Paris wedding dress

It's been a while since I wanted to take a photo of this very beautiful wedding dress shop located boulevard Raspail. Tonight, on the way back from my office, I finally did. Looking up on the web, I found out that it belongs to a designer called Monique Germain, who, apparently has been in this business for over 30 years. Have a look at her website, I'm not an expert, but I'm sure she's very talented. BTW, thank you very much for your help on tomorrow's theme day. I have 24 more hours to make a decision...

Passage Piéton

Nothing fancy today... I had lunch in the 13th arrondissement where we have our Chinese quarter (yes I had a delicious Phò), and on the way out, I looked for several photo opportunities. I went down by the river bank, close to the new national library, and discovered that the whole area is under construction. Traffic there is difficult and even pedestrians have to follow strict pathways ;) BTW, please continue helping me on what I should use for our February 1st theme day (when people think of your city, they think of...)

Fontaine des mers

This is such a classic, it's not even funny! The "guy" in the foreground is part of the Fontaine des mers, a very famous fountain built between 1835 and 1840 together with this one, that I already showed on this blog. Both fountains can be found at the bottom of the Champs Elysées on the Place de la Concorde. In the background I don't think you need to be told what it is! BTW, in 2 days, a new theme day is coming up (theme is: when people think of your city, they think of...), I could have saved this photo for the occasion!!

Me and my shadow...

Let's start the week with a photo I took last Saturday at Saint Sulpice (Saint Sulpice is a very famous church in Paris, now world famous because it was part of the Da Vinci code plot). The church is currently closed because it's being redone, but I managed to take this shot on one of its sides. I was attracted to this mysterious shadow; a statue undoubtedly, but I don't know which one...

Fernand's "engine"

Very often people send me emails asking me for advice on things to do in Paris or restaurants to eat at. I never know what to say really as there are so many things to experience while in Paris, it's hard to recommend anything in particular. But today I'll make an exception! I'm just out of a dinner party with friends at Fernand's, a restaurant located 13 rue Guisarde, in the 6th. The cuisine is really good, the service is friendly and very - too? - quick and, last but not least, the atmosphere is very very French. On the down side, it's really busy and noisy and there is absolutely no privacy as tables are literally attached to each other (which can also be nice if you want to talk to your neighbors!!).

Pharmacy sign

In Paris, whenever you see a sign like this - or at least looking like this - you can be sure there is a drugstore underneath it. It's called a Caduceus (Caducée in France) and it shows - culture time everyone! - Hygieia 's cup (Hygieia , as you all know(!) was a daughter of Asclepius and the goddess of health, cleanliness and sanitation ) in which a snake spits out its venom that is used in the preparation of remedies. There are about 70 000 23 000 pharmacies in France (1 for every 2 700 inhabitants) and they only sell drugs. No soda, no electronics, nor food... like in US drugstores!!

Eye see you again!

I don't know if you remember, but in April 2006, I posted a photo of the shop window of an optician called Lafont. Well, I passed by the same shop tonight and, once again, I could not help but taking a photo. He - apparently it's one of the sons of the Lafont family who does the windows dressing - always has the best ideas to display glasses in a funny/classy (glassy!?) way. This time, it's very nature oriented. Very cool ;)

A night at the Senate

When you think of senators don't you picture old farts, half sleeping while having endless discussions over a new law?! Well, in fact these "wise men" seem to be much more dynamic than what we think. Thus, last evening I attended there a debate about "micro incomes" generated by blogs, ebay, adwords, etc. This also gave me the occasion to see this venerable institution from the inside - and take this photo! On top of that, they even have part of their website in English;)

Walk the dogs!

Look what I've found for you today! A unique sculpture that can only be seen in Paris in this particular gallery - precisely called "Galerie Pièce Unique". If I'm right, this masterpiece was made by an artist called Cyrille André (funny picture of him here). The gallery is located in the 6th arrondissement, rue Mazarine where a lot of art can be found.

Return to the Maillol Museum

Aren't I lucky. Not only do I live in the most beautiful city in the world (LOL!) but on top of that I got hundreds of happy birthday messages from you all! Thank you very much indeed, even though I did not have enough time to answer every single one of you personally. Today's photo was taken in the Maillol Museum where I went - again! - last Sunday and caught a tourist in the act of taking a picture ;) The painting in the background is by CarlConrad Felixmüller and is part of the current exhibit "Germany: the black years".

The Paris Giant

This guy is not a figurine on a mock up, but a 8.5 meter (30 feet) sculpture that hangs on the facade of a kindergarden on the rue de la Tombe-Issoire in the 14th arrondissement (click here to have a broader view). The cute part about this guy is that he was made by sculptor Corinne Béoust after a legend that runs in the neighborhood: in the middle ages a giant, named Isoré, used to kill pilgrims on their way to a famous European pilgrimage spot known as Saint-Jacques- de-Compostelle. Isoré finally was killed, but his body was so big that they had no other choice than to bury him on the spot!

Unlimited speed

I already told you about these roller skaters who move around the streets of Paris on specific days and evenings. It never ceases to amaze me! If you were in Paris today (Sunday) you could take part in this one, for it takes place... every Sunday. What's nice about it, is that the route is different each time (have a look on their site) and that the pace is OK. If you're more into sports and like action and speed, you must take part in the Friday evening ones, which are also a lot of fun. And if you're into roller balding in general, here is what you can do in Paris on 6 wheels!

Iced Eiffel Tower

Isn't it odd to see a mini Eiffel Tower on the first floor of the big one?! And though that is where I took this shot 2 days ago, as I was attending the pre-launch of a new website (Radionomy, a service that will allow anybody to create his own radio). The funny thing is that this Eiffel Tower is actually made of - real - ice for it is part of an exhibition dedicated to both poles. Click here to see more photos on the actual Eiffel Tower site.

Paris at dawn

I had an early meeting a the Lutetia hotel this morning and on the way there, I passed by the Pont de La Concorde and saw this skyline. I had to stop and take a photo! Again, no Photoshop here...

Return to the lighthouse

I already showed this lighthouse in August 2006, but I can't help showing it to you once more, (but this time at night). It's located just off the rue Castagnary (14th arrondissement) and I pass by it every evening on my way back home. Why is there a lighthouse in the middle of Paris? Just to attract attention to the local fish market located right underneath it!.

French Car

Until I took this photo and did a little research on the net, I was sure that France had only 3 car manufacturers: Renault, Peugeot and Citroën. I know now that we have a 4th one, called 4 stroke Rumen (Rumen, is the name of the car designer and founder of the company). As you guessed, it's not exactly a mass produced car - nor a cheap one either (55 000 €) - but it's got a real original shape and obviously attracts attention. Here is a little video, if you want to see it in motion.

Collage

In the rue Mazarine, I found these pretty unusual paintings hanging on a wall above a restaurant. I really wonder how the authors of these paintings managed to stick them that high, but, anyway, I thought it was a nice photo idea. So here you go!

Crossing the street in Paris

No fancy building today, I just like the dynamics of this photo. I was surprised to learn that there are few pedestrian accidents in Paris; in 2005 (last stats available) "only" 23 people died crossing the street and 278 were seriously injured (but 1 643 were "lightly" injured). See, French driving is not that crazy!

Scooter or car?

It's been a while since I've wanted to show you this strange scooter called a C1 and manufactured by BMW. It was sold in Europe between 2000 and 2003 and you can still see many in Paris. Businessmen and women like it because it's got the "form factor" of a scooter but does not require to wear a helmet nor to wear a raincoat (it's equipped with a seat belt and a sort of roof). Dangerous? Not that much, if you believe what crash tests show.

Reaching out for God?

I took this photo in the Saint Jean-Baptsite de Grenelle church near the rue du Commerce in the 15th arrondissement. This was my first time there (I rarely go to this neighborhood). The minute I entered the place I was stunned by the enormous amount of perfectly aligned chairs there were. I thought it would make a cool photo. It does (well, in my opinion!).