WWI Truce Celebration

Today is a holiday in France. We celebrate the end of World War I which ended precisely November 11, 1918 at eleven o'clock. This truce (armistice) was signed by Marechal Foch in a train carriage specially fitted for this occasion (this same carriage was also used in 1940 by Hitler to sign the rendition of France). For the first time there will not be any Poilus (that is what we call the soldiers who fought this war) at the ceremony as, like reported previously on PDP, the last French witness of this war died last Mars at the age of 110.

Le Palace's new life

Le Palace was a mythical place when I was young. It was the equivalent to what Studio 54 was in New York in the 80's 70's: the club to be! It was closed in 1983 after its owner died and did not really reopened until a few days ago, after it's been turned into a theater again (see more of its history here). I'm also happy to post this photo today because it brings me back to when I started PDP with my little Sony compact camera: I posted a photo of Le Palace on April 8, 2005 ending the caption with "Nobody knows what the Palace is going to become." Now I know! Time flies and PDP has already a history!

Sunday Tea Time

It's cold, gray, a little rainy... It's the perfect moment to have a little tea. Like this nicely dressed lady that I photographed at a terrace near Beaubourg (she probably had a macaron or two, wrapped in this ugly white paper on the table!) The French tradition of tea is not as strong as in England or China, but the market is apparently increasing (2 ou 3 French people drink tea against 1 out of 3 ten years ago). It is still considered as an "elite" beverage, and more feminine than masculine. There are several nice Salon de Thé in Paris ; the most famous ones are probably Mariage Frère (a tea specialist) and Angelina (an upper class hang out). If you're interested, here is a little selection of other cosy addresses (in French).

The sound of... musicals

A few years ago if you wanted to see a musical in Europe you had to go to London, period. Things have changed! Now you can see a lot of interesting productions in one of our many theaters. That's precisely what I did last night when I went to Mogador to see Le Roi Lion (The Lion King). I must say, I'm not a big fan of these shows, but this one really made me change my opinion. The costumes are stunning - I'm talking stunning! - the scenery is breathtaking and the French adaptation is really well made. Nice way to start my weekend ;) Here is a little clip.

Glass Hail!

It's the coolest effect I've ever seen in a shop window! This stunning scene belongs to the Galeries Lafayette, one of the largest department stores in Paris, and it's part of their Christmas decorations that started at the beginning of the month. Like several of you noticed, Paris is not the most decorated city in the world for Christmas (far from that!), but some of the decorations are really outstanding. I really look up to the people who are creative enough to come up with ideas like this.

Water of Paris

From what I understood from yesterday's comments, everyone seems happy after the US elections! I thought of celebrating the event with a little glass of a typical Paris beverage: water! As a matter of fact, the Paris town hall has been promoting tap water for several years now, and they even just opened a water museum in the 16th arrondissement where I photographed these 3 really cool pitchers (designed by Pierre Charpin). The whole purpose of this PR campaign is actually to let Parisians know that their tap water is just as good as bottled water, that it's much more environmentally friendly than bottled water and that it is about 300 times less expensive than bottled water! More here - in French - if you're interested.

Straw Vote at the Harry's Bar

It's a tradition that has almost never ceased since 1924: the "straw vote" at the famous Harry's Bar... The principle is simple: any American citizen (who can show an American passport) and who is older than 18 can participate in the vote. The results are posted in front of the bar (and on the Web site) every week leading up to the election until the very final moment (I took this photo at 7 pm on November 4th Paris time). The interesting part is that ever since 1924, the straw vote at Harry's Bar was wrong only twice: in 1976 (Ford/Carter) and in 2004 (Bush II/Kerry). At the time I'm posting this photo, I still don't know if they were wrong a third time...

French Obamania

During my stay in the US last week, I often got the question "and what do you think about the US elections in France?" I kept saying that there was very little discussion among the French, whether they traditionally support the right or the left wing, about 80% of them would vote for Obama if they were Americans. Last evening (Monday) there was even a small demonstration on the Trocadero esplanade in favor of him (yes Suzy, the little blue ray above the head of the woman in the middle belongs to the Eiffel Tower!). Will he finally be elected? We'll soon find out ;)

Cynical, but beautiful

I know, this looks like a very basic message - kinda like "aren't we treating men like consumable goods nowadays?" but I loved the graphics. It's not really a graffiti but a printed paper glued to a vent pipe, that I photographed in the Beaubourg area. The garbage can is typical of Paris (with its transparent plastic bag to avoid bombings - that is, to avoid that terrorists hide a bomb in it). It's not exactly the best photo I could choose to start the week, but it really caught my eyes. BTW, I have no idea who did that, so if anyone knows...

The right time

As I'm currently trying to recover from my jet lag (It always takes me ages!) I don't think I've ever showed you an interesting piece of art by sculptor Arman called "L'heure de tous" that has been installed in front of the Gare Saint Lazare in 1985 (which explains the little pigeon "offerings" that you can see on it...). The clocks don't actually work, they are just for the purpose of the sculpture. Incidentally, today is also the day Americans switch to give up DST (Daylight Saving Time) and return to normal time, so if you're from the US, everything should be back to normal with Europe and PDP in particular! Have a great Sunday.

Theme Day : Books

Those who have been to Paris probably have come across the Bouquinistes, these typical book sellers who don't really have a bookshop but a "box" along the Seine embankment. There are currently 217 of them along the Seine, running no less than 900 boxes - that makes a total of roughly 300 000 old and new books, postcards, photos... The first ones appeared during the 16th century and they managed to survive until now, even though there has been several attempts to eradicated them (either for political reasons or economical ones). I took this photo in one of these boxes thinking it would be perfect for our theme day. On a different note, may I also wish a scary Halloween to all my American visitors!

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants to the theme day.

Street art

Have giants taken over Paris while I was away?! No, it's only a few pieces of the work that sculptor Rabarama from Italy is currently showing in the 5th arrondissement on the occasion of La Fiac, the international modern art fair that takes place every year in Paris.I came across one of them on Place du Pantheon while I was struggling with the current terrible winter weather that I reconnected with, today ;)

Back to old Europe!

Everything comes to an end and even if I had a wonderful time in the US, it's now time to go back to my hometown. If everything goes well, I'll be in the plane to Paris when you see this photo! It shows the horse of the main Hermès shop at rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré. I just like the angle of this photo and the shadows it makes on the gray sky. Of all the French brands, I think Hermès is my favorite one: it's expensive but the quality is really there and the good taste too (now I talk like my mother!!!)

NYC PDP Party

Sorry I'm late posting, but you know why. I'm just back from... the NYC PDP party. As for last year in San Francisco and at the Paris gatherings, it's always a pleasure to meet people "for real". We gathered at Pipa (a recommendation of Alexa's), a tapas restaurant very nicely decorated. I had the opportunity to meet very interesting people, with different background and experience. From right to left: Alexa, Doug, Lori, Ming, Mame, Deborah, Elisabeth, Aliya, Charles.
Not to forget Vince, who kindly popped in a few minutes to tell me nice things about PDP ;) and Jessie who came in late and does not show on the photo. I was also touched to receive a call from Jeff (in Mineapolis) and a text message from Thib in Paris for the occasion. I may find it hard to post a daily photo of Paris sometimes, but all this is really rewarding ;)

Cyclist Marché Saint Honoré

I took this photo on the Place du Marché Saint Honoré, in the 1st arrondissement, a place that used to be totally spoiled by an old, ugly fire station located right in the middle. Now you can find lots of trendy restaurants around it and the ugly building has been replaced by a new glass one, designed by famous architect Ricardo Bofill. Under this new building there is a large covered through way that kids use to ride "acrobatic bicycles". Last call for NYC PDP gathering: address, time and all details to be found here.

Dôme des Invalides

It's a classic, but it's always nice to see. I also took this photo from the rue Boissy d'Anglas, like the one 2 days ago. It's Le Dôme des Invalides, that I showed several times here, but not from this angle. You don't see much of that kind of architecture in New York, where I just arrived a couple of hours ago ;) But I love skyscrapers too! If you want to join the NYC PDP party on Tuesday 28, around 5:30/6:00 pm. Stay tuned..

New York upon Seine!

Even if it looks like this photo was not taken in Paris, it was! And more precisely, at the last Mondial de l'automobile, the big automobile show that just took place in Paris. They had a section dedicated to taxis from all over the world throughout the ages and I thought this was perfect for today [Sunday], as I am heading to NYC. The PDP party will most likely take place on Tuesday 28, around 5:30/6:00 pm. Stay tuned for the location as I still need to arrange this [with Alexa!]. Also, I'd like to dedicate this post to Lynn (aka PHX-CDG) because it's thanks to her that I am here today;)

Flavor of the past

Not far from where I took yesterday's photo, there is a little passage called la Galerie Royale - off la rue Royale - that I never knew of and that I discovered while wandering in the neighborhood. It's a place I recommend if you're near rue Royale (where the famous macaron maker Ladurée is located!) and should you want to have a drink on a quiet terrace. The buildings are really beautiful (as you can see in the photo) and the passage has kept its original flavour (the rue Royale was built in 1758). PS: if you are in New York and want to meet me next week, please check this forum entry.

Chic is in the details

I always look up to the people (should I say the artists) who dress windows. They have to come up with new ideas, cope with the image the brand wants to promote and catch the passers by attention. That is exactly what happed to me when I passed by this Lanvin window display in the Boissy d'Anglas street. The whole setting was actually very creative and I do regret not to have been able to photograph it due to the light reflexion in the glass. PS: if you are in New York and want to meet me next week, please check this forum entry.

Quiet Please!

One of the side effects of the smoking ban in cafés and restaurants is that smokers feel compelled to go outside in the street to have their shoot fix. And what happens when they are outside altogether? They talk, laugh, chuckle... drop their cigarette ends on the ground and trigger much anger from the neighbors! The problem has become so important that the town hall had to react and launched a massive campaign. The photo I took shows one of the posters you can now find outside many places. It says "Outside, let's talk quietly" and the little shoeshine box on the left is, in fact, a portable ashtray that is provide for free to cafés and restaurants so that they can give them to their customers.