I doubt this photo gets as many comments as yesterday's one(!) and though it also shows something you won't see anywhere else than in Paris: the Eglise de la Madeleine. What makes it different is that it was originally conceived by Napoleon to celebrate the victories of his Grande Armée, then it was almost turned into... a train station and finally ended up as a church! All this over 85 years... More here, on Wikipedia.
OK, how did you get that WITHOUT TRAFFIC?!!! Nice shot!
ReplyDeleteLOL Tomate, I knew someone would spot that! Well, I woke up at 5 o'clock that's all, just to get you a nice phoot ;)
ReplyDeleteOnly kidding, of course... I'll just keep my little secret for a while.
PS: for those of you who don't know the place; this street is normally one of the busiest in Paris.
Tomate beat me to the question!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great shot. If I remember correctly, there's a La Duree and a Fauchon very close to there... yum!
Thank you for posting finally. I hope people will enjoy this picture and forget about the laast post.
ReplyDeleteLynn, you are never nasty in the bad sense of the word. I liked the jokes but the subject was really churning my stomach upside down. You made some great and funny remarks, and I laughed, but not too hard.
I like the way the composition brings one's eyes to the middle of the Madeleine, just like in a Renaissance painting.
ReplyDeleteWe PDPers can talk toilet to Talleyrand to Georges de la Tour.....
Well thank goodness it wasn't turned into a huge... loo! Oh sorry ... hope i haven't started anything? lol.
ReplyDeleteI love the way you have framed this, Eric. The perspective really leads us in and it's so interesting when enlarged too, all the details.
Eric, so beautiful!!! This picture deserves many many comments!!!
ReplyDeleteI think La Madeleine is stunning, although, naturally, it doesn't look like a church. But it's so imponent. I want to see it again next time, but this time at night when the columns have the lights on.
I'm guessing you took this photo during Pâques, when it was a jour feriée and there were few people on the streets. Am I close?
Eric i do hope you are going back to comment for yesterday? 78 comments, you're on a roll!
ReplyDeleteI think the road was closed due to some sort of filming for the political melee of the other day.
ReplyDeleteNope, none of the above... I'm off to bed now, so you won't have the answer before tomorrow ;)
ReplyDeleteHint: I made a post the day I took this pic...
You do love to tease. I LOVE it! he he
ReplyDeleteOK, Eric, I remember but I won't spoil it for the others. Still, it makes a wonderful shot, reminiscent of that Claude Lelouch video of early morning Paris.
ReplyDeleteBuzzgirl is absolutely right. There is a Fauchon one block down and to the right (I'm drooling), and by the way, the American Embassy is only a couple blocks away from where Eric was standing.
I love misteries too!
ReplyDeletehmmm, let's see... you took this pic on Paris Marathon day, when some streets where closed to the public so that the runners could run??!!!
oh yes I remember Fauchon just around the corner...!! but Laduree I think is in Champs Elysées, not Madeleine.
ReplyDeleteAnd there's one at Printemps and another one at Rue Bonaparte too.
Ahh, Monica you do know your Ladurees, there is one on the corner of rue Lincoln and the Champs, but there IS also one leading up to the Madeleine (rue Royale? ), my thighs can prove it; there is one in Harrods, too, but the Macarons aren't as good as Paris.
ReplyDeletePHX-CDG, I'm glad to know there's one near Madeleine too. The more the better!!! The Fauchon store near Madeleine is so pretty and it's a good thing they sell some of their products in other places too.
ReplyDeleteI swear I'm not making this up, you can't put a macaron in front of me, I will devour as many as I see. I love them all, the yellow one, the green one, chocolate, lavander, strawberry...
I'm helpless.
I agree with lynn, there is just SO MUCH detail.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with monica, it doesn't really look like a Church though...
aparently after the loo talk i don't have a mind of my own.
what direction are you facing. North?
Dear Eric,
ReplyDeletegeez, I have been trying to access Paris DP from China for months and now it's working, first I had to tweak a little bit of settings on the browser then, somehow parisdailyphoto.com wouldn't work but only blogspot works...ah...but it's good enough, now I have months of photos to catch up!!!
saw this on our bus tour of paris over march break but didn't get a good picture. thanks! :)
ReplyDeleteExactly!!! How did you get it without the traffic??? My first thought as well!
ReplyDeleteThe temple across the rue that I love even more than the Fauchon store that many are writing about is the Maille mustard shop!! J'adore Maille!!! Can't live without it and always have a few bottles hidden away..LOL!!
For johnnyparsons....Your adored MD had her funeral here, did you know that?? Shall I say it???..."Dietrich"!!
For me this church is one of the sites that is always depicted in the old gravures (engravings) and b&w photos you see of Paris. You know the ones - where there are always horse and buggies riding by. Can you imagine what Paris must have been like back then?
ReplyDeleteWARNING! This is NOT a church! Eric has deceived us...
ReplyDeleteEverybody knows that this is where this little girl lives! I know, because another little girl, my little friend Bailey in Chicago, told me so and she has even received notes from her direct from Paris. So there!
personne dans les rues, ca sent le retour des troupes Napoléonienne...
ReplyDeleteConsidering the sunlight, coming from east, I guess Eric took this pic pretty early morning. Considering the traffic, that was probably a Sunday. And considering the trees, that was probably springtime...
ReplyDeleteI agree with Monica, that could be the Paris Marathon day !!
I also realised recently that la Madeleine is very similar to the Assemblée Nationale, and these 2 buildings are in perfect symmetry compared to the Obelisque de la Concorde !!
Since this impressive shot of La Madeleine reminded many of us of Fauchon, i wonder... is there a photo of F's window coming up? :-D
ReplyDeleteAh, Madeleine Michael, thanks for that memory. I used to buy French children's books for my sons whenever i could and would read them to them when they were small. Our favourite was a Christmas book called La Folle Nuit Du Petit Jesus by Nicholas Allan. Anyone know it? I still have it and make a point of reading it every Christmas.
ReplyDeleteMonica: how sweet! When i meet you i'm going to line up macarons in front of you on the table and photograph it.
Perhaps the road was closed so that Eric could take a clear photo! Simple as that; our famous Eric. Imagine.
My daughter Madeleine was conceived on a trip to France 12 years ago and named in memory of a great day we had in and around that wonderful Place de la Madeleine. We took her back two years ago and she had a drink at Cafe Madeleine and had her photo taken in front of the church and every place in the square that had Madeleine in its name - there are a lot!!!!
ReplyDeleteK Gallant, yes, I've seen the movies of the funeral. She was much loved by many. Hemingway adored her. Called her "Kraut". I want to get a cd of her singing in French.
ReplyDeleteEric, I think the building is so perfect. The classic architecture is magnificent.
It is indeed Johnny. Huggies to you today in such lovely sunshine!
ReplyDeleteLynn I like this idea, bring them on!
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of that other delicious little thing that I love to eat, madeleines. It's not a bread, it's not a cake, what is it exactly?
I don't know what they are Monica but they sound quite scrumptious and my tummy rumbles with desire. You always manage to make me hungry. I don't think we mentioned food yesterday though did we? Ugh. lol.
ReplyDeleteLynn "Perhaps the road was closed so that Eric could take a clear photo! Simple as that; our famous Eric. Imagine." I wish!!
ReplyDeleteOK, time to disclose the secret! Monica and Thib - and probably Tomate, but she did not say - got it right, I took this photo on the Paris Marathon day.
I understand everybody knows about the Fauchon and Ladurée... I'm surprised nobody mentioned La Maison du Chocolat which is also there, somewhere on the right (far right).
Somebody sent me an email also to ask me to photograph the shop window located nearby on 31 rue Cambon... I will eventually.
Michael, I did not know Madeline was a famous character in English speaking countries. Funny.
Lisi, welcome back. Did the Great Firewall strike again?
Jules png, that is such a cool story. Did you really tell her "OK, darling, this is where, well, Mum and I, er..." or did you just say "Look, they named this big church after you, let's have a drink to celebrate!" ?
Johnny and KPgallant, I did not know Dietrich had her funeral there. Not surprising actually. BTW, they just released an interview of her that I started listing the other day on the radio but it was VERY disappointing. Quite boring actually.
Yay I got it right!!! Do I get a prize for it Eric? A madeleine, perhaps?!
ReplyDeleteThe Maison du Chocolat that I know is on Rive Gauche, rue de Sévres. Now how great is that, there´s another one near Fauchon and Ladurée!!! I love PDP tips more and more each day.
Lynn, this is what a madeleine looks like. Enjoy!
The traditional madeleines might have a different format than shown above.
ReplyDeleteI´ve read somewhere that on Saint Madeleine´s Day, July 22nd, the Madeleine Church gives away madeleines for those who go there. Is this a tradition that happens every year?
Wow! How absolutely beautiful! So, if this is the busiest street, how did you manage it? Or are you like a magician and don't divulge your secrets? ;)
ReplyDeletehe he Monica so THAT's why you scheduled your trip for July! Well they do look delicious, although are they almond tasting? I do not like almonds. lol. One sweet thing, probably the only one i'm not keen on. Still, dipped in chocolate and i wouldn't notice he he.
ReplyDeleteSo you clever thing Eric, taking advantage of the clearing of the streets for the Marathon. When i am sure you could have merely stepped off the pavement, hand raised, camera in hand and all of Paris would have recognised and screeched to a stop for you (i would have.... blush....)
Eric you've not been back to read yesterday's comments yet. Tut tut. Most are very funny though, if you get cross by any of them, it was nothing to do with me :) tra la la!
ReplyDeletehe he Lynn, you all must be thinking that I am some kind of starving-sweet tooth-crazy about Paris-gal!
ReplyDeleteJust so you know, the madeleines can be made of chocolate too.
Yes we do. lol. Then that's what i would choose then. Always chocolate. lol. Talking of yummy, where's Michael today?
ReplyDeleteThe thing I like most about the Église de la Madeleine, are the concerts, although as much as I like Vivaldi's Four Seasons, something different would be nice now and then.
ReplyDeleteWow I've never been to Paris, but this is simply remarkable.
ReplyDeleteahhhhhh. i miss paris. that's where i used to catch the bus home. :-)
ReplyDeletestarman...oh yes, the concerts...very funny.."as much as I like Vivaldi's Four Seasons, something different would be nice now and then."
ReplyDeleteI have often thought the same thing!!
Proust's Madeleines
My ride is here for the airport. Staying at Mercure Paris Tour Eiffel, Oh my gosh, the day is here!
ReplyDeleteMaryW with the Lankenau Hospital Activities Committee, hope to meet up at PDP, where, when??
Ya!
Yes Lynn, I'm here. Just had a lot of work today. I love the story of Jules png...how great is that!
ReplyDeleteI was sure it was the day of the marathon, but waited for confirmation. I've never seen Eric be out and about that early, so wasn't ready to bet!
For those who were interested in yesterday's photo, I left a comment there of something I just found. Very timely!
ReplyDeleteEric, If the interview with Marlene was the documentary by Maximilian Schell, It was boring. It was a dreary movie, also. She was in a bad mood and his questions annoyed her. What he had tried to achieve just didn't happen.
ReplyDeletePhilly, I wish all the best in your stay in Paris. I´m excited for you!!!
ReplyDeleteHope you meet Eric there. Go and have the time of your life!!!
Okay, when I first tuned in here yesterday and saw La Madeleine, the first thing it made me think of was that I was dying for a vanille macaron from Laduree. Now I see all these posts today and feel vindicated! A friend of mine recently received a 24-hour old box of macarons from Laduree. She had to hide them in a manilla envelope so they wouldn't be eaten by random office workers. She did share with me, though. There was a black one that we were afraid to eat (for all of 2 seconds and then promptly got over it). It was divine.
ReplyDeleteSince I am a foodie, don't forget that Hediard is right across from Fauchon over there. Whenever in Paris it is a loop I make: Start out at Laduree for some macarons, then around the corner to Maille for some moutard to take home, up the street to Fauchon to see all the fancy things, and then across the street to Hediard for some caviar des aubergines! Yummmeeee! (Sorry, I got carried away.)
Hey, this is a few blocks from our hotel. We were there at this time last year (how did you know?). If you're interested in our trip, check out: http://daddyo.typepad.com/daddyo/2006/04/index.html
ReplyDeleteSigh. How I wish I was there now (instead of at work). BTW, I enjoy your site daily.
Pont Girl, we´re on the same page. You have a food route in Paris, just like me!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're here Michael.
ReplyDeleteMonica - don't get me started with all the scrumptious food in Paris - you are going to have such an awesome time. I am so jealous!!! I expect a full food run-down upon your return. Maybe you can go onto Lynn's talk show for the interview :-)
ReplyDeleteEric - she knows she was Made in France (we didn't go into details!!) and named after Place de la Madeleine!!! We think it may actually have been a very wet afternoon in Avignon when sight-seeing was out of the question!!!
ReplyDeletethank you for this photo. I love the shops immediately to the right of this beautiful building. I can't afford to go to Paris right now, but this makes me feel like I can at least sort of re-visit it.
ReplyDeleteActually, thank you for all of your photos. I look at them every day.