The End!

Here we are...! It's been nearly 10 years, though it seems like just yesterday, when I started posting a photo a day of Paris on this blog after I was given a digital camera for my birthday.

It's been a wonderful experience, for many reasons. The main one being the many encounters that it allowed me to make; people from all over the world that became friends. The second reason why I’m grateful to PDP is that it allowed me to improve my photography skills. I had never had any interest in taking photos, but this daily routine forced me to get into it and improve my technique. I still don’t consider myself as a “real” photographer, but I have to admit that I’m proud of some of my shots. And the third reason is more of a personal achievement. I often think of myself as a quitter, someone who starts many things and stops when he is fed up or after the first difficulty arises. Well, after almost 10 years of not missing a single post, here is at least one occasion where I can call myself “a finisher”.

I’ve had the pleasure and honor to photograph everything from street protests to well known Paris monuments, I have also been asked to photograph wedding proposals and traveling monkeys, I’ve been the creator of what you’ve coined the "Tenin perspective" which really began as an easier way to get down on the ground to photograph silly things like gutters and dog poop! And last, but not least, I also had the great pleasure of picnicking along the Seine with PDP followers from around the world every year .

But things do change. For many reasons I've decided to leave Paris and settle down in Senglea, Malta on December 1st, 2014, which makes it difficult to continue this blog - even until its official 10 year anniversary. I would like to thank you all for your presence during these years (some of you have been following PDP - and commenting - since the dawn of “blogging time!”),  wish you good luck for the future - starting with a wonderful 2015, and of course to find a nice replacement for PDP.

I also have a few special thoughts for all of my fellow CDP bloggers - the ones that are crazy enough to do the same in their own city! I wish them good luck for the future and remember not to miss a theme day!! and connect regularly to the portal! So now it’s only fitting that I end this adventure with a photo of the city I truly love as do so many of you. I took it on a summer night from the top of the Montparnasse Tower.

 Au revoir et à bientôt and don’t forget to stay in touch on Facebook.

Grosses bises.

PS : for those of you who are asking for a Malta Daily Photo, well, there won't be one (at least not by me), but stay tuned, I'm sure to come up with something... ;-)

Christmas lights on the Champs Elysées

I could not miss it, could I? By "it", I mean the Christmas lights on the Champs Elysées, a traditional seasonal shot which is very similar years after years... And though, if you've been in Paris recently you will notice that there is something missing in this photo... The Christmas market! For yes, the Christmas market along the Champs Elysées only started 6 years ago and I took this photo in 2007, when it did not exist yet!

Passers by

I originally stopped in front of this window because of the mannequins that were in it. One of them had lipstick on and I thought it was cute! I took several shots of course and one of them had these passers by in it, which I thought was more interesting than the windows I first had in mind ;-) As you can see, the weather is rainier and rainier in Paris right now, but I don't care, I'm in Nice for the weekend! A nice break from the packing I've been doing these past weeks... Have a great Sunday everyone.

Paris landmark

Here is a place I've been willing to photograph for a long time! Yesterday evening I did. It's called Le Louxor, it's located at the famous Barbès Rochechouard corner (famous for its cigarette smuggling!) and it is one of the first  cinemas/movie theaters in Paris. It closed in 1983, then was turned into a  night club, then closed for good until recently when, under the pressure of a local association, the Paris town hall decided to renovate it. It reopened in April 2013.  More here.

Fountain

I had a lovely dinner yesterday evening at Boulevard Richard Lenoir. On the way out, I found a nice fountain where the sprinklers come from under the pavement. Nice effect, especially at night (and if you lay your camera on the ground!). 

Winter is coming...

We had a wonderful "arrière-saison" (post summer period), unbelievably warm, but now is the time to enter the pre winter period, which is never very pleasant. It rained all day yesterday (unlike Sunday, when, I took the Sunset on the ET photo!) and it's super windy too. Unfortunately, I had to go out! But it allowed me to take this... very seasonal photo.

Place d'Iena

Yesterday I had to go and see a dentist for a special intervention (nothing really serious, but something that required a special equipment). The office was in the 16th arrondissement (one of the richest arrondissements in Paris, which explains why a lot of doctors' office are located there ;-)) Anyway, on the way back, I passed by the Place d'Iena, a beautiful roundabout in the middle of which you can see the statue of George Washington (by US sculptor Daniel Chester French). In the background you can also see the Guimet museum (in the "tower").

Night out

I'm really getting old! Proof is that, when I go out now, I often look at the "young crowd" (even this expression makes me sound old LOL!) and think to myself "I wish I could be young and foolish again!". That is exactly what I thought when I saw these young adults laughing and fighting over a  "selfie" that they had just taken! They did not even see me take the shot ;-) On a less nostalgic note, I also like the global atmosphere of this photo; it was taken near Beaubourg.

Good lighting!

I don't know of they changed something in the lighting of La Conciergerie, but it was really stunning last evening when I passed by it. With the Gare d'Orsay, it's in my opinion the most beautiful building along the river banks.

Pretty sky

I passed by the Ecole Militaire last evening and stopped to take a photo thinking the sky was really nice. I took it from the Mur pour la paix, a monument that was inaugurated in 2000 and is now in a pretty bad shape (most of the glass is broken). The whole area looks like a war zone actually, I really wonder what they are doing. The view is still cool though ;-)

More fire games

The weather was really lovely last evening in Paris (28°C / 82.4° F) and I had a walk in front of Notre Dame. I came across the  same street artists that play with fire admirably that I already photographed in 2012). A magical moment...

Stormy weather over Paris

France suffered terrible storms last night (with hail the size of a golf balls in the North!) and Paris was no exception, as you can see here. I did not take this photo, but a friend of mine who happens to have an apartment in front of Le Sacré Coeur (occasionally for rent BTW!) did. In fact it's not really a photo, but an image taken from a little film he made. Impressive, isn't it? 

Playing with fire on the Quais...

It's an amazing show that I witnessed yesterday from the Ile Saint Louis: a bunch of artists were literally playing with fire in front of a crowd. It was beautiful, much more than what this photo suggests. I searched on the web and did not find anything about them though. PDP picnic - still scheduled for Sunday, but I still have very little visibility about the weather, so I don't know about the location yet. Stay tuned.

Comédie française : a side view...

Since they completed the renovation of this building, the Comédie Française never ceases to amaze me, especially at night. I already showed it to you once and told you the history of it, but let me refresh your memory: it's the only state theater in France, it was founded in 1680 and that is where famous French play writer/actor Molière used to perform. I never visited this inside, but I plan to!

Striking installation!

The Louvre Pyramid has sheltered the work of artists many times. At the moment, it's a piece by French artist Claude Lévêque who installed a huge red lighting from the top to the bottom. Very impressive and beautiful. I went last evening to photograph it, especially for you! If you want to see it for real, you still have some time... It'll be there until 2015!

Waiting in the cold!

Here is a photo I took from a boat that runs on the Canal de l'Ourcq. I never posted it and though I like the lighting effect on these two ladies that look really cold! Have a good Sunday everyone, here it's cold and raining, but... I'm planning to have the PDP picnic on Sunday May 11.

When the Eiffel Tower has an earth hour moment...

Like a thousand monuments in the world, last evening the Eiffel Tower participated in the Earth Hour ("one hour for the planet" in France). Only "for security reasons" (really?!) the Eiffel Tower hour only lasted.. 5 minutes. But it made it to the news, so I suppose it was enough to raise the awareness of many people on the necessity to turn off the lights when not needed! I'll be honest, I did not take this photo while the lights were out, but a long time ago. I just thought it was perfect for the occasion...  

Christmas on the Champs Elysées

It's a classic, but it's a nice classic! Not much to add! 

French Bulldog

Let me introduce you to... Igor that has obviously been intrigued by my camera while I was taking a photo of... a beautiful door. I rarely post photos of dogs, because it's not very Paris centric, but this one was really cute and... he's a French Bulldog - and the door can still be seen in the background!

Va Va Voom!

I was on the Champs Elysées yesterday evening and I saw that there was smoke coming up from the sidewalk. I though to myself : "wow, this is smokin' hot" (yeah... I know...) so I stopped and well, discovered there was also a nice red car not far from there ;-) So here you go. I know it's not really Paris centric, but I kinda like this photo ;-)