Where there is smoke...

Where there is smoke there is often fire, but most certainly heat! Precisely, don't go thinking this is some kind of winter mist that I managed to photograph early in the morning! This smoke comes from the earth! It's what is called geothermal energy, that is heat that comes naturally from the "dogger" layer, about 1,800 meters from below the ground. In Paris several buildings use this "free" energy and more and more are equipped every year. I found this "spring" in the 5th arrondissement  at rue Saint Jacques, just behind the Saint Severin church.

Purple rain

OK there is nothing really purple in the photo, but it makes a good title! There is nothing really captivating  about this photo either, and though I really love it. I took it last evening near Les Halles (you can see a tiny bit of the Beaubourg center in the very background) just after the rain stopped. The lights are 100% natural; that's what invited me to take the photo actually... Now on to the Christmas decorations ;-)

Paris dragon!

I'm surprised this piece of art is not more famous... It's a part of a "dragon" that seems to emerge from the ground at place Augusta-Holmes on rue Paul Klee in the 13 th arrondissement. It's actually a fountain (there is water running inside, even though there was none when I took the photo) called La Danse de la fontaine émergente. It was designed by the French-Chinese sculptor Chen Zhen (who died in 2000) and it took no less than 7 years to build it. I think it's really cool even though my photo does not do it justice really. Click here for a broader view and here for more information.

Institut du monde arabe

I think I only showed you the Institut du Monde Arabe (the Arab World Institute) only once. An though it's a stunning building, built between 1981 and 1987 by architect Jean Nouvel and located in the 5th arrondissement. The part you see in the background that recalls the Arab architecture, is composed of 240 photo-sensitive motor-controlled shutters, that automatically open and close to control the amount of sun entering the building. I love it! Not to mention Noura, the restaurant located on the last floor where you can enjoy a beautiful view over Paris.

Great idea by Les Papiers peintres

No... the "great idea" is not to show my face on PDP, but what you actually can see in the background of this photo... It's one of the fonds de photo, that is " photo backgrounds" made by two artists Ella & Pitr, aka Les papiers peintres. You can find them everywhere in Paris (and other cities throughout the world), they are glued to any wall and they come with instructions that say "take a photo of yourself in front of this background and send it to this email address". That is what I did (with my camera phone, which explains itspoor quality)! The whole collection can be seen at this address (my photo does not show yet) and also in a book, that is due to be released on Dec. 10. I think this is a great, creative idea

The long road to learning French...

You may wonder why I gave this title to this photo, but, even though it's a little far fetched, you're going to understand why! Last Thursday I went to the launch of Frantastique a new online service to learn French, hoping to take a photo (the invitation said there was going to be a "happening" during the evening!). Unfortunately, I had my Thanksgiving dinner that night and had to leave before the happening took place. On the way back, however, I passed by the Boulevard de Bercy and saw these sidewalks (the blue light is real) that run underneath the train tracks of Gare de Lyon. Now, you know the story! 

Pavé parisien

I know it's less impressive than yesterday's photo, but it's also VERY Parisian: le pavé parisien - or les pavés parisiens -, (in English:Cobblestone) are famous not only because they are everywhere in the streets, but also because they are used in several French expressions: "battre le pavé" (long and hard walk in the streets), "sous les pavés la plage" (under the cobblestones lies a beach), slogan used by students in 1968, not to forget "pavé au chocolat" which is a chocolate cake shaped after a cobblestone (which can feel like a "pavé sur l'estomac" ( a cobblestone in your stomach!) if you eat too many of them ;-) Have a great weekend everyone, I'm off to bed after a long long day...

Give your eyes a little peace...

I'm just back from a little Paris Thanksgiving dinner with good American friends (that I met thanks to PDP actually). We went to Le Café de Mars, a delicious restaurant which chef is... American. It was super good and very true to the tradition (well, so I think). We had a very good time and since this restaurant is located in the 7th arrondissement, on the way out we paid a visit to the Eiffel Tower. The night was beautiful, the sky slightly cloudy... I could not help but taking a shot. And when I say A shot, I mean a  zillion... Including this little video: 3 minutes of peace for the eyes...

Lamarck without Caulaincourt

Ask any Parisian about Lamarck and he will probably tell you "oh, yeah, Lamarck-Caulaincourt!". It turns out that Lamarck-Caulaincourt is a well known Metro station in the 18th arrondissement, but these two names belong to two different people! Precisely Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck (1744-1829) was a French naturalist who apparently used the word "biology" for the first time. He also categorized 80% of the invertebrates (yeah, he obviously had too much spare time!) among many other things. Of course the reason why I bore you with the life of Monsieur Lamarck is that he is in this photo that I took - obviously at the right moment (look at this sky!) - at the Jardin des plantes. Happy turkey day BTW (this is for my American visitors!).

French Public Services

Those of you who follow me on Facebook may have seen one of my yesterday updates in which I was "expressing my discontent" regarding La Poste, the French postal service. On the way out I came across this mailbox and I could not help thinking: this is a provocation LOL! To be fair, French public services (have a look at this British site for more, that is all I could find in English) are not that bad, on the whole, they are just like French service in general ;-)   

What's left of Les Halles

I know it's not the best view of Paris I've ever posted here, but it's an interesting one! Why? Because it shows what currently remains of Les Halles area ( Les Halles, used to be the central market of Paris from  1135 till the early 70's, when they transferred it to Rungis, in the suburbs). Since the 70's it has been turned into a huge underground mall with a big pedestrian area on top. Recently they decided to redo the whole place. Those who have been to Paris may have recognized Saint Eustache church on the right, the Bourse du commerce in the very back and... a piece of the Ecoute sculpture, by Henri de Miller. I can't wait till this goes back to "normal".

Front runner

Friday and Saturday I spent two exhausting days at a "geek" conference and I must say I did not really feel like touring Paris to take photo yesterday! Fortunately I noticed there was a small running race starting at my local town hall which is just a couple of blocks away from where I live. So I went and took this photo (for once, someone who seems happy to be photographed!). I then looked up on the web yo find out more and discovered that there are dozens of events like that within Paris every year: for women, for notaries(no kidding!), for students... not to forget the marathon of course!

3rd arrondissement town hall

Like you may know, Paris is divided into 20 districts, called arrondissements. Each of them has its own town hall (on top of the main one called Hotel de Ville). Most of them are real masterpieces for they were built during the 19th century, when Paris was growing and becoming richer and richer...  This one, for instance, is the 3rd arrondissement town hall and it's a real masterpiece. It was built between 1864 and 1867  on the remains of an old lavoir. FYI, 34250 people live in the 3rd arrondissement and it accounts for 1,6% of the total Paris population.

Skywatch

This is a pretty cool photo that I took it at La Défense while I was making a "timelaps" that I will hopefully show you soon. I love it that the clouds reflect in the skyscraper and that you don't really know where the building stops - and believe me when you see it moving it's even more impressive. It was pretty easy to take though, all I did was to lay my camera on the ground and wait for it to shoot! I was just plain lucky. Have a great weekend, whether you'll be watching the sky or not ;-)

Beaujolais nouveau!

And you thought you were going to escape a Beaujolais Nouveau photo LOL?! Nope... I took it near were I live, at the entrance of Passage Jouffroy where each year a restaurant called Le Zefyr puts a huge inflatable bottle by its entrance. So huge that passers by have to go around it (how's that for a marketing tool?!). How good does the Beaujolais taste this year? I have no idea (I very rarely drink alcohol remember?) and who cares! Everyone knows it's not for the taste that this whole thing is organized, but to boost business and provide a good occasion for people to gather. Which is good enough ;-) Have a look at what they do with Beaujolais in Japan though...

Top hat!

I took this photo at rue des Rosiers, which the heart of the Jewish part of Le Marais (a must visit place if you like falafels and bagels!). I fell in love with this coat the minute I saw it, even though it's not exactly everyday wear! Besides since obviously the place (it's called Yoahm, after the name of the owner of this store) was closed, I don't know how much it costs. But i'll go back and ask! 

Look before you leap!

You must think I spend my time on the Trocadéro esplanade, but I don't! I just happened to be there yesterday (Tuesday) and witnessed this funny scene: A newlywed couple from Japan was being photographed in front of the Eiffel Tower when suddenly a group of students, who obviously were having a French moment, stood behind them and started applauding and cheering. Everybody laughed, including the couple. Sorry for the bad quality of the photos, there was not enough light (the weather was pretty covered as you can see).

Inside La Madeleine

I spent the whole day in Lille (a large city in the North of France) today, therefore I did not have the time to take my photo of the day. So, here is one I took a few days ago... It shows the inside of La Madeleine, a Catholic church that took 85 years to build and was almost turned into... a train station at some stage-  in 1837)! It's a beautiful church (the statues in this photo were made by Carlo Marocchetti) often used for concerts (even though the acoustics are awful!) or for important services, like, for instance, for the funerals of famous French people. 

Animals you don't need to walk!

This Saturday I went to Le jardin d'acclimatation, a small amusement park located in Le bois de Boulogne in the 16th arrondissement. Like in all amusement parks you can find merry-go-rounds, roller coasters, car racing, shooting stands... but it's also an educational park where children can see animals, attend various workshops and... walk through unexpected exhibits, like these funny shaped animals designed by Guili Guili and made of recycled metal. Here is the one I thought was the cutest, but I photographed and filmed several other ones, that are just as cute! Have a look on the PDP Youtube channel.

Remembrance Day

Today is November 11 and in a lot of European countries it's a holiday. It's the day the WWI armistice was signed and where we remember the numerous veterans who died during that terrible war. In England, and all commonwealth countries, it's called remembrance day or poppy day, for that is the flower they use to commemorate that day. We don't have this tradition in France, but two days ago I came across this  drawing by street artist Fred le Chevalier and noticed the little red flower on top of the head of the girl. It made me think of a poppy (I know it's far fetched!).