Another classic view

Here is what you can see if you walk down the street from Metro station Richelieu Drouot to the Galeries Lafayette or Printemps department stores - Precisely at rue Laffitte, a little narrow street in the 9th arrondisemment. You will have recognized the Sacré Coeur of course, in the background, but that is not the only church in this photo. You can also see Notre Dame de Lorette in the foreground. I already posted the same view a few years ago, but I passed by it again today and I did not resist taking another shot.

A window to the past

I'm a big fan of Mad Men, the television series that depict the life in an advertising agency in the 60's. And today, when I passed by this open door, I immediately thought of this because of the "Dactylo" sign at the end or this entrance corridor. Dactylos means typist in French, in other words people (well mostly women...) who used to type on a typewriter what their male boss used to dictate them... Now everyone has computers, blackberries and so on, so everyone knows how to type ;-)

The end of "la grève"?

There was another demonstration today in Paris - still against the new age of retirement. It took place just outside my door, between Republique and Opera, but I was busy working so I only saw the remains tonight, on the way back home... One of them being this sticker on a street sign saying Grève générale (General strike), that can also be read as Rêve général (General dream...) ;-) Anyway, I watched the news last night and there were much less people in the streets than before. Not to mention that gas/petrol stations have reopened. I think the age of retirement is now officially 62 (or 67 for those who started working late)...

Underground Heating

Is that a scary photo or what? I took it last evening on the way back home at rue de Chateaudun, where they are installing underground heating. Yes, Paris has one of the largest underground heating networks in the world, but I don't think anyone knows that. It's actually hard to imagine that huge pipes run underneath the city and heat up several buildings throughout Paris, isn't it? (check this little flash animation) And though the CPCU (Compagnie parisienne de chauffage urbain), the company that operated this heating in Paris, claims that it's highly eco-friendly and very efficient. FYI one part of their energy sources come from... our garbage!

Paris, capital of modern art?

Last weekend the Fiac (Foire internationale d'art contemporain) took place at Le Grand Palais. It's probably the largest modern art fair in Europe, a place to see and... a place to be seen. There were plenty of other events around modern art in Paris at the same time including this Art Elysées exhibit, where 67 galleries could show and sell their artists. I know you would have rather seen a piece of art, but that is all I have to offer for today. Besides, you have been spoiled these past 2 days LOL!

By the pale moonlight

I was gas/petrol hunting last night and while looking for an open service station, I stopped by the Kennedy metro station. I then looked though this bridge and saw this beautiful moon next to the Eiffel Tower... I then crossed the road (and believe me, it's pretty daring over there because of the traffic) and took this photo. I really like it even though the Eiffel Tower can barely be seen.

Winter is on its way...

Could that look more like winter colors? I don't think so! I took this photo on the Ile des Signes Cygnes, the little island located between the 15th and the 16th arrondissement, I already mentioned when I posted the Statue of Liberty photo. The bridge you can see is only used by metros. Temperature in Paris for tomorrow Monday : 1 to 4 (34 to 39 Farenheit and 0 to 4 (32 to 39 Farenheit) on Tuesday. Brrrrr...

Fire!

No this is not a fire set by demonstrators, but flames coming out of a "tool" (I don't know what it's called!) that workers use to stick horizontal street signs to the pavement. I just thought it would make a funny photo.  FYI, the Paris street signs are fully monitored through a very sophisticated computerized system so that it's really well maintained

Playing Football

I took this photo at the Reuilly gardens in the 12th arrondissement. They have a little field in which young - and less young! - people can play football and ball games in general. There is not much to say about it, I just like the color effect behind the grid. Have a good weekend everyone. Mine will be "connected" as I'll be attending the Webdeux Connect gathering (a geeky meet up!).

Another party at La Bourse

It is extremely rare when I don't carry my camera with me... And though, last evening, as I was passing by La Bourse (the stock market) I realized I had left it at home. Shame, because they were having another of these company parties there and the whole building was beautifully decorated and lit. So I had to use my camera phone...  As I already mentioned here, this building - often called Le Palais Brongniart, after the name of its architect: Alexandre Brongniart who built it in 1813 - is no longer used to trade stocks (since 1986), but to host company parties or conferences.

Hello Paris!

No, this is not a slogan that some demonstrators wrote on a shop window, but just a graffiti that I found on a store that is currently being redone near the Carreau du Temple (a covered market in the 3rd arrondissement). In the front you probably recognized a Wallace fountain, named after Sir Richard Wallace, an Anglo-French philanthropist (see this very old post if you want to know more).

War?!

If you watched the French news, you may have heard that once again our country is almost under siege! Due to the new law about retirement (we will have to work two more years starting 2018), people have started demonstrating, then going on strike and now the country is almost paralyzed. It is now very difficult - if not impossible - to find gas/petrol and they say that soon food will also be short. I did not really think the situation was as bad as what they said on television, but this morning I have been unable to fill the tank of my scooter...  I'm not too worried about not being able to fill my stomach though, as I have some spare energy around my waist!

Arrest this woman!

This woman is a dangerous outlaw, can you guess why? No, she did not rob a bank and put all the money in her purse(!), she simply wears pants and this, ladies and gentlemen, in France is forbidden! Yep. In November 1799, a law was passed saying that all women willing to "dress like a man" should first go to the Police and ask for a written permission! The sad part is that even though in 1892 et 1909 two very liberal laws allowing women to wear pants "under certain conditions" (horse or bicycle riding) were passed, it is still officially forbidden for women to "dress like a man"! Recently a few people from the Paris council asked that the law be removed, but the authorities replied that they were more urgent matters than this. Which is true, as, as you can guess, nowadays this law is no longer applied!

Youth!

One of the very positive thing about PDP is that it forces me to raise my eyes on things that I would normally pass by without noticing them. That's what happened Saturday on the way back from the Eiffel Tower where I tool the banquet photo. I walked by the Trocadero and noticed the two sculptures located on the lower parts. Very beautiful and very typical of the 30's. Through Google I learned that they were made by Pierre-Marie Poisson (1876 - 1953) and that the one I photographed is called "La jeunesse" (youth). Now my problem was to find an interesting angle for the shot. I chose to concentrate on one part, but, of course, my choice is debatable...

Banquet against hunger

By the time you finish reading this caption, a child in the world will have died of hunger... To raise awareness on this dramatic fact, Action against hunger (Action contre la faim, in French) organized a clever event on the Champs de Mars, à Paris: a banquet against hunger! Not a real one, but a one symbolized by 10 000 plates. Click here to see a broader view, or here to view a little video taken from opposite the Eiffel Tower (I did not take it myself, just FYI).

Quartier Drouot

I live in what is called Le Quartier Drouot, that is the area around the Drouot auction house where there are  lots of art galleries. Nice place to walk through at night, when the windows are all lit! And even more so at this very moment for they are having their annual "Drouot en fête" days, during which they open late at night, have little cocktails and stuff. I went to the opening night on Thursday and I once again drooled in front of this painting at gallery Xavier Eeckhout that I see every night on my way back home. It's by Jean-Louis Foulquier - a man who started painting because he was sick and needed a soothing occupation! I simply love his work.

Looks

Two days ago, I attended the launch of a new Social Network (yes another one!) on a boat, right by the Eiffel Tower (you can see the Seine in the background of this photo). This new network is called Looknbe and its purpose is to allow people to exchange looks advice and tips. Among other things, you can for instance take a photo of the tie/gown you plan to wear for the day and ask "your network" if they think it matches your shirt or shoes! Silly?! That is what I thought before they actually presented t the business plan... What if tomorrow's Facebook was French? Anyway, of course, to attract media's attention they had a gimmick (Mr Migö in this photo) and I fell for it! After all things are pretty tense at the moment in Paris (lots of strikes and demonstrations due to the new law about retirement) so I thought a little humor would be welcome.

Casual Paris Scene...

I don't know why (and no, it's not the Tenin perspective!), but I kinda like this photo. The guy in the worker uniform is actually a painter who paints on the pavement (look here at the finished work) and the kissing couple in the background is not planted! It was there for real ;-) Well that's all, I thought that after two days of monuments, a little people scene would be appreciated...

Liberty!

The nice weather continued today and since I had a meeting near the Eiffel Tower and that I was early I spent some time on the Île des Cygnes (Isle of the Swans), a small artificial island on the Seine at the end of which you can find the Statue of Liberty - well the French one, which was inaugurated by French President Carnot on July 4th 1889 (see what the New York Times wrote about the event on July 5th!). As you probably all know, the statue of Liberty that you can see in New York was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and has been given to the Americans by the French in 1885.

Wish you were here

We're having a wonderful weather at the moment and it's really cool. I had my weekly meeting at La Défense today and on the way back I could not help but taking a photo of the arch with the clear blue sky in the background. I know you've seen this arch a few times on PDP, but there is always something to learn about it... Did you know it's 160 ft (50 m) high, that the large vault is 95.8 ft (29.19 m) high and 48.0 ft (14.62 m) wide and that a plane managed to fly through it once (in 1919)!