Theme day: action photo!

As PhotoRiga pointed out a couple of days ago, I should have kept the skateboard photo for today's theme day: action! Fortunately I had taken another one that matches theme day last Sunday on the occasion of the 10 km of Paris 9, a small marathon organized by the town hall of my arrondissement ;-) Nothing extraordinary, but at least, I can participate in this CDP monthly catharsis!

Jungle Paris

Here are two scenes of Paris that are both hard to imagine and fascinating: The Pompidou center on the left and the Eiffel Tower on the right, surrounded by the jungle! I found these two photos at an art gallery opening last evening and I really loved them. They were made by Chris Morin, an artist who likes to depict present places hundreds of years from now, just like we can now visit ancient sites that are surrounded with trees and plants and partly destroyed. Very interesting. See other places on his site.

A matter of timing

It's not easy to capture a skate boarder in the air! I guess I was lucky (of course having a continuous mode on your camera helps too LOL). I took this photo at Bastille, where skaters gather during weekends. I wish I could do that!

Eiffel Tower in the mist part II!

Let's start the week from anoter riverside point of view. I took it Saturday evening on a way back from a dinner party in the 15th, from the Pont Mirabeau bridge (this time I remember the bridge I was on!). There is not much to add, is there?

An evening at Le Pranzo

Last evening (Saturday) I went to Le Pranzo, a small theater where you can see young stand up comedians that are not yet well known. I went to see Alexandre Barbe, a young man who is undoubtedly very talented and truly funny (well to my taste). I had a wonderful evening. Check for yourself (if you understand French).

The big mosque of Paris

I've showed you many churches on this blog, but I never showed you any mosque. And though we have several in Paris, including THE big Mosque of Paris, a unique monument built in 1916 in honor of the 70 000 Muslims who died soldiers for France during the first World war. The place is a definite must see for it's not only a mosque, but also an ideal place to relax ( at the hammam) and have a tea - or a meal - in the restaurant/tea room. It's located in the 5th arrondissement not far from Le jardin des plantes. More on the website.

Another sunset over Paris...

I've had a hard day I deserve to go to bed early like the sun did over Paris yesterday... I'm not sure what the bridge in the background is - probably the Pont aux Changes. The road on the right is a sort of highway that crosses Paris from the west to the east; the Paris mayor wants to close it by the end of his "reign". Car owners disagree, pedestrians love the idea...

Winter in one month, really?

I can hear you from here: "I wish so much I'd be in this guy's shoes right now..." I bet you would LOL. Not only is he enjoying a nice baguette sandwich (OK, I'm making up the baguette part...), but on top of that, it's almost like spring in Paris at the moment. Today is November 24 and the forecast says it'll be 14°c (57° F) in the afternoon (+5° compare to a "normal" November)! A-ma-zing! I took this photo near Notre Dame BTW, where they are currently installing the big Christmas tree - which I will show you eventually of course ;-) BTW(2) Happy Thanksgiving to all my American visitors - Go easy on the Turkey LOL!

On high horses...

If you visited Paris, here is a scene that will probably remind you of something. It shows La Samaritaine in the background - a department store that was named after a water pump located right by the Pont Neuf - and the statue of King Henri the IVth (of France, not Henry the IVth of England), a king that all French pupils remember for he is said to have made sure that all French households would eat at least a chicken a week (there was no KFC at that time LOL). The Samaritaine is currently closed and is being turned into a hotel and shops, which is a shame because from the rooftop you could enjoy one of the most beautiful views in Paris.

Sunset on the Ponts des Arts

The light was really beautiful when I passed Le Pont de Arts towards 4 o'clock this afternoon and I could not help, but stopping and taking a photo. It's an easy picture I know, but who cares! FYI le Pont des arts (the original one) was completed in 1804 and it was the first metal bridge in Paris. There was a toll to cross it originally, but I don't know when they stopped it (it would be very odd today if we had to pay to cross the river...). It has been totally renovated between 1981 and 1984 after a péniche hit it.

The perfect walk...

No I did not take this photo in the middle of Le Bois de Boulogne or de Vincennes, but right behind the Bastille place (you can even see the open air metro station sign in the foreground) where boats owners can dock their yacht. This place is called Le port de l'Arsenal, I already mentioned it many times (like last summer), but I'm never tired of showing it! Not to forget that it's a fabulous place to have a walk - or even fish! BTW did you notice the beautiful light and the sun reflection? Well, that's the kind of weather we're enjoying in Paris at the moment. Amazing (I did not even turn on the heating yesterday!). Very unusual...

Sex in the city

Sex in the city is not the title of a television series, but... the name of an exhibition that just opened yesterday (Saturday) in Paris. Like you can see, it's already very successful (sex is always a good sales boost - even though this exhibition is actually free). What can be seen inside? Well I don't really know as I did not visit it, but a little bird told me you can see all sorts of sex toys, games, lingerie... you name it! All this to raise Aids awareness (yeah, right!). More in these videos.

Without a shadow of a doubt

I took this photo at the bottom of Tour Saint-Jacques, the tower they renovated recently and that I showed you several times (here, here, here and here!). You'd think this would be a statue of Saint Jacques, but... it is not. It's the one of Blaise Pascal, a famous French mathematician and philosopher who, among other things, invented in 1642, the first calculator (mechanical at that time, obviously...). Why is here there? Because he is said to have prevented the destruction of a church that was previously on these premises. BTW, around this tower, there is a little square, which apparently was the first square in Paris (1856).

Giant dog

Here is a dog that won't leave any nasty droppings on the pavement... I found it in the 17th arrondissemen, inside a little courtyard. from what I could see, he belongs to Aastroem Munier BBN, a communications agency ;-) FYI since 2002 dog owners must pick up after their "Medor" (Medor is kinda like "Rocky", a generic name for dogs), ,so the streets of Paris are not that polluted anymore (well at least in some neighborhoods!)

Golden Blog Awards night

I'm just back from the... French Golden Blog Awards night that was taking place at the Hotel de Ville (city town hall). Huge event, very successful, so successful I had to wait 3 quarters of an hour outside before entering (see the little red square at the end of the line? The entrance was way beyond that point!). It was worth it though, the event was nice, the scenery was too (remember the ceiling?) and the company even more. Did I win an award? Nah, I did not, but the competition was really tough, so it's fair. Sorry I cannot show you the winners yet, because they haven't been posted on the Golden blog awards site yet, but I will (yeah, cause that's the kind of guy I am ;-))

Music!

No Paris scenery, no historical facts... today, just a lifestyle photo. I see more and more people with huge - well I consider to be huge! - headsets like this in the streets of Paris and I can't helping thinking of the "old times", when headsets used to be more like ear plugs ;-) Am I showing my age? Er... yes probably LOL! I like the photo though.

The Messenger

Ossip Zadkine is a French sculptor of Russian origins who died in 1967. There is a museum dedicated to his work at rue d'Assas (in his former home), but there are also several of his sculptures throughout Paris. One of them is called Le Messager (the messenger) and it's located at Quai d'Orsay ; from what I read, it was made after a wooden sculpture that was made for the World exhibition of 1937. As you can see, the weather is still lovely in Paris at the moment...

Sunday at rue Montorgueil

Lovely day in Paris again this Sunday... I went to rue Montorgueil, a famous street near les Halles, that used to be a working class area in the old times and is now a "Bobo" hangout (bobo stands for BOurgeois BOhème, that is people with money who want to live the Bohème lifestyle). It's a very nice street, no cars - or almost none! - lots of little cafés and shops, historical restaurants like L'Escargot-Montorgueil that was founded in 1875, or the famous Stohrer patisserie founded in 1730 that Queen Elisabeth visited in 2004 (they are pretty proud of it!). It's also the street where this video clip was shot!

Mélodie & Nicolas!

I took this photo in front of La Comédie Française, a theater which facade they are currently redoing. On this facade someone wrote Mélodie & Nicolas (probably the names of two lovers who wanted claim their love to the world ;-)), but when I took the photo, I caught these two kids on my "film". It's very unlikely that they are called Mélodie & Nicolas, but I think it makes a real cool photo.

Sacré Coeur in the mist

Those of you who have been following PDP for some time now will probably remember the Eiffel Tower in the mist photo (big hit!), well, now look at what I saw yesterday evening on my way to dinner at Montmartre... It was really stunning. Let's us not forget that the Sacré Coeur is located on a hill  (130 meters - 426 feet). Not very high, but it does play a role when it comes to "'touching the clouds...". Have a nice weekend everyone.