All aboard for 2012!

Yes, another year has gone by... and a new one is just around the corner! Even though Europe is in the middle of a crisis there is still hope, and I thought this cute little scene (taken of a window at Les Galeries Lafayette) was ideal to send a rather festive and "moving forward" message! For me it'll be an important year: firstly, because there are going to be many developments with polltogo, and secondly, because I will celebrate the 7th anniversary of PDP in March! More than ever, I wish you a very, very happy new year, wherever you may be in the world.

Almost time...

We have an expression in French that goes "se mettre sur son 31", which means to dress up for a special occasion. Nobody knows its origins, but some people believe it's linked to December 31, the day people usually dress up well to celebrate the end of the year... I don't buy this version, but this window made me think of it and I  thought it was appropriate for new year's eve eve! Hold your breath everyone... only one day left!

White trees

Here are some more Christmas decorations... You can see them almost everywhere in Paris at the moment and they look pretty cool and festive, especially towards the end of the day when it starts getting dark... And who had this "brilliant" idea? A chic clothing chain store? The Paris town hall? A plant store? All wrong! It's Mc Donald's of course LOL! For the record, I took this photo at lunch when... Yes, when I grabbed a Chicken Ceasar salad at a Mc Donal'ds restaurant near me!

Mini Karl

Thank you very much for all nice words after yesterday's post, I wish they could lighten my friend's sorrow... The show must go on they say, so here is a view of one of the Christmas windows of Le Printemps (one of the main department stores in Paris) that I took last evening on the way back from a dinner with friends. It shows a bunch of mini Karl (Lagerfeld) in various situations. Really funny!

Life is not a bed of roses

Sorry, after dealing with loneliness yesterday, I just learned about 15 minutes ago, that a friend of mine just lost his 21 year old son in a car accident, and I'm really devastated. Of course such accidents happen daily everywhere in the world, but it seems so unfair (as if death was fair, of course...) that tears can easily come to your eyes when it happens to someone you know. I remembered taking this photo a few weeks ago (at the Pont de l'Alma, just above the tunnel where Diana had a car accident) and, well, as ridiculous as it sounds, it's my way of thinking of my friend right now.

Loneliness

I know it's not the happiest photo to post after a rather festive weekend, but I was so moved by this elderly lady, that I could not help but taking a photo. She caught my attention because I first saw her digging into a public garbage can located at the entrance of the passage where I live. She then walked into the passage, where I took this shot and I found her to look very lonely.

Merry Christmas 2011!

Original? Nope! Seasonal? After all traditions aren't that bad, are they?! While you see this photo I'll be filling my stomach with unnecessary fattening food and exchanging gifts with people who already have everything! But I'll also be surrounded with a lot of people I love, so it's well worth it! Again, have a great Christmas eve everyone (for those of you who celebrate), watch for your stockings (if you haven't been naughty of course...) and come here and let us know what Santa brought you;-) I will... BTW I took this photo at the entrance of my gym. If you notice, someone stuck a "Merro" on top of the "Merry" sign. I really wonder what that means...

Caught in the act!

So I did have to go out today (to pick up my latest presents I ordered online!) and I could not resist grabbing one of these excellent crèpes that they sell everywhere at the moment. I had a chestnut one stuffed with crème de marron (only in French, I did not see any entry in English spread). Yummy! The woman was really wondering why I would take that many photos during her making the crèpe ;-) Anyway, I thought this would put a smile on your face to see how greedy I am (and why I have to go to the gym every other day LOL!) Have a wonderful Christmas eve tonight everyone, for those of you who celebrate Christmas of course.

One horse town (hall)!

I'm so behind on my work right now, that I really did not have any minute to horse around today ;-) Except for a short visit to the gym at dawn this morning (yes, people!), I did not go out at all... Therefore I did not have the chance to take my photo du jour. So let me use this one, that I took about a month ago at the Paris Town hall and that I really like. I never posted it because I have no information what's so ever about this stunning sculpture.

Christmas market

I think I have never shown that many times the Eiffel Tower on PDP than this past month! This time it's from the side of the Trocadero, where, on top of the ice rink, they also have a marché de noël (Christmas market)  where you can find anything from Russian dolls to gluewein and French cheeses! Always a great success, and the presence of the iron lady in the background adds a little flavour to it. Last days to complete your Christmas shopping everyone... Mine's completed (99% online this year!)

Restaurant "Derrière"

Today (well Tuesday) I had lunch with the communications manager of Fotolia, who took me to an amazing restaurant I never knew of. It's called Le Derrière and it's really a place you have to visit if you come to Paris. It's a 3 story building (pretty old - it's located in Le Marais, near the Pompidou Center) with many rooms that you can rent out for a party (like this one in the photo). The ground floor is more like a "classic" restaurant even though the decor is everything, but classic! Have a look at a few other shots on the Making of... And read a critic by La Fourchette.

Culture menu!

Paris bridges and buildings offer a wide variety of photo opportunities I agree, but sometimes the most casual scenes you come across also make interesting photos. Hence this one, that I took last night at the Pompidou Center, where I attended Le Carrefour des Possibles, a very interesting event - in which they used polltogo, which, of course, made it even more interesting ;). On the way out, I saw this perfectly lit big panel which lists the Pompidou Center events of the month and pulled out my camera as quickly as I could!

From the Alexander III bridge

Yesterday I watched an excellent documentary about the guys who created two of the most famous car brands in France: Louis Renault and André Citroën (watch it in catch up TV if you can in your country). Not only was the story interesting (especially for us French), but on top of that you could see some footage from the beginning of the century (the last one!). They even showed the inauguration of the Alexander III bridge at the time of the 1900 world exhibition, when the economy of France - and of the Western world in general - was really booming. One of the most fascinating aspects of this bridge, was that it was fully lit by stunning art deco art nouveau street lamps. One of which you can see in this photo that I took early in the morning....

Time for the Christmas tree...

After several years of abstinence, I've decided to have a Christmas tree this year! Important decision: which kind (the one that is cheaper, but loses its needles after a week or the one that lasts until mid January?!), where (on line, delivered to your door or at the florist's around the corner), how sophisticated (fake snow, glowing candles, electric garlands...). God did I really need to add more decision making to my life LOL?! I went for the expensive type, around the corner. As for the decoration, I still need to go to the cellar to find out what's left.... Have you made yours yet?

The first food truck in Paris

It may not be the best photo you'll find on PDP, but I absolutely wanted to share this slice of Parisian news that I just came across with, by coincidence. This, lady and gentlemen, is a "gourmet" food truck and It may not seem very extraordinary to you, but for us Parisians it is! It's called Le camion qui fume ("the truck that smokes") and it was "invented" by chef Kristin, a Californian girl (what a surprise!) who came to Paris to attend a cooking school (Ferrandi). The interesting part is that she also seems to be an expert at promoting the concept on the Internet (Website, Facebook, Twitter... you name it). I photographed the truck at Place de la Madeleine, but it moves everyday. I wish her all the success she deserves and next time I see the truck, I will surely try the food (see a review on this blog and/or this one).

Encore!

Sometimes I really wonder who is behind a graffiti? I found this one in Le Marais - I don't remember well exactly - and I simply liked the graphical design. Encore in French means "again" (but we don't "encore" artists on stage like you do in English, we "bis" them!); Anyway I will probably never find out what this mysterious sign is all about. Sorry for the lack of inspiration, but I'm super busy at the moment... (Not to forget that I still have my Christmas shopping in my to do list!)

Co-working in Paris

Last evening I went to a book launch (the French version of a book by American author Nancy Duarte, dedicated to the art of presenting, published in France by Diateino, a publishing house I'm proud to support). The book sure looks interesting, but the place where the event took place was also worth the look. It's called Soleilles Cowork and, as you can deduct from its name, it's a place you can rent by the hour to work or organize a meeting in one of their stunning meeting rooms where I took this photo... I know what you're thinking: "working in a place like this cannot be really work!" And yet, it is...

Spinning around the Eiffel Tower...

Do you remember the merry-go-round I already mentioned about a month ago for being one of the rare - if not the only - eco-friendly on the planet? Well I passed by it yesterday evening again and this time it was dark. So I took this photo. It's a bit cliché of course, but, well it's also nice to look at. "Pourquoi bouder son plaisir ?" as we say in French ("why frown on pleasure?").

Press conference

Today I attended a press conference at the Pavillon de l'Arsenal - a must visit museum dedicated to the Paris architecture. The purpose of the conference was to announce the launch of a very innovative digital map (a team work of Google and Paris), in which you can see "the future Paris" in 3D. How is that possible? Simply because some of the main architectural projects have been digitally embedded into the giant interactive map that can be seen in the Pavillon. It was really fascinating, but, call me weird, I was even more fascinated by the glow in the dark green shows of Ms Dominique Alba, General Manager of the Pavillon who introduced the project to us ;-) Make sure you also see the making of.

Skating by the Eiffel Tower...

Paris is really beautiful at the moment, I wish you all could be here! Last evening I discovered by sheer coincidence that they installed an ice rink by the Trocadero, facing the Eiffel Tower (a nice change from the one at Hotel de ville that I photograph every year). Huge success! And what a scenery for a PDP photo!

More Christmas lights...

I'm just back from dinner in Paris and on the way back I passed by Avenue Montaigne, a famous avenue located off the Champs Elysées. It's one of the most luxurious streets in Paris and for Christmas they decorated the place in a stunning way. It was hard to capture the beauty of the scenery in a global photo so I chose to show you a close up - the "flower" in the foreground actually belongs to one of the fake trees they installed at the crossing of avenue Montaigne and rue François the 1st.

Christmas (de)Lights

I love the Christmas period. Not only do you have lights and decorations everywhere in Paris, but also - and specifically! - into churches too. Hence this photo I took inside Nôtre Dame (the same church where I took this photo). Now is the time to think of buying your Christmas gifts everyone, you don't want to find yourself in the middle of the crowd on the very last day, do you?!

Le Web Party

I'm just back from the traditional Le Web party, only now this event has become so huge that they needed to rent the Carousel du Louvre (the huge space located underneath the Louvre Pyramid) to fit everybody! I remember the days when.... Tomorrow is the last day of Le Web, so I must go to bed in order to be there early! Nite nite everyone ;-)

Place de la Concorde

Today I left home when it was still dark and I came back home when it was already dark! No chance for a day shot! Which is OK, since the big Ferris wheel is back on the Place de la Concorde and it looks much better at night! Besides, this view too never ceases to amaze me! I'm having another long day at Le Web tomorrow, so I don't have much time to write intelligent stuff in this caption, sorry ;-) I'll catch up on Saturday!

Booooh!

I don't think I ever showed you one of those and though you can find many in Paris. They are made by a street artist called Giaco, who's art is precisely to use street furniture and equipment to turn them into artistic objects of scenes. In the present case he used one of the many grids that allow the sewers to receive light as a thoracic cavity for this skeleton. I love it! Anyway, nothing to do with what is going to keep me busy for the next 3 days: Le Web, a big Internet conference that takes place every year in Paris and that I have never missed since the very first one (it was called Les Blogs at that time)!

Water Reflexion

It's a much more profane photo than yesterday, but it's still worth the look. I took it from Le Quai de la Loire, by the Bassin de la Vilette in the 19th arrondissement. The bank you can see in this photo is actually Le Quai de la Seine, where the MK2 movie theater (known for showing "intellectual movies") I already mentioned on this blog, is located. You may want to click in the photo to see all details.

Season Classic!

I know what you're gonna say... Again! Yes again, every year it's the same, but it's still beautiful. In case you would not know what it is (which I seriously doubt!) , this the famous Notre Dame Cathedral, located in the middle of l'île de la Cité. Every year towards the end of November they erect an enormous Christmas tree in front of it (of course it's does not look so big in this photo ;-) and it's always breath taking. Last year, at the same time, it was super cold and snowy. This year, it's extraordinary mild.

Marché d'Aligre

Among the numerous markets that we have in Paris, the marché d'Aligre - located at rue d'Aligre, of course! - is probably one of the best ones. It's made of a covered area (built in 1779 and still operating nowadays - after a little face lift in 1843!) and an open air open air one, where I took this very Parisian photo. This market is open everyday except Mondays and it's definitely worth a visit if you come to Paris. More on this site - in French.

Another eye on Paris

I came across these intriguing posters near the Beaubourg area (Pompidou center). I thought they were meant to promote a new clothing line or something of the kind... I was wrong. It appears that Buster Adams is a photographer and that he also takes - very cool - photos of Paris (among many other subjects). Take a look at his very creative website and visit the "I am a tourist/Je suis un touriste" section where you'll see Paris though his eyes.

Taxi lane, really?

Here is an unusual photo for today... I took it near le Louvre, a couple of days ago, while these two gendarmes (gendarmes are actually police who belong to the army, if I'm not mistaken) were going back to their barracks. I thought it's funny to see that even nowadays taxis have to share their lane with horses! Have a nice Friday everyone!

Theme day: action photo!

As PhotoRiga pointed out a couple of days ago, I should have kept the skateboard photo for today's theme day: action! Fortunately I had taken another one that matches theme day last Sunday on the occasion of the 10 km of Paris 9, a small marathon organized by the town hall of my arrondissement ;-) Nothing extraordinary, but at least, I can participate in this CDP monthly catharsis!

Jungle Paris

Here are two scenes of Paris that are both hard to imagine and fascinating: The Pompidou center on the left and the Eiffel Tower on the right, surrounded by the jungle! I found these two photos at an art gallery opening last evening and I really loved them. They were made by Chris Morin, an artist who likes to depict present places hundreds of years from now, just like we can now visit ancient sites that are surrounded with trees and plants and partly destroyed. Very interesting. See other places on his site.

A matter of timing

It's not easy to capture a skate boarder in the air! I guess I was lucky (of course having a continuous mode on your camera helps too LOL). I took this photo at Bastille, where skaters gather during weekends. I wish I could do that!

Eiffel Tower in the mist part II!

Let's start the week from anoter riverside point of view. I took it Saturday evening on a way back from a dinner party in the 15th, from the Pont Mirabeau bridge (this time I remember the bridge I was on!). There is not much to add, is there?

An evening at Le Pranzo

Last evening (Saturday) I went to Le Pranzo, a small theater where you can see young stand up comedians that are not yet well known. I went to see Alexandre Barbe, a young man who is undoubtedly very talented and truly funny (well to my taste). I had a wonderful evening. Check for yourself (if you understand French).

The big mosque of Paris

I've showed you many churches on this blog, but I never showed you any mosque. And though we have several in Paris, including THE big Mosque of Paris, a unique monument built in 1916 in honor of the 70 000 Muslims who died soldiers for France during the first World war. The place is a definite must see for it's not only a mosque, but also an ideal place to relax ( at the hammam) and have a tea - or a meal - in the restaurant/tea room. It's located in the 5th arrondissement not far from Le jardin des plantes. More on the website.

Another sunset over Paris...

I've had a hard day I deserve to go to bed early like the sun did over Paris yesterday... I'm not sure what the bridge in the background is - probably the Pont aux Changes. The road on the right is a sort of highway that crosses Paris from the west to the east; the Paris mayor wants to close it by the end of his "reign". Car owners disagree, pedestrians love the idea...

Winter in one month, really?

I can hear you from here: "I wish so much I'd be in this guy's shoes right now..." I bet you would LOL. Not only is he enjoying a nice baguette sandwich (OK, I'm making up the baguette part...), but on top of that, it's almost like spring in Paris at the moment. Today is November 24 and the forecast says it'll be 14°c (57° F) in the afternoon (+5° compare to a "normal" November)! A-ma-zing! I took this photo near Notre Dame BTW, where they are currently installing the big Christmas tree - which I will show you eventually of course ;-) BTW(2) Happy Thanksgiving to all my American visitors - Go easy on the Turkey LOL!

On high horses...

If you visited Paris, here is a scene that will probably remind you of something. It shows La Samaritaine in the background - a department store that was named after a water pump located right by the Pont Neuf - and the statue of King Henri the IVth (of France, not Henry the IVth of England), a king that all French pupils remember for he is said to have made sure that all French households would eat at least a chicken a week (there was no KFC at that time LOL). The Samaritaine is currently closed and is being turned into a hotel and shops, which is a shame because from the rooftop you could enjoy one of the most beautiful views in Paris.

Sunset on the Ponts des Arts

The light was really beautiful when I passed Le Pont de Arts towards 4 o'clock this afternoon and I could not help, but stopping and taking a photo. It's an easy picture I know, but who cares! FYI le Pont des arts (the original one) was completed in 1804 and it was the first metal bridge in Paris. There was a toll to cross it originally, but I don't know when they stopped it (it would be very odd today if we had to pay to cross the river...). It has been totally renovated between 1981 and 1984 after a péniche hit it.

The perfect walk...

No I did not take this photo in the middle of Le Bois de Boulogne or de Vincennes, but right behind the Bastille place (you can even see the open air metro station sign in the foreground) where boats owners can dock their yacht. This place is called Le port de l'Arsenal, I already mentioned it many times (like last summer), but I'm never tired of showing it! Not to forget that it's a fabulous place to have a walk - or even fish! BTW did you notice the beautiful light and the sun reflection? Well, that's the kind of weather we're enjoying in Paris at the moment. Amazing (I did not even turn on the heating yesterday!). Very unusual...

Sex in the city

Sex in the city is not the title of a television series, but... the name of an exhibition that just opened yesterday (Saturday) in Paris. Like you can see, it's already very successful (sex is always a good sales boost - even though this exhibition is actually free). What can be seen inside? Well I don't really know as I did not visit it, but a little bird told me you can see all sorts of sex toys, games, lingerie... you name it! All this to raise Aids awareness (yeah, right!). More in these videos.

Without a shadow of a doubt

I took this photo at the bottom of Tour Saint-Jacques, the tower they renovated recently and that I showed you several times (here, here, here and here!). You'd think this would be a statue of Saint Jacques, but... it is not. It's the one of Blaise Pascal, a famous French mathematician and philosopher who, among other things, invented in 1642, the first calculator (mechanical at that time, obviously...). Why is here there? Because he is said to have prevented the destruction of a church that was previously on these premises. BTW, around this tower, there is a little square, which apparently was the first square in Paris (1856).

Giant dog

Here is a dog that won't leave any nasty droppings on the pavement... I found it in the 17th arrondissemen, inside a little courtyard. from what I could see, he belongs to Aastroem Munier BBN, a communications agency ;-) FYI since 2002 dog owners must pick up after their "Medor" (Medor is kinda like "Rocky", a generic name for dogs), ,so the streets of Paris are not that polluted anymore (well at least in some neighborhoods!)

Golden Blog Awards night

I'm just back from the... French Golden Blog Awards night that was taking place at the Hotel de Ville (city town hall). Huge event, very successful, so successful I had to wait 3 quarters of an hour outside before entering (see the little red square at the end of the line? The entrance was way beyond that point!). It was worth it though, the event was nice, the scenery was too (remember the ceiling?) and the company even more. Did I win an award? Nah, I did not, but the competition was really tough, so it's fair. Sorry I cannot show you the winners yet, because they haven't been posted on the Golden blog awards site yet, but I will (yeah, cause that's the kind of guy I am ;-))

Music!

No Paris scenery, no historical facts... today, just a lifestyle photo. I see more and more people with huge - well I consider to be huge! - headsets like this in the streets of Paris and I can't helping thinking of the "old times", when headsets used to be more like ear plugs ;-) Am I showing my age? Er... yes probably LOL! I like the photo though.

The Messenger

Ossip Zadkine is a French sculptor of Russian origins who died in 1967. There is a museum dedicated to his work at rue d'Assas (in his former home), but there are also several of his sculptures throughout Paris. One of them is called Le Messager (the messenger) and it's located at Quai d'Orsay ; from what I read, it was made after a wooden sculpture that was made for the World exhibition of 1937. As you can see, the weather is still lovely in Paris at the moment...

Sunday at rue Montorgueil

Lovely day in Paris again this Sunday... I went to rue Montorgueil, a famous street near les Halles, that used to be a working class area in the old times and is now a "Bobo" hangout (bobo stands for BOurgeois BOhème, that is people with money who want to live the Bohème lifestyle). It's a very nice street, no cars - or almost none! - lots of little cafés and shops, historical restaurants like L'Escargot-Montorgueil that was founded in 1875, or the famous Stohrer patisserie founded in 1730 that Queen Elisabeth visited in 2004 (they are pretty proud of it!). It's also the street where this video clip was shot!

Mélodie & Nicolas!

I took this photo in front of La Comédie Française, a theater which facade they are currently redoing. On this facade someone wrote Mélodie & Nicolas (probably the names of two lovers who wanted claim their love to the world ;-)), but when I took the photo, I caught these two kids on my "film". It's very unlikely that they are called Mélodie & Nicolas, but I think it makes a real cool photo.

Sacré Coeur in the mist

Those of you who have been following PDP for some time now will probably remember the Eiffel Tower in the mist photo (big hit!), well, now look at what I saw yesterday evening on my way to dinner at Montmartre... It was really stunning. Let's us not forget that the Sacré Coeur is located on a hill  (130 meters - 426 feet). Not very high, but it does play a role when it comes to "'touching the clouds...". Have a nice weekend everyone.