Tourists in Paris

It's June, it's warm(er), it's sunny... No wonder tourists start coming to Paris (speaking of which, I unfortunately missed Nahal - one regular commenter here - this week-end because I was away but I spoke to her on the phone). I thought this photo of an Italian couple on the Pont des Arts (yes, again!) wondering what they were going to visit next was a perfect example. The woman on the bicycle is definitely French! Have a nice week.

Juggling the heat

With the raging heat in Paris right now, people spend more time outside than in (you know we don't have much air conditioning here...). I came across this juggler in the gardens at Les Halles in front of Saint Eustache, and he seemed to be taking advantage of a captive audience getting relief from the sun. If only he could juggle the rain clouds a bit... To know more about juggling in Paris or somewhere near you, check out the Internet Juggling Database.

Frog hangouts

This photo is of one of several of the FrogPubs chain which was started by a couple of students studying for their MBA at Insead university. The Frog and Rosbif is their signature pub, which opened in 1993 on rue St Denis, and is now part of 6 other pubs started from a school project. Imagine the homework necessary to come up with this concept! The chain is a big success with expats, tourists, and local Parisians.

Carreful with the glasses!

Another sunset today, but not on a monument! Only on a bunch of glasses from Le Petit Zinc, a typical Belle Epoque (1900) restaurant located in the Saint Germain des Prés area. I took this photo around 10 pm. I am off to the provinces (Vichy) again until Sunday so I won't be able to reply to your comments (but I will read them with pleasure on my mobile phone!). Needless to say that the photo posting does not stop... By the way, I don't know if you noticed but there are currently 99 active City Daily Photo blogs at the moment. Which city is going to be the hundredth?!

Update: I know now who the 100th City Daily Photo Blog is! And the winner is... Indianapolis by Shelly. Congratulations...

Pont neuf at sunset

This is the Pont Neuf (New bridge). Despite its name it is not new at all but, on the contrary, it's the oldest bridge in Paris... It was started in 1578 and completed in... 1604 (the French kings needed more money for the war than for bridges then). At that time it was really something: 20 meters wide (66 feet), real sidewalks (and unusual thing at that time) and 384 Mascarons (masks sculptures in stone) on each side. And more than that, it was our picnic scenery all evening long, last Friday... (it also inspired Michel, from Spirit-of-Paris)

Put this photo on a card, calendar, mug, t-shirt, bag and more here!

World cup waiter

Yesterday evening France played its first World Cup match against the Swiss. Nobody came out as the clear winner except the bars and cafés... Around 5 pm, people started leaving the office (people usually work until 7 - 7:30 pm in Paris) and sat in a cafe or on a terrace where they could see the TV screen. In some bars, even the waiters were wearing the French football team colors, like in the Café Brébant on the Grands Boulevards (9th arrondissement).

One last cow

Not that you're cownting, but it's the second cow I posted here. The reason why I show this one today is that the cow parade is coming to an end. The "cattle" will soon be heading towards La Defense where there will be a big final round-up from June 19 to June 24 (I'll show you a photo if I can). Unfortunately, this Paris cow exhibit did not avoid damage from vandals; several of them have had to be fixed and one was even stolen a couple of days ago...

French Tennis open final

One last stop at Roland Garros, the French tennis open. This past week-end the women and men finals took place: Belgium's Justine Henin-Hardenne won for the 3rd time and Rafael Nadal defended his crown over top-ranked Roger Federer. You might not be interested in tennis but it's just for the sake of showing this picture that I took inside of the stadium this time, unlike the previous one.

Gourmet French food

I came across this row of pizza delivery scooters, all lined up and ready to go and thought you'd like to know that even we French have to take a break from gourmet food from time to time. This may come as a bit of a shock to some of you Francophiles, but we don't always spend hours in the kitchen preparing fancy meals when the kitchen can come to us! Now with the World Cup underway, the pizza companies expect huge rises in sales as people are afraid to leave their television sets. Pizza Hut ("pizza hoot" in French) has even dedicated a whole site to the World Cup here. Be sure to check out the "videos" there. You'll enjoy their tongue-in-cheek look at the change of French culture with the onset of pizza and sports.

PDP Meeting in Paris

What could be better than a picnic along the bank of the Seine with the full moon, the Pont des arts in the background and a group of Paris lovers? Oh yes, did I mention the Rosé wine, the saucisson, Fromage de tête (real one!), Cantal cheese, and good conversation. But wait, there's more... A telephone call from Buzzgirl from San Francisco to top it all off! There are more photos to come on "The making of" but it's too late now and I have to wake up very early tomorrow. I just wanted to give you a peek...

A dress to diet for...

If you can't take it off, eat your way through this dress because it's made entirely of chocolate! I came across this shot at Stohrer, a pâtisserie in business since 1730, direct from King Louis XV's court pâtisserie at Versailles. Today it is still very popular, they even have a rack-load of postcards you can buy of photos of the chocolate Easter egg designed especially for Queen Elizabeth who visited in 2004. It must have been great for business!

PS: Paris Daily Photo general meeting is today (Friday June 9). Come and meet me!

Botanical garden

Not far from the Porte d'Auteuil in the 16th arrondissement there is a spectacular botanical garden, also called Serres d'Auteuil. They have all sorts of plants and trees, including a caramel tree (that smells like caramel in fall!) and more than 5 000 plants in huge greenhouses. I shot the entrance door (well one of the entrance doors) because it reminded me of the fashion museum. The weather is superb in Paris at the moment, you should definitely come to the PDP meeting Friday evening for it will take place outside and everybody is welcome to come... (more details here).

PS: Paris Daily Photo general meeting minus 1 day (Friday June 9)

Eric's angels...

No, this is not Jacklyn, Kate nor Farrah but close! Let me introduce you to Nicola, "Sam" and Andrea, who respectively run Wiesbaden Daily Photo, Montchauvet Daily Photo and Bazainville Daily Photo. I took this photo yesterday evening while we were having a drink and good laughs at the terrace of Les Deux Magots, in the Heart of Saint Germain des prés. Without all this city daily photo thing I would have never met them, and I would have missed 3 really charming ladies.

PS: Paris Daily Photo general meeting minus 2 days (Friday June 9)

At a snail's pace...

Although I've never eaten at this restaurant, l'Escargot-Montorgueil is a Paris favourite since 1875 (Yes, we do eat snails in France!). It was founded by Mignard and Bourreau, and later, one of the owners was André Terrai, the same founder of the the hotel Georges V and famous Tour d'Argent restaurant. It has hosted some very famous people such as Sarah Bernhardt, Marcel Proust, Sacha Guitry, Georges Feydeau, Cécile Sorel, Charlie Chaplin, Mistinguett, Jean Cocteau, Picasso, and Salvador Dali. So you see, snails aren't all that bad! (And they have them in London too!)

PS: Paris Daily Photo general meeting minus 3 days (Friday June 9)

Sometimes brunch is best...

I was having brunch with some friends at Joe Allen's restaurant yesterday and fell in love with this jukebox. They just aren't something you see in French bistros, and this American restaurant really is a good setting for one. If you're looking for a good, traditional, American brunch, Joe Allen is the place to go (30 Rue Pierre Lescot, 1st arrondissement). There may even be one near you (Paris, New York, London, Miami Beach and Ogunquit).

Parisian newstand

There are about 300 newstands in Paris. It's a tough life: long hours of work, low margin (about 18%), small turnover (1/3 of the newstands make less than 170 000 € par year), not toilets (it's not a small detail!) and... a real headache to manage to put on display almost 10 000 different newspapers and magazines (about 800 new titles are created every year!).

Photo metissage

In Paris there is a famous pedestrians only bridge called "Le Pont des Arts". It is used to cross the Seine, of course, but it's also the place where young students gather at night when it's warm, or where people demonstrate (like I showed you here, for instance). At the moment it is used to exhibit the photos of Francis Gazeau, a professionnal photographer who travels the world and mixes the different shots he takes. That is why this exhibit is called "Metissage" (Mixed blood).

Roland Garros tennis tournament - the cheap seats

If you are into tennis, you are probably aware that the Roland Garros tennis tournament has just started in Paris. I went there today just to take a picture. I could have shown you a tennis court (more orange!) but instead I chose to photograph this guy sneaking a peek at a court behind the grids, from the street... Yes it's hard to get tickets!

More orange and grey mix

Sometimes the most basic things can have a tremendous effect on a photo (well, so I think!) I took this shot yesterday on my way back from work. I noticed these cones, that are used to temporarily prevent cars from parking on the sidewalk, were well aligned and offered a nice perspective and contrast. The guy who had just installed them was really puzzled that someone stopped just to take a photo of his "artistic performance".

Hot seat

More and more people travel by bike in Paris now and quite logically they carry their children (well, more likely their child) on their bike too. Of course it's a little dangerous (those who came here know that the Parisian driving is not very pedestrians or bikers friendly) but with the new bicycle lanes it's not that bad. I just liked the contrast between the orange seat and the grey sidewalk.

Joan of Arc's death anniversary

All French pupils learn how Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc) heard the voice of God telling her to go and see the King of France (Charles the VIIth) and urge him to give her troops in order to retake the French territories that had been under English dominance for years. Needless to say that, despite the many historians that say this story is totally made up, Joan is a true heroine in France. Today is the anniversary of her death (she was burnt at the stake in Rouen's market square on May 30th, 1431) and I thought it was the perfect day to take a photo of her statue on the Place des Pyramides (off rue de Rivoli).

Bamboo grew overnight in the Luxembourg gardens

It's fascinating to see how Bamboos - and Palm trees - have become so popular recently in Paris although the climate is not really adapted to that kind of plants (it's not humid and it can get pretty cold in winter). The latest evidence of this sudden climate change is this bamboo forest that they planted (in pots) almost overnight about a week ago. They also spread little blue rocks on the ground and the overall effect is really worth the look.

PS: I am just back from a week-end in Provence and I did not pay too much attention to the news there. I found out yesterday about the earthquake in Indonesia. All the City Daily Photo bloggers immediately thought of Santy from Jakarta Daily Photo.

It works fine now!

Do you remember this shot? Well, here is what this fountain looks like when it's not under maintenance and from another angle (you can see the building of the French Navy Ministry in the background). Really magnificent, don't miss it if you come to Paris.

A beautiful theater in the theater district

On the Grand Boulevard (precisely 30 Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, 10th arrondissement) there is a beautiful theatre called le Théâtre du Gymnase Marie Bell. It was built in 1820 and became quickly a very hot spot (a that time, this area was a very "in" place) where the Paris bourgeoisie had to be seen... Today, theatre is less popular but le Théâtre du Gymnase still stars the greatest actors and comedians of France. Click here if you want to see some photos of the inside.

Don't even think of taking you dog here!

Frankly with a sign like this dog owners cannot pretend they did not know this freshly cut green lawn was only for humans! I found this colorful sign close to the Arts et Métiers museum, a place where I will take you later. For your information there are about 200,000 dogs in Paris and as far as the "gifts" they leave on sidewalks is concerned (I know you're dying too ask!) the situation has improved a lot, thanks to a better education of dogs owners.

The Ascension of Christ

Today is L'Ascension that is, according to the Catholics, the day of the elevation of Christ into heaven, the fortieth day after his resurrection. You can say I took the wrong photo of course - since this one shows the Virgin Mary - but it's the only religious one I have taken recently! I actually took it last Sunday inside the Sainte Marie des Batignolles Church in the 17th arrondissement. And by the way It's also a Holiday so I take advantage of it to go to the South (Avignon) until Sunday. There will still be a daily photo here, of course, but I won't be able to answer your comments.

Public toilets

OK this may not be one of the most glamorous "monuments" you want to visit when you are in Paris, but it's undoubtedly the most useful! There are 420 of these public toilets in Paris and they are now totally free (until recently you had to pay about 20 cents). The big advantage is that they are automatically - and totally - cleaned every time someone uses them. Really a big progress compared to the previous model (les vespasiennes, named after Roman Emperor Vespasien) of which only one sample is still in use (in the Luxembourg gardens).

Designer's Flea Market (Le Puces du Design)

If you think Flea Markets are nothing but a huge garage sale you would have been surprised to visit the latest edition of Les Puces du Design (the designer's flea market) that took place last week-end in the Montorgueil quarter (2nd arrondissement). Among other stuff my eyes got mainly caught by the furniture of the 70s : the "Lounge Chair" designed by Eames, the "Ant Chair" designed by Jacobsen, and, of course, the "Tulip" tables and chairs signed by Saarinen! But in the end I chose to photograph this unforgettable "shoe screen" (see another view here) and this fish bowl.

Givers prefer blondes

If you were to give money to the Red Cross would you be more likely to give to a superb blond model or to the average Joe?! Well, don't bother, we all know the answer... That is why, following to this very intelligent advertising campaign in which Adriana Karembeu featured, some money collectors played the game and wore a blonde wig. Here is one of them. I can tell you this guy was having a big success!

A cool way to catch the eye attention

In the Galeries Lafayette area (precisely rue Caumartin, 50), there is a large sport equipement store called Citadium. Quite cleverly, they took advantage of a concrete "bench" outside the store to install this big poster with this giant jumping women. It really looks like she is jumping above the head of people who sit there.

Be nosy!

This is the Medicis Fountain, located in the Luxembourg gardens. It was originally built in the 1630's at the request of Marie de Medicis (an Italian Princess who married Henry the IVth) and was moved thirty meters closer to the Luxembourg Palace to accommodate the widening of a street (incidentally also called la rue de Médicis) in 1862. The statue group in the center, Polyphemus Surprising Acis and Galatea, by Ottin (1861), was not originally part of the fountain but was added at the time of the relocation. What is interesting is that this fountain is also used to show modern art, like this huge, impressive nose. I have been unable to find the name of the artist. Click here to see a broader view.

Update. Thanks to the talent of PDP readers (namely Frances and Elle44!) I know now who the artist is: Lotta Hannerz from Sweden. Thank you very much.

A cool place to stay in Paris for students

If you are a student currently planning on going to Paris to study and if you are looking for a place to stay you might start by having a look at the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris, a huge park where no less than 5 600 students can find accommodations, libraries, sport facilities, concert halls, etc. It's a great place to stay and to visit for the 38 houses that have been built between 1925 and 1969 all have a different style. Have a look at their web site to find out how to stay there. (View on Google Maps)

The Brasserie reflexion

It may not look so but it took me ages to take this photo. The round frame is actually a mirror on display in a pharmacist store in which I could see - from a particular angle - the brasserie (restaurant) located on the other side of the street. Right when I pushed the trigger this man went by. He looks like he belongs in the 19th century that is why I turned this shot into black and white!

The juggler of Chaillot

You may have heard of la Folle de Chaillot a play by Jean Giraudoux (also featured in English in a film by Bryan Forbes called The Madwoman of Chaillot, with Katharine Hepburn) - Chaillot being the name of hill on which the Palace of ChaillotTokyo was built - but all I found when I went there to take this photo was not a madwoman but a happy juggler training himself. Quite unusual in the middle of Paris I must say...

Spring at Le Trocadéro

If you come to Paris you will undoubtedly end up visiting the Esplanade du Trocadero from where you have the best view of the Eiffel Tower. But what I like the most on this square are the 8 golden statues located on each side. I chose to show you this one in particular, called Le Printemps (spring) by Paul Niclausse. Really fantastic.

Back on track

Now here is a scoop! If you are a true PDP lover you surely remember (here and here) that a tramway is being built around Paris. Well, it's not open to the public yet, but they have just started training the drivers. So here is a photo of one of the first trams to run on the brand new railway. Just for you! Have a nice week.

Not always the most beautiful city in the world...

For once, it's good to remember that Paris is not all about fashion, flowers, haute cuisine and architecture. There are also about 10 000 to 15 000 homeless people (sans domicile fixe).

May flowers!

At last it's really spring. The weather is very nice, people are sitting outside the cafes, I just had a nice ice cream while wandering in the streets of Paris and flowers are blooming in the Luxembourg gardens. I just love it!

The blue door to Paris underground...

This manhole cover may not be as glamorous as yesterday's fashion museum photo but if you open it, it will take you to something very unique in the world: the Paris sewers network! This network is more than 1 300 miles long and it's really like an underground mirror city (there is a tunnel under almost each street and they have their own street signs). Paris is so proud of its sewers network that there is even a museum you can visit (I actually have done it once and I loved it). Click here to find out much more about it on this excellent blog.

Paris fashion museum

I have been living in Paris for ever and I did not even know there was a fashion museum. The reason I found out about it is because of this superb little Italian style palace I came across near the Trocadero (16th arrondissement) a couple of days ago. It is called the Galliera Palace (after Duchess of Galliera) and was built between 1878 and 1894 and now shelters the fashion museum of Paris where almost 100 000 garments and jewelry can be seen. I have not been inside yet, but I will...

Europe celebration

May 9 is apparently Europe's celebration day and this year we've been hearing a lot more about it than previously. There are many events going on around that date but the most impressive, from what I have seen so far, is this exhibition in front of the Hôtel de ville (town hall) : a collection of stars made by 25 European artists. Click here to see close ups). Idea credit: nasty GG!

The Champs Elysees port

Very few Parisians know that Champs Elysées is not only a famous avenue but also a port on the Seine. This port is located by the Place de la Concorde (on both sides of the Pont de la Concorde, on the right bank) and needless to say that very few people can afford to live in this prestigious area. Those who are lucky enough to have a boat there (or more likely a "péniche" - a flat boat specially conceived to carry goods on the river) can enjoy this view, all year long...

Paris honey

Funny how you can still see remains of the past traditions in a big city like Paris. I already showed you the Montmartre vineyards where "real" wine is produced but I never posted a photo of the beehives in the Luxembourg Gardens (6th arrondissement). About 10 of them are used as a "school" to train future apiculturers apiculturists to harvest honey which is sold every year in the nearby Orangerie. These beehives are protected by a fence so that you cannot go too close to the bees.

Paris Postcards

Postcards dispenser (the main one shows the Sacré Coeur in Montmartre) in the Passage Jouffroy (9th arrondissement).

Hotel Lutetia

Built in 1910, the Hotel Lutetia may not be the most luxurious hotel in Paris but it is definitely a classic. First of all, it's the only one of this "standing" located on the Left Bank. Secondly, it was the first Art Deco building in Paris. Thirdly, it has a long and interesting history...it was the Gestapo headquarters during WW II and then became the place where the camp refugees were put in transit while the authorities were looking for their families right after the war. And maybe the most interesting of all, it is also the hotel where General De Gaulle spent his honeymoon!

No more parking on the sidewalk

Since a lot of you mentioned the word tickets after yesterday's post, I thought of this photo that I took a couple of days ago on a scooter. Due to the new anti car policy of the Paris mayor, the number of 2 wheel vehicles has skyrocketed. And so has the number of tickets for illegal parking on the sidewalk (35 €). Fortunately there are more and more 2 wheel vehicle parking spaces. If only they weren't totally full!

Roller Police

It may sound surprising to come across a policeman "on wheels" in a big city like Paris and though now we're used to it... This special roller brigade was originally meant to monitor the huge roller rides that I already showed you here, but now they are just "normal" policemen that give tickets and chase outlaws throughout the streets of Paris. They look cool, but they are not really.

A bridge on a bridge

In some areas of Paris the Metro (subway) has to cross the Seine to go from one bank to another. On some lines they dug under the water and on some other lines they built a bridge on a bridge... I already showed you one example, here is another one on the Bir Hakeim bridge close to the Eiffel tower. It is also interesting to know that, on this line (line 6), trains run on tyres and not on regular steel wheels to be less noisy during the 6 km long aerial portion that runs in the middle of buildings.

4 000 feet of red carpet

You do remember my last Wednesday post about Tom Cruise's visit to La Défense right? Well for this special occasion they installed a 1.2 kilometer (40 000 4 000 feet) long red carpet. Quite impressive and quite a nice opportunity, for a Paris daily photo blogger, to take a cool photo. As a matter of fact I am not the only one among DPs who has been recently inspired by red carpets...

The city Daily Photo family is growing very quickly at the moment. Please welcome Wellington, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Ljubljana and Réal (France) among the City Daily Photo bloggers.

Happy Labour Day !

Today is May 1st and like in most countries in Europe, its "labour day" (la fête du travail). And to celebrate labour we don't work! Instead, we pay a visit to our relatives and bring Lillies of the Valley (muguet) for this flower is the symbol of the day. Incidentally, it's also the only day in the year where anybody can sell muguet in the street without paying taxes... Happy 1st of May everybody, as for me I'm going back to bed to celebrate my holiday!

Since I'm here working anyway, let me take the opportunity to welcome Beirut, Lebanon to the Daily Photo family!