Ironing Salmon

Here is a little "haute cuisine" tip for you today. Brought to you by Cyril Rouquet, one of the participants to famous TV cooking Master Chef (and chef at Louvre Bouteille at reu Saint Honoré) that I photographed yesterday at Galeries Lafayette, while he was... cooking tuna and salmon on a Laurstar ironing board with an iron! He had this idea when he was young, while he was living in a small studio apartment with no oven! I tasted it, it's really good - of course the sauce that went with it probably played a role too ;-) I wonder what Julia Child would think of that LOL!

National ceramics museum

It's 3 am, I haven't posted my photo earlier because of the place I'm just back from: the National ceramic Museum, located in Sèvres, just outside Paris. I knew it would be worth a photo... And it was. Of course at this time of the day I did not get to see the stunning ceramics collections they have (50 000+ pieces), but all the back office, and their ovens in particular. Why? Because they rent out this space for special events, like company parties and... weddings. I was there for the latter, which was really fun. If you come to Paris and are looking for something off the tourist circuit, the Musée national de la céramique is definitely worth the trip.

A trip to London...

For once, today's story does not take place in Paris, but in... London. For yesterday, I was lucky enough to have been invited by Nikon to try their latest reflex camera D600 (yes, it's advertising in - not so much! - in disguise!) to visit the world famous Abbey Rd. studios, the very same ones where the Beatles (and many other artists) recorded all their albums and took this famous photo! I had a blast, and since I like to share, here is a little Animoto ending with my attempt to ape the Beatles crossing the road!

Eiffel Tower for sale !

OK... Maybe the title of this post is a tiny bit misleading... Even though it's true that part of the Eiffel tower is for sale today at Drouot, the main auction house of Paris! I even went to their warehouse to photograph it! What is it exactly? The old furniture (from 1983) and plates, glasses, table cloths... of the two restaurants (Le Jules Vernes and Altitude 95) that were totally redecorated in 2007, when chef Alain Ducasse took over. I must say I was pretty disappointed when I saw what was for sale, for it's pretty ugly. But I suppose buyers are more attached to the "sentimental" aspect of things than the actual value... BTW, I took this photo today from a terrace on top of the 50, avenue des Champs Elysées.

Car war!

In Paris, there is a very sensitive topic: cars! Since their election in 2001 (and reelection in 2007), the mayor of Paris and his team have tried to discourage people from taking/using/owning a car. They reduced the number of parking spaces, added a fair number of one way streets, narrowed a lot of other ones... They are now engaged in a more radical fight: free the Seine banks from cars!  This traffic light on the left for instance, is one of the new addition that aims at slowing down cars and make their journey hell, so that drivers are discouraged to come back... On the left bank they plan to simply close the road and turn it into a pedestrian area. Needless to say all this is highly controversial ;-)

Inside the Hôtel de Noirmoutier

Today, let me take you inside the Hôtel de Noirmoutier, which, despite its name is not really a hotel, but "just" a  former private house that was built by François de la Trémoille, Duke of Noirmoutier in 1724 (well it was actually built by architect Jean Courtonne, Noirmoutier just ordered it!). Now it belongs to the French government, - that is to us all! - who uses it to shelter the offices of the Préfet de Paris (a senior civil servant in charge of applying the government's policy locally). The stunning furniture is not the original one (apart from a few things), but come from the what we call "Le mobilier national" (the national furniture inventory). See more photos in this little Animoto.

Sadie in Paris!

You know how often I say that ParisDailyPhoto allowed me to meet nice people from all over the world and/or participate in things that I would never usually do... Well, it happened again! A few days ago I received an email from a certain Kathleen telling me that she, her husband and... her sock monkey Sadie would be in Paris this week and that she would be thrilled if I could take a photo of her (Sadie) in front of a very Parisian location (which was not the Eiffel tower for Sadie had already been there in 2010!). You know me, I can't resist silly challenges! So here you go, I photographed her in front of Notre Dame and gave a few extra photos to her "parents" so that they can hang one of them at the thehungrymonkeycafe in Rhode Island, where they are from and where she already has photos of her in many places in the world up on a wall!


Hey, there is an update, Sadie came back home! See below...

Game of shadows

A pretty conceptual photo today... I took it at night by the Canal Saint Martin in the 10th arrondissement and I pretty much like it because these is a bit of everything: movement, stillness, graffiti... and though you don't clearly see the people. That's all, it's Sunday, I have the right to a little creativity LOL! 

The one week forest!

This week, by pure chance, I passed by the Palais Royal square and saw that a whole forest had prung up over night! Nothing miraculous, it's just a temporary forest made of 15,000 trees (of which 350 are at least 10 feet high!) that were planted to raise the awareness of Parisians about trees and forests some of the exhibit representatives say that they doubt that Parisians can name 10 different kinds of trees!). But the real agenda is more likely to promote the various trade associations and government agencies specialized in the wood industrie! Anyway, it's a pretty cool initiative.

The largest fashion show in the world!

Like last year and the year before the Galeries Lafayette Department store organized a giant fashion show near their main store, at Boulevard Haussmann. The event would be pretty usual if it weren't for the 400 models that were all amateurs and selected prior to the event among 5 000 (to 8 000?) applicants. Great idea, great event and great place to take photos (see my selection in this little Animoto or view the complete video). Last, but not least, let also thank Samsung Electronics France fro inviting me to this show.

The sound of arias...

Running ParisDailyPhoto has undoubtedly many advantages. One of them is to allow me to meet and/or exchange with nice people from all over the world. But sometimes it goes further than that... Recently I received an email from a certain Florence, who follows PDP from somewhere in Asia (I won't disclose too much as she seems to be quite discrete on the Net!) and emailed me asking me if I would be interested in getting tickets for an opera arias concert in Paris!). You bet I was... So here I went last evening, at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées - a great theater located at Avenue Montaigne listening to Donizetti and Verdi. A big merci to Florence then, and to Marco Zambelli, the marvelous conductor who arranged for the tickets ;-)

Meet Okapi!

You may wonder what a horse is doing on a blog dealing with Paris, but there is no reason to be surprised, for there are many horses in Paris! First, there are several horse-riding schools around Paris, but there are also three squadrons of cavalry that are actually part of the Republican Guard (Garde Républicaine), a subdivision of the French Gendarmerie. It's not uncommon to see them in the streets of Paris, in the middle of cars (I already showed them several times)! I took the photo of Okapi inside one of the squadrons, the Caserne des Célestins, near Bastille, a place that is really impressive to visit! 

The most beautiful brasserie in Paris?

For the first time in my life I went to Bofinger's, one of the oldest (1864) and most famous brasseries in Paris. A brasserie (brewery in English) was originally a place where beer was brewed and where you could also drink it. Soon, food was also offered. In Paris, most of the brasseries have been created and run by Alsacians, that is people originating from the East of France, precisely where beer was and still is a traditional beverage. Bofinger makes no exception as, precisely, its founder, Frédéric Bofinger was from Colmar. The place is really worth the look (and the food); check this little Animoto that I made especially for you!

Toutes à Paris !

I was lucky yesterday... By pure chance I came across a huge group of women on bikes, right by the Pont du Carrousel. I rushed to take a photo and quickly found myself in the middle of them. Not only did I discover very nice ladies (they actually thanked me for photographing them, unlike many people I come across in Paris!), but also very brave. They actually came all the way from Brittany (a region of France, located at least 600 kilometers away from Paris) on their bikes (in several days of course!). Why? Because they came to participate in Toutes à Paris, an event organized by the French biking association which purpose was to gather thousands of female bikers from all over France in Paris. Thumbs up ladies! 

European heritage days

Europe may not be on the edge of economic progress at the moment, but it has a pretty good heritage! And to celebrate it, the Council of Europe and the European Commission have created a yearly event called "the European heritage days"! Principle? Open the doors of historical buildings that are normally closed to the public. Paris (and France in general) has a lot to offer on those days which explains why the streets are packed with people and why I have had trouble making my way through any of the interesting stuff... I did manage to visit the Eglise Saint Joseph des Carmes though, which is rarely open. It's known for its stunning ceiling that you can see in this photo, on the making of.

When nymphs enlighten Paris...

Silly me! Today I was meant to go to another opening, but when I handed out the invitation at the entrance, they politely said "but sir, it's tomorrow!". So on the way back I crossed the Seine and took this photo at the Pont Alexandre bridge. The golden torch belongs to one of the nymphs that you can see on both sides of the bridge (that is, if you are on a boat of course!). If you notice, the light was pretty "cold" last evening, which means autumn/fall is on its way! Grrrr. Time to move to the Southern hemisphere LOL!

Paparazzi!

Yesterday evening I was lucky enough to go to a fantastic exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo (and drink a glass of Roederer Champagne!). What was it about? Stolen photos, taken by two famous French paparazzi: Bruno Mouron and Pascal Rostain who met and worked at Paris Match magazine for a long time, before creating their own agency. In France - and probably everywhere - stolen photos of famous people ("Les Pipoles", as some people call them here!) - are highly controversial. But when you look at them at an exhibit, years after they were taken, they have a different flavor. I could not help, but being inspired by the theme of the evening... so I took a "paparazzi" photo to! If my French visitors look carefully, they will see a... "pipole" in this photo!

Theater killed the video store!

It's not everyday that you can witness the opening of a new theater, and though, last evening I did! It's called le Théâtre Bô Saint Martin (Bo is a play on words with "beau" which means beautiful). It's not the largest one in Paris, but it's a real cute one, all nicely decorated (It used to be a video store before, hence my title!) Most artists who will perform there are stand up comedians, all aiming for fame, like my dear friend Silvia (second from the left, also on Facebook) who did not hesitate giving up everything to pursue her dream: being on stage (I so look up to people who are able to do that!). Now, let the show begin...

Inching your (Seg)way through Paris...

The (only!) bad side of Paris is that you can never tell what the weather is going to be like, even if it's summer for instance. Look at what happened... Two days ago I took this super sunny shot and yesterday, it was raining cats and dogs! I caught people on a Segway tour in the middle of the jardins des Tuileries and, well, it makes... well... a pretty wet photo ;-) FYI, there are several Segway tours in Paris (here, here or here) but I've never tried any, so I cannot tell you if it's worth it... 

Paris air

When I saw this girl in this shirt, I immediately thought it would make a cool photo if I could manage to include enough blue sky in it. So I ran and took this shot. Later I debated whether I should remove her coat on the left, straighten the wall, etc. And then I decided to do nothing (and not because I was lazy, but because I thought the shot was good as is!). Anyway, let me take advantage of this shot to offer you a bit of Paris air today (actually right when I'm posting this I can hear the rain starting to fall!). 

Liberty Dance!

You all know there is a replica of the New York statue of Liberty in Paris right? (Actually there are several, but this one is the most visible, as it is on the tip of the Ile aux Cygnes - Swans island - a former levee that was turned into an island in 1827). Yesterday, the town hall of the 15th arrondissement organized a little event near the statue, with a band that put people into dancing mood! I  passed by it around 7 pm and took this photo.  Have a great week everyone.

Grape harvesting party!

Like last year I went to the grape harvesting party of Mélac, a restaurant located in the 11th arrondissement. For the occasion they installed tables in the street, made food for 500 people (mostly cheese, ham, sausage and "Aligot" - mashed potatoes with cheese) and have wine ready for everyone! Around 1 pm they called all the kids and had them squash the grape they just harvested on the restaurant facade into giant buckets! (see the video on my Facebook page). Fun moment, to share with friends and a few PDP vistors that happened to be there too! Time for me to take an Alka Seltzer I guess ;-)

Peep show!

This is not the first time I have posted a photo of the statues that can be found outside the beautiful Palais de Tokyo, a palace that was built in 1937 to shelter a modern art museum (actually two, one local and one national, but let's not complicate things!). This time, I tried to find a new angle; I took this photo through the legs of one of the statues, located in the foreground. A sort of modern art peep show in other words!

Bistro de la Muette

Last evening I had dinner with my father and one of my nieces and we went to one of the restaurants I often recommend : le Bistro de la Muette. Once again I had a wonderful evening, once again the food was excellent and once again the service was flawless. I swear this is not advertising in disguise, but just a "cri du coeur" (et de l'estomac!). I had fish tartar, a stunning sole and this tarte fine (thin pie) and its vanilla ice cream (trapped in a sort of caramel lace!). There 7 of these restaurants in Paris and I really recommend visiting one of them if you come here. 

Velib'art!

This put a smile on my face when I saw it off la rue des Martyrs in the 9th arrondissement. You probably recognized a Velib, only instead of being nicely parked in a station, this one was attached to a street sign in a pretty odd way ;-) It was probably a stolen one, as, when you don't put it back in a station you're still billed by the hour... and people generally don't do that! It's impossible to know how many Velibs get stolen every year, for the company that manages the service does not disclose the figures, but I suspect they are pretty high...

Back to school!

The French Facebook was full of photos of children yesterday, as it was the first day of school in France - after summer vacations. There are about 360 elementary schools like this one in Paris ; children must attend when they reach the age of 6 and  must go to the closest one to their home (however, parents can also choose to send their kids to a private school). There is only one teacher (we call them Professeur de écoles) per grade (except for drawing, music, sport...) and when they come out of this 45 year primary education, they are supposed to know how to read, write, understand grammar, conjugate, calculate, learn a little history and geography... Gosh, I'm glad this is over LOL! More on Wikipedia if you're interested?.

Resting by the Tour Saint Jacques...

Around the Tour Saint Jacques that I showed several times here, there is a little garden called, quite logically, le square de la Tour Saint Jacques. I never really walked though it until yesterday. I discovered a pretty cool monument dedicated to Gérard de Nerval, a French poet you probably never heard of, even if, in France everybody knows him (I never read anything by him though :-)). Anyway, I just thought it would make a cool photo and I think it does - I had to use the flash to compensate the sun light and I'm pretty proud of the result LOL! 

Celebrating Ganesha in Paris...

Like all big cities, Paris is a real cosmopolitan city. There are people from all over the world in here, and they tend to live in certain areas of Paris, depending on their origins. You find a lot of Asians near the avenue de Choisy in the 13th arrondissement, lots of North Africans near Barbès in the 18th, Africans near Château rouge, etc. More recently (in 1983), we greeted people from India and Sri-Lanka and this lead to the creation of a Paris "little India", near Gare du nord (North Station) and La Chapelle. That is precisely where, yesterday (Sunday) they celebrated Ganesh with a giant, festive and engaging parade. 

15 years after...

You probably heard it on the news, the anniversary of the death of Princess Diana took place two days ago. Today I went to the Place de l'Alma, a square located over the tunnel where her car crashed and where a monument that I already showed twice (here and here) on PDP is currently used as a memorial. Needless to say, due to the 15th anniversary and the number of tourists still in Paris, there are lots of flowers, notes, photos everywhere (this one was obviously left by Italian tourists). She must really have had something special for people to remember her so dearly.

People watching

Time flies, it's already September 1st and like every 1st of the month, it's a theme day, among the CityDailyPhoto community. Today's theme day is "people watching" and frankly I really did not know what I was going to post! And then earlier in the month, I took this shot, that I saved  for today, so here you go! Like always, have a look at what the other members of the CityDailyPhoto community from all over the world have come up with.