La Place Vendome

The Place Vendôme, is a very famous spot in Paris, and though I never showed it on this blog (I did take a photo there once, though, but the place was not visible). What you mostly can see on this shot is the "Colonne Vendome" which was erected in 1810 by Napoleon to celebrate his army. Precisely, this column is made of 1,200 melted canons that were taken from Napoleon's enemies during his wars.

A Geometry lesson

I don't know if it happens to you, but sometimes, when I drive by a street scene, I think to myself: "this has a good chance of making a nice photo". That is exactly what I thought to myself when I passed by this school (I guess it's a school, I am not 100% sure) near the river banks in the lower 16th arrondissement (Quai Saint Exupéry, more precisely). I love the color, the geometry and the disposition of the various objects and people. It's cold in Paris, but I'm glad it's Le Weekend!

Free hugs from Paris!

You all know the Free Hugs campaign initiated by Juan Mann, from Australia (if not, check read the story here, it's very moving). Well now, Juan has disciples all over the world, even in France (check the French site here). I trapped these two huggers last week, in front of Notre Dame, they were very nice. So nice, they even accepted to hug... Flat Stanley!!

The little house in the Paree...

If you already visited Paris, there is very little chance that you saw these houses. They are located rue Dieulafoy, in the Maison Blanche area (13th arrondissement), far away from the traditional places to visit. They are quite exceptional, not only because they are very colorful and well kept, but also because there are simply very few houses in Paris. They were all (44 of them) built in 1921 and were exceptionally modern for the time : imagine, they all have a bathroom and a garage!

Sex workers demonstration

This week's demonstration was held by sex workers yesterday... They want the senate (in front of which the demonstration took place) to abolish a law that prohibits soliciting (in France, prostitution is not illegal, but soliciting is). Let's face it it's not a very popular cause and there were actually more journalists than sex workers at this demonstration, but still, I think it's pretty brave to do this. By the way, don't ask me why this guy's T-shirt is written in English, I swear I took this photo in Paris!

The Goncourt Prize

Each year in November the 10 members of the Goncourt Academy jury elect the "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year" (well, according to them) and give him - or her - the Goncourt Prize. According to the tradition, the announcement of the winner is made every year at 1 pm on the dot from this restaurant, called Drouant. If you look more closely, you will see several names on the facade of this restaurant; they are all Goncourt Prize winners. By the way, this year's winner was announced yesterday's morning. His name is Gilles Leroy, he wrote «Alabama Song», a French novel, despite its title...

Walking around the Louvre

Sometimes a photographer can trap another one! That's what I did when taking this shot in the main courtyard of the Louvre where the famous glass Pyramid (that I only photographed once here) was built. This pyramid is also surrounded by several basins that I used in this picture. Have a nice week everyone...

L'Opéra de Paris

Anyone who's been to Paris also knows the facade of the old opera house, also known as Le Palais Garnier (after the architect who built it). Well, I chose to show you a particular angle of it; its entrance floor... Less spectacular, but more original! This stunning building was completed in 1874 and has been renewed several times since then (starting with electricity in 1969!!). I love it because it's the symbol of the magnificence of Paris during the 19th century. Since we're talking opera, here is a little extract of La Juive by Halevy, sung by my favorite Tenor: Roberto Alagna. La Juive was the opera that was given the day they inaugurated this opera house.

Celebrating the dead

Like in many countries, November 1st is All Saints day, the day Catholics celebrate their dead. A lot of people take advantage of it to go to visit the tombs of their dead relatives and bring flowers. I'm not sure this procession that I shot in front of Notre Dame has also something to do with this date, but I'm pretty sure it does. It was quite impressive and the tourists there (there are tons of tourists in Paris at the moment) were quite surprised. As for me I'm off to Trouville to see my 94 year old aunt for the weekend, believe me she's far from being dead!

Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance

Some of you will think I'm late on the blue theme day, but the truth is that I hesitated between yesterday's photo and this one. It's a shot I took recently during a demonstration for Falun Dafa (a Chinese "mind and body cultivation" movement) that is apparently banned in China. When I took this photo I changed - by mistake - one of the settings of my camera and that is how this photo ended up, er.., blue! I kinda like it this way, it looks as if was taken in the morning in a very peaceful moment (the Falun Dafa effect?).

Theme day: blue

1st day of the month and as usual it's a theme day within the DP community. Today's theme day is... Blue! It was recommended to avoid blue skies as it was too obvious so I decided to look for something slightly different. I thought of... La rue Bleue ("blue street"), a street located in the 9th arrondissement - formerly known (before 1789) as rue d'enfer (hell street). On top of that, on this typical Paris street sign, there is a large blue part too. So here we go...

118 sites participate in this theme day today, please pay them a visit:

Boston (MA), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - Philadelphia (PA), USA - Arlington (VA), USA - Cape Town, South Africa - Portland (OR), USA - Sequim (WA), USA - Selma (AL), USA - Arradon, France - Petaling Jaya (Selangor), Malaysia - Stockholm, Sweden - Singapore, Singapore - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Phoenix (AZ), USA - Seattle (WA), USA - Toulouse, France - The Hague, Netherlands - Moscow, Russia - Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA - Kyoto, JapanTokyo, Japan - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Stayton (OR), USA - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Detroit (MI), USA - Crystal Lake (IL), USA - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - Bandung (West Java), Indonesia - Greenville (SC), USA - Hyde, UK - Radonvilliers, France - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Nashville (TN), USA - Manila, Philippines - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Saarbrücken, Germany - New Orleans (LA), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Hobart (Tasmania), Australia - Forks (WA), USA - Wichita (Ks), USA - Barton (VT), USA - St. Louis (MO), USA - Joplin (MO), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Quincy (MA), USA - Setúbal, Portugal - Inverness (IL), USA - Christchurch, New Zealand - Toruń, Poland - North Bay (ON), Canada - Le Guilvinec, France - Chateaubriant, France - London, England - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Naples (FL), USA - Norwich (Norfolk), UK - Sydney, Australia - Austin (TX), USA - Mumbai, India - Boston (MA), USA - Santa Fe (NM), USA - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Paderborn, Germany - Montréal (QC), Canada - Jackson (MS), USA - Stavanger, Norway - Orlando (FL), USA - Grenoble, France - Cheltenham, UK - Forks (WA), USA - Mexico City, Mexico - West Sacramento (CA), USA - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Weston (FL), USA - London, UK - Jefferson City (MO), USA - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Belgrade, Serbia - Paris, France - Shanghai, China - Montego Bay, Jamaica - Montpellier, France - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Auckland, New Zealand - Evry, France - New York City (NY), USA - Nottingham, UK - Las Vegas (NV), USA - Oslo, Norway - Minneapolis (MN), USA - American Fork (UT), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - Haninge, Sweden - Trujillo, Peru - Trujillo, Peru - Melbourne (VIC), Australia - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Durban, South Africa - Brussels, Belgium - Anderson (SC), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Wellington, New Zealand - Prague, Czech Republic - Saigon, Vietnam - Ystad, Sweden - Miami (FL), USA - Seoul, South Korea - Hong Kong, China - Melbourne, Australia - Baziège, France -

Autumn leaves

OK, that's a classic, but I love fall colors. There are more and more of these dead leaves in Paris as... there are more and more trees in the streets of Paris (apparently - even if it's not easy to check - 6 400 new trees were planted over the last 7 years by the City town hall). I took this photo in Montmartre, not far from the Sacré Coeur. By the way, if you like the French song "Autumn Leaves", here is a version by Yves Montand. Don't forget, tomorrow is a theme day within the DP community... PS: happy Halloween to my American visitors!

On strike!

Soooo. Let's see, who's on strike at the moment? Air France just finished, the railway company too, but will give it another shot next month, together with the civil servants (same day), the judges will also go on strike next month... I also came across this one, at the opera where - like in the railway company - employees have a specific pension scheme. You've got to say: a protest banner looks much better in front of a prestigious building such as Le Palais Garnier.

I love you, Ich liebe dich, Volim te, Te quiero...

You want to know how to say "I love you" in Urdu, Arabic or Vietnamese? Well, simple, you just need to go to Le jardin des Abesses where you will see the "Mur des Je t'aime", where "I love you" is written in more than 300 languages and dialects. This wall, made of 511 blue tiles, is actually a work of art created by Frédéric Baron and Claire Kito. Frédéric collected the I love yous between 1992 and 1998 and Claire is a Calligraphy expert. Very cool idea. Check this site if you want to know more (in French only) and this Quicktime video if you want to see the whole wall.

Mr Peacock in Paris

What do you mean, this photo was not taken in Paris?! I took it in the Bagatelle Gardens, located in the Bois de Boulogne (big woods on the west side of Paris) which is technically in the 16th arrondissement! These gardens were created in 1777 and now shelter several interesting points including a huge rose garden, that I already mentioned here, and - noisy - peacocks. Today we're changing time in Europe, I'm looking forward to sleeping an extra hour...

Touristy bags...

How about something light for today? I found these bags in a tourist shop in Montmartre and although they are of debatable taste(!) I could not help laughing when I saw them. I suppose they perfectly fit the common image of the sexy French woman who, as we all know, spends her time dancing the Cancan in sexy outfits! I wish you a very good week end, warmer than in Paris ;)

Rocket Star!

Every year in Paris, there is "La fête des transports et de la mobilité" (Mobility and transports festival). The current one is the 3rd one and it will feature several means of transportation such as boats (on the Seine obviously!), electric cars, trains, planes... and even rockets like this one that I photographed this morning on my way to work. I must say it's quite surprising to see these unusual vehicles in the streets of Paris! More - in French only - here.

The return of the tents...

Winter is back and so are the tents (check this post if you're new to PDP). This time, they are not meant to attract attention on homeless people but on people who find it hard to find affordable housing in Paris. The tents are not located by the Canal Saint Martin in the 10th, but in the 2nd, in the center of Paris, around the rue de la Banque where three associations have already squatted a whole building (I posted about this here). The movement does not seem to be too popular this year, partly because several celebrities have come to sleep in these tents to show their solidarity.

Paris Wine bar

If you are into wine, you must go to a bar à vin (Wine bar) when you come to Paris. There are hundreds of these bars in Paris - and in France in general, see this book if you're interested - and they are good places, not only to drink wine of course, but also to grab something to eat. You can ask Le vin au verre (wine by the glass) or Une bouteille de vin (a wine bottle). Don't ask me which one to choose as I am not a big wine drinker but you may check with O Chateau that I already mentioned here, if you want to know more.

Chocolate Fashion Show

Today, I attended the "Salon du chocolat" a show entirely dedicated to... chocolate. It was created by two French people (Sylvie Douce and François Jeantet) and is so successful that it now takes place in New York, Tokyo, Beijing... One of its highlights is a Fashion show where dresses are designed by famous chocolate makers. Huge success. I took several photos of course; if you want to see some, have a look at this little video.