"Parisien tête de chien...

...Parigot tête de veau" is an untranslatable expression (literally "dog head" and "veal head") that French people from the provinces use as a bad label for Parisians who misbehave (like, for example, when they go on vacation on the Riviera - or in Corsica - and behave like it's their home...). I thought this little dog-shaped ring that I photographed outside the Poste du Louvre (where I took yesterday's photo) would do the trick. There are several of these along the wall for people to leash their dogs, so that customers can do their business inside while their cherished pets can do their business outside...

Paris Wide Web

Did you know that the Web was invented in Paris in 1866?! Well, actually that's the date the postal service started building a network of vacuum tubes underneath Paris (in the sewers) where capsules, containing up to 35 five telegrams, could travel from one end of the city to the other. In 1957 the network was 400 km (250 miles) long and each capsule would travel at a speed of 700 meters (almost 1/2 a mile) per minute. It only stopped running in 1984 and at the risk of showing my age, I can still remember receiving a "Pneu" (the name given to these letters) in 1980 to warn me that my plane had been rescheduled... Here is one of the nodes in the network - I took it yesterday in the Poste du Louvre. More about this here, here and here (French).

Smoking, a good old French tradition!

Although the price of cigarettes keeps increasing, although smoking kills 60 000 people per year in France and although it it socially less and less acceptable to smoke, French people are still heavy smokers (38% of men and 30% of women smoke on a regular basis.) A new law was about to be passed to prohibit smoking in public places (like in Italy, Ireland, Scotland...) but due to the recent demonstrations the government decided to postpone it. Health will wait...

A very dear American tourist

On this Easter Monday, this is an exceptional post in honor of 78-year-old Jessie Salone who passed away the 29th of March and who also happened to be the mother of Michael, a frequent commenter here at PDP. I met Jessie while she came to Paris to see her son (this photo was taken at Maxim's restaurant, rue Royale) and I remember her as a very caring lady (she used to be a nurse, no wonder!). My deepest sympathies are with you Michael.

By the way, Michael had the thoughtful idea of establishing a fund at the hospital where she used to work. If you want to contribute $1 or $2 you may do so by clicking here; where it asks for "donor designation", indicate "Other" and where it asks for "Tribute/Memorial", indicate "JJ Salone Nursing Education Fund". Notification can be sent to the "Family of J. Salone from a PDP Blogger" if you so wish.

Happy Easter (Joyeuses Pâques)

Probably like in other countries, French Christians have the tradition of Easter eggs (and not so much bunnies). On Easter morning parents hide chocolate eggs in the garden (or in the apartment in they live in big cities) and when the church bells ring (they still do, even in Paris) they let their kids hunt for the eggs. Why eggs? Simply because until "recently" Church law dictated that Christians must abstain from eating eggs (and meat) during the 40 days of fasting (Carême) that preceded Easter Sunday.

The Stations of the Cross in Paris

According to Christians, Christ had to carry his cross from the place he was sentenced to death to where he was crucified. To commemorate this "Way of the Cross" (also called Stations of the Cross, Via Crucis, Via Dolorosa...) some Catholics re-enact this procession on Good Friday wherever they find themselves. I came across one of these processions yesterday in Paris (in the 17th arrondissement) on my way back from work and took several pictures, but only this one was good in my opinion. Do they have the same tradition in your country?

Parisian firemen posing for the tourists

On my way to work this morning I saw a motorcycle accident in front of the Opera (not the opera house of yesterday at Bastille, but the old one at Place de l'Opéra). The motorbike was still lying in the road, but no one seemed injured and the rescue teams looked pretty relaxed... so relaxed that a couple of firemen even posed for a tourist. Pretty unusual, I can assure you!

Buzzgirl stars at the Paris Opera...

Those who visit ParisDailyPhoto regularly are probably used to seeing comments from "Buzzgirl". And those who pay even more attention will have noticed that recently she posted her comments from Paris. Well, yesterday we met at the Bastille Opera (where this photo was taken) and we had lunch together. And guess what she offered me at the end of the meal? Three boxes of Girl Scout cookies that her daughter seems to be a champion at selling. Thank you so much "little Buzzgirl", you're the sweetest girl on earth!

No spring in Paris this year?

When is winter going to end?! It's almost mid April we still have to wear heavy clothes, cafes still have to keep their heating equipment on their terrace and Parisians still carry their winter mood! Who said April in Paris was the best season?! What do you think Buzzgirl? ;)

Yellow ribbons on rue des Francs Bourgeois

No oak tree but a few yellow ribbons here. I photographed them rue des Francs Bourgeois - free burgers burghers- (4th arrondissement) in a court yard where there is an old Mercerie (haberdashery) with fantastic colors. This street happens to be one of the rare places in Paris where shops are opened on Sundays for it is normally prohibited to open on that day (more about this law in French here).

Really cool fresco

What is the difference between yesterday's graffiti and today's picture? Well this one is an official fresco called Coup de chapeau. It was painted by François Boisrond in 2001. You can see it "live" on the rue La Fayette, number 171 and if you notice there is a "Vous êtes ici" (you are here) mention just like on yesterday's graffiti.

Graffiti Sunday in Paris

I learnt the definition of art by Spinoza on San Francisco Daily Photo few days ago ("Any human creation which contains an idea other than its utilitarian purpose") and I thought this could definitely apply to this Graffiti I found in La butte aux Cailles (precisely in Le Passage Boiton), a very typical area in the 13th arrondissement.

Non talking heads

Still incredibly freezing in Paris at the moment (0 degre C (32 F) in the morning). You can do with a little hat (and sun glasses)! Have a wonderful week-end.

Was Barbra in Paris this week?

No, PDP did not turn into Gawker Stalker overnight! However, when I took this photo I did not notice it on the spot, but once I saw it on the screen, it reminded me of a famous American female singer! Those of you who are attentive (and I know you are!) will have noticed that the chairs and the coffee cups already appeared on this blog... But no, the person I had coffee with was not that famous!

London underground or Paris Métro?

The first thing you will notice if you walk down the streets of Paris are the Métro entrances (called bouches - "mouth" - in French). A lot of them are still the original Art Nouveau entrances designed by Hector Guimard at the beginning of the 20th century (I will show them to you soon). But some of them are really different, like this one, rue Réaumur, that really reminds me of the London underground entrances.

The oldest square in Paris

After the last chairs photo someone suggested in the comments that it had been taken on the Place des Vosges. I then realized I never showed you this magnificent square, constructed under Henri IV from 1605 to 1612 and located partly in the 3rd and party in the 4th arrondissement. The square consists of 36 (or 39, depending on sources) houses - each of them made of red bricks and white stones where you can now see a lot of art galleries and even the house of French writer Victor Hugo. If you come to Paris it's definitely a must see.

Last call for demonstrations...

Like all Tuesdays for the past 5 weeks, students and left wing political parties have been demonstrating in the streets of Paris. Today is no exception, and I thought I would show you another demonstration shot that I like from a previous march. I am ready to bet that this is the last big demonstration though; you can feel on both sides (demonstrators and Government) that everybody is ready for a "cease fire".

Chair necessities (2)

Do you remember this shot? Well I must have fallen in love with these chairs because when I passed by this café recently, I could not help but to photograph them again! Sometimes the simplest things make the best photos. Have a great week. (And my best wishes to North Americans who lost one hour of sleep yesterday because of the time change!)

Floating Nightclub

I like this photo although I took it on a, shall we say, less classy part of the Seine embankment. This area is located in the 13th arrondissement and faces the Bibliothèque (library) François Mitterrand. If you are more into electro music than books look at what kind of concerts the Batofar has to offer. This red boat - that can partly be seen in the background - is located in the exact same area and hosts independent music concerts throughout the year. Forget about it if you’re above 25 though!

Will the streets talk?

Will the student protesters dig up these cobblestones to throw at Police after last night's speech by President Chirac? Except for some concessions, he stated his decision to maintain the law ("first employment contract" or C.P.E. in French) that students have been fighting against for weeks. It's hard to tell, but one thing is sure, these little 6" x 6" x 3" pieces of granite have often proved to be handy projectiles to throw at the police in times of protest.