Soon, the world cup!

Unless you live under a rock (or maybe if you're American and don't really follow everything that is soccer related) you probably know that the World Cup will soon start in South Africa. To be honest I don't think the French team will stay in the tournament very long... To much money and sex and not enough soccer I'm afraid ;-) There is even a supermarket chain who recently advertised saying "You TV set refunded if the French team wins the cup!" That says a lot. In the meantime I found this young, promising player training hard in the Jardin des Buttes Chaumont. So cute! BTW, if you want to follow the World Cup, go to Footbalistic, they are friends of mine.
PS : don't forget the PDP picnic this Sunday (June 6) at 1 PM. More details on this Facebook Page. The weather is going to be gorgeous.

Jumping off the Eiffel Tower

Generally when people jump off the Eiffel Tower it is rarely to break a record and they don't have 100 000 spectators watching them. This guy - his name is Taïg Khris - did today! He jumped off the Eiffel Tower on Rollerblades from a height of 40 meters (44 yards) - roughly the 1st floor of the Eiffel Tower - and landed 10 meters (11 yards) lower (see the photo). Silly, meaningless, pointless... but very popular. The event was shown live on TV and the Champs de Mars was full of people. See also his Facebook page for more...

A meeting with a view

This morning I had a meeting in a communication agency in the center of Paris. It was the first time I visited them. A nice lady opened the door showed me into the main office and told me to wait in the meeting room upstairs... What she did not know is that I would take advantage of it to... takes photos! No matter where I looked, the scenery was absolutely stunning. So I took several photos, of course. I chose to publish this very Parisian one, where you have one the main landmarks of Paris together with the rooftops in the foreground.

Standing in line at the Eiffel Tower

I had a very busy day today and did not have a single minute to take my "photo du jour". So I dug into my archives and found this photo that I kept aside for a day like today. I took it last time I went to the Eiffel Tower, from the first floor. It shows a tiny bit of the long line that people have to stand in before they can actually climb up the Tower. No wonder, there are about 7 million visitors per year there. And since 1889, almost 250 000 000 people visited our dear old iron lady. Have a nice Friday everyone, mine will be as hectic as today...

Notice something different?

Look at this photo carefully. I know you know this arch (called L'arc de Triomphe), but did you notice anything different? Look closer... Click in the photo to enlarge it... Bingo! The sculptures on each side have been replaced with photos. Why? Because they are currently being renovated - until June 15. The one on the right is the most famous one; it was sculpted by François Rude in 1792 and it bears the name "La Marseillaise".

Old Bus

I know I already showed you some of these old Parisian buses, but I can't help it, I just love them! This one is - if I'm not mistaken - a "TN4H" by Renault and it ran roughly between 1940 and 1971. It has a platform at the back on which passengers could hop on an off, which was very convenient and... very dangerous. There are a million things to learn about old public transportation in Paris especially if you visit the AMTUIR  (public transportation museum), which unfortunately for tourists is pretty far from Paris (about 14 miles). Fortunately, you can visit their website (in French only).

In the footsteps of Willy Ronis...

Do you know this photo by Willy Ronis, the famous French photographer who is probably more known for this photo? Well, at the occasion of a tour I will tell you more about soon, I happened to go exactly where he took the photo in 1950, that is Avenue Simon Bolivar in the 19th arrondissement . Of course the magic of his shot is definitely not in mine, but I tried my best! Oh BTW, the gray haired man on the right is... Stéphane Kovalsky, the grand son of Willy Ronis! Cool encounter, I can tell you.

Les champs return to being fields

I know you think this is a Photoshop edit, but it's not! During the night of Saturday to Sunday, hundreds of French farmers brought dirt, plants and a few farm animals too, to Les Champs Elysées to turn them into a giant field. It's not a demonstration, but a "PR event" called Nature Capitale to remind the Parisians of what the country - and life in the country! - looks like. Enormous - huge - success as this kind of event does not happen very often. I loved it. So much, that I may go back tomorrow at dawn when there are less people (hopefully). BTW, the funny part is that Les Champs Elysées used to be fields (or rather a swamp area) until Marie de Medici decided to have an avenue built there, in 1616! Update: here is a view from the arch, courtesy of Silvia, a friend of mine who took it today.

Hopital Saint Joseph Chapel

My father is currently in the Hospital Saint Joseph in the 14th arrondissement (nothing to worry about, just a few arteries to unblock(!) He's now perfectly fine). Of course I visit him regularly and this gave me the opportunity to discover a nice little chapel at the center of the premises. It's not very surprising as this hospital was originally built by the Catholics - and also managed by them until 1958.

Message someone in Paris!

You want to send a love message to someone in Paris? Well, wherever you are in the world, you just need to connect to this Facebook page and... write what goes through your mind. Of course the person you want to send this message to has better be walking down the Beaubourg Center Plaza as that is where the giant Blackberry on which the message will appear is located. BTW the credit of this photo goes entirely to Rose who sent me an email to inform me of this event. ;-)

More art!

I had a very busy day today but I managed to find some time to go to the opening of an art exhibit - a more conventional one, not like yesterday! The unusual part was that it did not take place in an at gallery, but... in the offices of Mac Allister, an executive search company located near the Opera and the famous Edouard VII area that I already mentioned here. I did not find a job there(!), but some very tempting pieces of art by Odile Gaslonde (in this photo) and Antoine Faure. I know the picture is hard to see in this photo, but it's on purpose!

Art performance really?

Sometimes, when it comes to art - and art performances in particular - I don't always get it... Hence, this little number that I came across with last evening in front of La Bourse building (the one you see in the background). A certain Miss Dora O'range was surrounded by a little crowd watching her doing her performance (light up a fire,  playing golf with an orange she had just covered in petrol like in this photo...). The leaflet that was distributed there by her "assistants" says that "Miss Dora likes to play with the boundaries of normality". You bet! More on this website if you're intrigued.

Cool bike parking

Due to the promotion of bikes in Paris, the Town hall had many many bicycle parking spaces built in the streets of Paris. But there are never enough spots! And since there are a lot of bike thefts (there is even a website where you can place an "wanted" post!) people find the most unusual ways to attach their bike to the next solid thing they can find... Needless to say this is highly forbidden, but since there is are licence plates on bikes, the risk of getting a ticket is very very limited!

Paris, the city of love!

Paris, the city of love? Well, isn't that obvious, when you see these two "tourtereaux" (turtledoves) that I photographed in front of Rosa Bonheur? "Rosa" is a former Guinguette located in the Parc des Buttes Chaumont and it is currently one of the most successful bars/restaurants in Paris. At night (not everyday, you need to check on their site first) the terrace is overcrowded and you'll be lucky if you can grab something to drink. But isn't that all the fun? I guess, for I only experienced it off peak hours!

5th PDP Picnic

Even though some of you may have seen my unforgettable number in this video, today is the official 5th PDP picnic invitation post. For once it will take place on a Sunday (June 6th) and around lunch time so that we can take advantage of the sun (I'm sure the gods will watch over us!). The location is "as usual" the embankment at the end of rue de l'Amiral Coligny near the Louvre. More on Facebook. I hope a lot of you will be able to attend.

Fête du Pain 2010

Like every year since 1996, we are celebrating "Le Pain" (bread). It always take place in May because according to tradition, the 16th of May is the day of Saint Honoré, the Saint of... bakers! In fact the main reason for this celebration is that French people only eat 165 g of bread PER DAY! each year and that this is not good enough for the bakers' business! Problem is: bread makes you gain weight... But shush! Website: la fête du pain.

Stop staring at me!

This animal escaped from the Gallery of comparative anatomy, near the natural history museum! As you all know(!) comparative anatomy is "the study of the differences and similarities allowing us to distinguish and classify species or larger groups (orders, families, etc)." Well if you want to see for yourself, pay a visit to the Jardin des plantes , which is where the museum is located. In the meantime, you can also visit the website, which is not only very nice but also entirely in English). BTW, did you notice the Mc Donald's sign in the back?!

At the top, at last!

I took this photo in one of the many staircases that surround the Butte Chaumont in the 19th arrondissement. The kid started climbing the stairs and I immediately thought of the photo I could take when he would reach the top! I'm still debating whether the presence of the plastic bag is a good of a bad thing though!

Ascension

Today (Thursday) is a holiday in France because the Catholics are celebrating L'Ascension, the day - according to the Christian doctrine - where Jesus ascended to heaven following to his resurrection. It always takes place on a Thursday (that is exactly 40 days after easter Sunday) and most people take a day off on Friday to either go away of take some rest. I'm one of these people! I took this photo in Saint Sulpice and, well, I thought it was most appropriate for today.

Les Sirops Monin

The minute I entered this café in the 19th arrondissement (I forgot its name) I noticed these bottles on the bar. So I took a photo... Once I enlarged it I discovered a whole new world; the one of Les Sirops Monin (the Monin syrups), a family business (since 1912) that exports throughout the whole world and even have subsidiaries in the US, Singapore and Dubai. What do they do? Syrups! Not only the kind that you put on pancakes, but in cocktails and other high-end beverages. Check for yourself on their stunning website.