy the Thanksgiving feast, Eric! Happy Thanksgiving weekend, everyone. I am grateful to have found this place ... and am doing my best to stop in as often as possible. :)

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  5. Congrats on GF, Cali!
    I totally missed yesterday, due to spending the night at my mother's Internet-less home.
    Hope everyone --- including Eric, bien sur, had/has a lovely Thanksgiving!

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  6. Oh how beautiful!

    pssst Michael, guess what. Looks like I may be getting that roommate after all. He's putting his house up for sale.

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  7. Well Eric, this is the first and probably last time I will ever be able to give you a run for your money on a Paris photo! I took many photos right in this spot last week. Stop by my Paris photo diary blog sometime.
    My second trip to Paris and I left my heart again!!! V

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  8. Lovely. My old college French-English dictionary translates Thanksgiving as "le jour d'action de graces," which is also so lovely. Salut!

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  9. First Guille send me several picutres of macaron trees, then Eric posts a photo of one of Paris bridges and now this????!!!!

    Enough.

    When is the next flight to Paris?

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  10. Have a lovely evening Eric, hope your celebration was amazing and the turkey delicious!

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  11. Hey...thats a lovely pic!! night shots like this are always beautiful.

    I guess the ferris wheel never fails to bring out the child in all of us!!!

    Merci (that sums up my knowledge of french!!) :-)

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  12. Ah what a great photo! I would love to ride the ferris wheel at night and see all the lights of Paris down below.

    Cali I hope you put lights all over your GF crown like in this photo!

    Have a fun Thanksgiving dinner tonight Eric. I'll be interested to know what you ate! I just finished my turkey leftovers. Mmm.

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  13. great shot of the ferris wheel Eric & happy thanksgiving!

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  14. One of the few thing that frighten me is riding the ferris wheel... I do love looking at it and it is near where I will be staying..

    The Wizard said it would be beautiful to ride at night.. hmmm perhaps I can overcome my fear long enough to try it. After all, once I'm on it, I can't get off until it comes around again.

    Enjoy the turkey with your friends.. We are still enjoying yesterday's leftovers.

    Just 16 more days and I leave for Paris.. oh joy!

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  15. Boy O boy, I take a couple of days off and Eric hits me with a 1-2 punch! Gorgeous photos yesterday and today, Eric!

    Cali I bet your GF crown sparkles! Does it also rotate?

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  16. This is a beauty, Eric. Thank you! I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving celebration.

    Karen, this one doesn't look too big. Might be worth a try. Let us know!

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  17. tres cool. love, love ferris wheels. eric - after your turkey, you will probably have a nice nap. enjoy.

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  18. It looks so classy like this at night. I really like the way the little chairs are lit up too.

    Soosha_Q, I need details please. We may have to have a midnight talk to go over his intentions. Hmmmph!

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  19. I can't believe what I'm looking at this morning! Too tired to post last night. I'd walked the whole of the Shops Elysee just to get some night time color shots and when I got to the bottom - Surprise!!! The ferris wheel was moving - I'd seen it before, but it was always still and I thought it was too late in the year; thought it was one Paris dream that would go unfulfilled.

    But No!! It was moving!! So, last night I got My Ferris Wheel Ride!!! : ) It was wonderful. (And I'll pretend Eric was down there taking my picture as a souvenir!)

    The rest of the day included seeing a trial at the Palais de Justice and feeling like I'd wandered into a Daumier drawing; seeing all of the really, really wonderful exhibits at the Petit Palais, the Musee Marmotton and Brancusi's Atelier; going back to take night shots of the lights at Printemps and Galeries Lafayette as well as from the top of the Arc de Triomphe; and walking through the upscale 16th to the Trocadero.

    During this last I arrived at a street that ended suddenly with streetlamps overlooking some monumental steps which led down to a statue of Camoens between two tall Art Nouveau apartment buildings. Framed between leafy branches, over the steps and between the buildings, huge and glowing blue, was the Eiffel Tower - a view I've never seen and hope I captured.

    The best view of the night, though -- was from the ferris wheel! :) :) :)

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  20. I also have an important question, too. I'm leaving in a couple days and I've never had an apartment concierge, as I do with this apartment. He's helped me with a couple things.

    I don't know if its proper to tip him in some way and how much, or if that's offensive. Can anyone help?

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  21. Magical - really magical.

    PS Your best profile pic so far, Guille. (See yesterday's comments box.)

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  22. well ,as ı am from Turkey thank you for loving Turkey :) or should ı say turkey?

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  23. C'est magnifique, on dirait un flocon de neige géant...Blue and white, so classy. Perfect harmony.

    Monica, the plane leaves at 3.25pm, hurry up! ;)

    Thanks Lucio! Just a classic black and white.

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  24. Wow, that is a grand ferris wheel! Enjoy your Thanksgiving meal :)

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  25. Carrie
    Most concierges will appreciate the gesture as long as you don't give too little.
    Personally, given the length of your stay in Paris and if there is only one concierge, I would write a thank you note and insert a 50 Euros inside the card.

    Hey Cali... GF... well done :)

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  26. Oh, the Ferris wheel looks so pretty! I am coming to Paris this week so I will be sure to take a spin!

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  27. Oh Michael, don't be jealous! His intentions, and mine, are to share living expenses so we can afford to live!!! Man, things are expensive around here!!!

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  28. Rose, I think that your advice is perfect.
    Carrie, follow it!
    I was not able to answer her since I give money to the concierge once a year, in January (les étrennes).

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  29. Guille, I´m afraid I missed the plane.... worry not, 2009 is just around the corner and I´ll WILL catch my plane to Paris sometime during the first semester.

    What is "les étrennes"?

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  30. Karen: the scariest part about the Ferris wheel is the cost for the ride! The views are wonderful and worth any fear you might momentarily feel. I only wish I could join you. :(

    The crown has loads of lights added and I will toss it from the very top of the wheel around midnight, right Eric? Alexa, Katie, ETSuzy, Lynn, and Rose: get ready to catch!

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  31. Comments here are really witty ;) Love that.

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  32. Am at someone else's house and didn't want to monopolize their computer -- but need to say:
    Great shot, comme toujours, Eric!
    Also, congrats on GF, Cali.
    And Nancy, when I was in Paris a long time ago, we always jokingly called Thanksgiving "le jour de merci donnant."

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  33. Monica, I can't wait!
    Les étrennes are money we give to the caretaker, the postman, the firemen etc... It's a New Year gift to thank them for the job they did for us during the year. It's not compulsory but it's a tradition. I don't know if it's typically French though. I don't think so. I know that English have their Christmas Box Day.
    Rose, Lynn, is it the same?

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  34. I think that Eric posted a picture about that last year. I've to check.

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  35. A simply stunning photo, Eric! And since Virginia mentions it, I will have to look for her shot of it, too, to see if she did "give you a run for your money."

    Hey, that looks like a slightly different avitar shot of you, but from the same sitting. I love that colorful background.

    Today is Ham's 3rd blogoversary for London Daily Photo. Was his the first to come out after yours, Eric?

    Keep warm out there during those night shots. I've started wearing my fingerless gloves during night shoots. It helps!
    Cheers,
    -Kim
    Seattle Daily Photo

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  36. I'm READY Caliiiiiii ! :) Arms out waiting.

    Guille yes we have Boxing Day which originates from when bosses or landowners would give out gifts to workers. It was traditionally a few pence, in a small box. It was usually given out the day after Christmas, hence the name of Boxing Day for the 26th.
    Nowadays, the term 'Christmas Box' is rarely used (some older people still do) but workers now refer to a Christmas Bonus or Christmas Tips for service. Hope that helps!

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  37. Anonyme I love the wit too. We all compete for the best lines I think. Er, well, I don't of course (innocent grin) - MOI?

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  38. Monica, get back a bit, Cali can't see me directly to throw the crown! Guille, stop pushing! I was here first, Carrie - get in line Alexa! OUCH!

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  39. Lynn - LOL - & thanks everyone for the help!'

    Today was extrapolation day. As I sat in the gorgeous white and gold St. Louis en Ile, hearing the bells calling the people to mass, the sound reverberating through my body, I thought what how intense it must have been at those times in Paris' history when all the bells in all the churches have rung as one to raise the city. That close and deep way to communicate with everyone is still right at hand. I can't think of anything like it in the US - TV, radio or internet aren't the same. (Sorry I don't know how to put links in for all these things.)

    Also, I returned to Parc Monceau and, as it was warmer than the other day, it was alive with kids and parents. Probably, many of the parents had played there, too. You could see how the kids were forming memories that would be so strong. I realized that the Parc must be a part of the psyche's of generations of Parisians. (Check Google Earth to see it!)

    I also found the Four Season's Fountain in the 7th - it's in massive scale on a tiny street -like looking at an IMAX film, you can't see the whole thing without turning your head. And, totally unprepared, I wandered into St. Clothilde's which had the most amazing height and stunning windows. I think I've found a second favorite!

    Finally, at the Musee Cernuschi, next to the Nissim de Camondo, I saw absolute treasures of Asian art in a mansion built just to house them.

    Paris truly is a treasure trove. I can't believe I only have two days more! : (

    Butthen,its all good; everything is just as it should be. : )

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  40. PS - for those collecting visiting sites, I forgot to mention the Musee de Plans Relief the other day. It's at the Invalides and has a huge room full of massive scale models of fortified ports that was part of the war room for centuries.

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  41. Hey, Ham is three blog years old over at London Daily Photo! Gosh he IS old isn't he. lol! If you haven't already, why not pop over there and let him know. Nicely. LOL.

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  42. I have always loved the Ferris Wheel..it reminds me of my youth! Great shot and the colors are sharp and interesting!! Hope your Turkey Dinner was Deeee-Licious!!

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  43. Monica
    WHat is this business of you flying to Paris? Didn't we agree that you will come to England and THEN (if I allow you) you may go to Paris? lol
    x

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  44. Rose, keep your hands off. It's the other way around. Monica flies to Paris, eats as many macarons as she wants, then if the AIRLINES allow her to board with the extra weight she'll come over to England for a day, maybe two...

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  45. Rose and Michael you don't need to fight!!!

    I must confess one thing: the only sure thing about 2009 is that I AM going to Paris AND England, in which order, that is still going to be decided...

    Michael, what was that remark about extra weight??!!! I won't get fat because I'll compensate all the macarons that I'll eat by walking all over Paris, among other things, visiting all the museums that
    PHX will advise me to see (since she's the speciallist in parisian museums here!)

    See, I have a plan. ;-)

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  46. Guille,
    we have the tiping box here too by the time Xmas arrive.
    We name it "caixinha" which literally means "small box"

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  47. Monica, you should consult with Carrie, too. She's becoming an expert! She's been to about ten museums a day on her trip...

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  48. Hello from New York! Happy Thanksgiving. The color is beautiful at night.

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  49. Petrea: thanks for the tip, I will do that!

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  50. Eric;
    Long time since I have commented here. Sorry to learn you were in NYC and I missed you. BTW - nice photo here.

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  51. Thanks for sharing in our uniquely American autumn holiday, Eric! You should come do it over on this side of the pond sometime. :)

    I would really enjoy a ride on this ferris wheel, looking over Paris, enjoying the company of someone I love...how fun!

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