Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Paris theme mini golf!


Paris Plage (a temporary "beach" along the Seine and Canal Saint Martin that goes live every year between mid July and mid August) has started, but I still had not shown you a single photo of it. So here is one... I took it by the Bassin de la Villette where people can sail, play soccer, boules... and a Paris monument theme mini golf. That is precisely where I took this photo and you probably recognized the Sacré Coeur. Click here to see a broader view of this mini golf and understand better how it works. 

Monday, July 30, 2012

A new Republic!


The French Republic is having a face lift... Well, when I say the French Republic, I should rather say the Place de la République, that is the square located at the crossing of the 3rd, the 10th and 11th arrondissement. This famous Place is going to turn into a partially pedestrian area, with lots of new equipment, gardens, fountains, etc. It's going to be a big change for this very symbolic place that practically not changed since 1865 (Haussmann), 1883 (installation of the statue) and 1889 when it was named Place de la République. More here and on Wikipedia of course.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Vacanze a Parigi!


Here is a little touch of Italy in Paris today... This cute little car is an Autobianchi cabrio (named after Edoardo Bianchi, the founder of the car company that started manufacturing this car in the late fifties), a pretty rare Italian car (apparently only 9 300 were produced!). I took the photo while I was driving my scooter which was not very easy, but I'm glad I managed - FYI, I took near the Hotel de ville (town hall).

Saturday, July 28, 2012

More boules !


Summertime oblige, Parisians slow down a bit, even if they are not yet on vacation. They even leave the office a little earlier (here, during winter, it's pretty usual to stay in the office until 7 or 8 pm) to have drink at a terrasse or... to play boules, like this bunch of colleagues that I photographed at Place Dauphine (yes again!). A very delightful period in the year I must say; you should come ;-)

Friday, July 27, 2012

Madonna at the Olympia


If you're expecting a call from Madonna tonight, don't count on it, cause she's kinda busy (kinda busy, kinda busy...)! Yes, people, "Ze Madonna" was at the Olympia last evening and, believe me, the place was a real mess. Jokes aside it must have been pretty awesome to see her in such a small theater and not one of these giant stadiums where you need binoculars to see the singer on stage - Am I showing my age?! Er, yeah maybe a little LOL!)

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Like in a movie...


What is a 64 Ford Mustang doing in the streets of Paris? I don't know, but I did find this one at rue Drouot, not far from the famous auction house. It may be belong to a movie set though (hence the little sepia treatment that I applied to this photo!), which would not be surprising for there are a lot of movie shootings taking place in Paris at the moment (look here, if you're interested!)

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Playing with fire!


I found these guys in front of Notre Dame last evening. They were literally playing with fire surrounded by dozens of tourists - and locals! - admiring them. I took a lot of photos, trying to grab the movement of the fire while catching a very sharp image of the artists. I think this one is pretty much what I was trying to achieve, but I will never know if the other 5 gigabytes that I took are equally OK as... my SD card crashed! Yes, I'm furious...

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Guitar player on the pont des Arts


Perfect weather (at last!), lovely night... ideal moment to go out and try my new camera at night! And where else to go than to the peaceful pont des Arts. Everything had been said about this bridge - especially here! -  and though I did not not know that, initially (around 1850), you had to pay 2 sous - approximately 10 euro cents - to cross this bridge (well not this one exactly as it was rebuilt between 1981 and 1984). Last evening there were lots of tourists passing by and making out and there was also this guitar player - and signer - who was perfectly suited to the scenery.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Bar grillé at Place Dauphine


For the 1st time this year I finally got to have dinner outside! And a pretty good dinner actually for it was at Le Caveau du Palais a traditional French restaurant at Place Dauphine (right by the Palais de Justice - hence its name! -  that I photographed yesterday at daylight). I had Bar grillé (grilled sea bass), plain, with just lemon and butter and it was to die for LOL! I could not help but taking a photo of course. I think the Place Dauphine is going to be my new hangout this year ;-)

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Murder they judge...


I don't know if you remember the photo of the front of the Palais de Justice de Paris, the "headquarter" of the French justice system. Well, today here is the back, where the entrance of the Cour d'Assises (criminal trial court) is located ! I don't know why I never showed it to you as this is really a magnificent building - apparently inspired by the temple of Denderah in Egypt, if what they say on this site (in French) is correct. As you can see the weather has slightly improved in Paris, I even managed to attend a little picnic today!

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Looks like rain


I guess we could call it a rotten summer as, so far since summer started there has not been a week without rain... Today I went to "Computer street" (that is what we call the rue Montgallet for it's full of Chinese computer stores where you can get good deals ;-)) and while I was waiting for my computer to be built, I wandered along the Coulée verte (a former train track turned into a green track (even though surrounded by some modern buildings as you can see) and here is the result. A bit scary, but I like it. Have a nice Saturday everyone.

Friday, July 20, 2012

The most beautiful bridge in Paris ?


Recognize this bridge? It's the Pont Alexandre III, the most beautiful Paris bridge in my opinion. Only this time I photographed it from the lower part of the quais (river banks) where they installed a very effective lighting. For the record this bridge was built between 1896 and 1900 and was named after Tsar Alexander III, who had concluded the Franco-Russian Alliance in 1892. It was inaugurated in 1900 for the Universal exhibition. Here is what it looked like at that time...

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Curtain call!


I love this photo, even though it's not unique to Paris... Just so you still learn something about your favorite(!) city today, let me tell you that Paris has a very active theater scene, with about 130 theaters and no less than 300 plays and shows per week! The word "Orchestre" that you see in this photo means ground floor, "La Corbeille" is the first floor (second in the US)  and on both sides you have "Les balcons" (balconies). On stage, the right hand side from the audience viewpoint is called "Côté cour" (courtyard side) and the left hand side is called "Côté jardin" (garden side).

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

It crossed my mind...


I must be obsessed with traffic lights at the moment LOL. The thing is that I was thinking today of the little daily things that are typical of the place where you live: the way tables are dressed in a restaurant, the type of shoes people wear... and the street furniture - that often originates from a local manufacturer. French traffic lights are among those (and of course the Invalides dome in the background, but that is not a "little daily thing" LOL!). FYI, there are 13,993 traffic lights in Paris and 18,441 of these pedestrian signs that we don't really pay attention to ;-) How do I know? Well I counted them all, just for you!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Stopping traffic on Canal Saint Martin


I already told you about the Canal Saint Martin, a 4.5 km (2.8 miles) running from the bassin de La Vilette in the North of Paris to the Seine (in the center of Paris). It was built by Napoleon to feed Paris with trinkable water. Part of it runs in the open air and part of it underground (more on Wikipedia, if you're interested). Nowadays, it's no longer used to bring water to Parisians, but to take them on a little cruise (I never did it, but I have to try!). Along the way there are several bridges and locks (9 in total) and traffic lights thant go with them. They make a cool photo, expecially when taken at dawn, when the water color is so beautiful.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Sacré Coeur from Les Grands Boulevards


Not far from where I live, on the Grands Boulevards, there is a Häagen-Dazs place... Last evening, even though it was cold and cloudy, I was craving for an ice cream! So I went. And on the way back, in the rue Drouot, I saw this (I did not do anything with the colors, I promise!). Fortunately I never go out without my camera... For those of you who have never been to Paris, the Church in the background is Le Sacré Coeur, a church you can can see from many places in Paris for it's located on Montmartre, a little hill in the North of Paris. BTW I did not have the time to make a selection yet, but if you care to see the whole Bastille Day fireforks in one collection of images, click here. And here, for the 30 minute video version!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Dancing Queen


Last evening, the iron lady went back to the 70's and danced to some Gloria Gaynor and Dona Summer tunes! The thing is that last night's theme Bastille day fireworks was... Disco. So not only was all the music from the 70's, but they even put a huge mirror ball on the 2nd floor! The show was magnificent, it did not rain, the Champ de Mars was totally covered in people and... I took 2 gigabytes of photos LOL! Which you will only see tomorrow as, right now, I'm off to bed!

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Bastille day (14 juillet) march


For once you will see a photo of the 14 juillet march on... the 14th of July! How is it possible, considering that I'm posting this photo on the eve of Bastille day? Well simple, like I mentioned a few days ago, I happened to find myself near the Trocadero last Saturday and came across the rehearsal of the pompiers (firemen) for today! Needless to say that I grabbed my camera and took as many photos as I could (check for yourself on the PDP channel) and even a pretty hilarious time laps video.

Friday, July 13, 2012

To all unknown soldiers


As a Parisian I very very rarely go to the center of La place de l'Etoile, where the Arch of Triomphe is located. ExceptionnaLly today I went there... The place is full of tourists, needless to say, but it's still worth a look and it's also moving to see the tomb of the "unknown soldier" from WWI. Who is really in the grave? The story is told that, after the war, a Private named Auguste Thin was asked to choose one of 8 unidentified soldiers. The "selected" one was transfered to the Arch of Triumph on November 11, 1920. Now every day at 6:30 PM, they revive the flame that burns next to the tomb. As you can see, the light was really amazing when I took this shot.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Arc du Carrousel


I just bought myself a brand new camera and of course I could not help but trying it right away! So I went to town and took a few shots. The first place I ended up in, was the Cour du Louvre where the Arc du Carrousel, that I already showed a few times here (the best one!) and here, is located. This arch was built between 1806 and 1808 to commemorate Napoleon's military victories. Once again the sky was clearing up after a long day of rain. It allowed me to take that cool shot, but I dont think the new camera has anything to do with it! 

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Live music in the 3rd arrondissement


Every summer since 1997, at the 3rd arrondissement town hall (in Paris, each arrondissement has its own town hall) a series of free live concerts take place. The artists that perform are quite good (it a mix of well-known and upcoming artists) and this year made no exception (it's very unlikely though that you know any of them, for they are all French bands). FYI, this young lady that I photographed on stage is not Madonna (!), but Carmen Maria Vega. You can listen to what she does on her site.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Shopping time...


Let me take you shopping today... After all it's les soldes (sales) and it would be a shame not to take advantage of them! I found this stunning lamp at rue Bonaparte (n°21) in the 6th in the Cyrus Company store (an Italian furniture designer). This head immediatly drew my attention, but it was not the only beautiful thing in the store and I was not the only one admiring it. Of course it's not exactly cheap (about 500 €), but beauty has a price...

Monday, July 09, 2012

I had to stop!


I'm just back from a delightful dinner with "the bag hag", aka Ingrid Chua, the charming goddess of fashion accessories who happened to be in Paris, and on the way back I passed by the Pont du Carroussel, a bridge that leads to the Louvre Carroussel (where the pyramid is located) and even though I'm used to seeing this quite often (yes, I know, it's unfair LOL!) I could not help but taking another of these night shots. Surprisingly, the sky was clear, whereas it's been raining all day.

Sunday, July 08, 2012

Trocadero Esplanade


Yesterday I passed by the Trocadero Esplanade (anslo called "Le Parvis des Libertés et des Droits de l’Homme" - "the freedom and human rights esplanade") and by pure coincidence I attended a very unusual scene. Now, you cannot see what it was in this photo, you're going to have to wait until Julay 14 (Bastille day)... In the meantime I thought it was wtill worth a shot with my new fish eye camera (I have one of my own now!) even though you've seen it a million times here! At this time in the year, this esplanade is full of tourists and the only reason why it looks almost empty is that precisely the unusual scene I was talking about had just taken place... How is that for a teaser?!

Saturday, July 07, 2012

Fake tennis game at La Bourse


I already told you about the old stock market building (La Bourse) which is now only used for special events and exhibitions since all transactions are fully electronic. This week they used it for Fashion shows and it's no suprise that a clothes and perfume brand - namely Lacoste - took this opportunity to attract passers by's attention with this interesting fake tennis game involving two transparent "sculptures". The effect was pretty cool, especially towards the end of the day when I took this photo, while the sun was going down  (see two more photos here). It's been a pretty busy week for me on PDP, I deserve some rest!

Friday, July 06, 2012

Haute couture by Frank Sorbier


The haute couture fashion week is over today, but this year I had the great pleasure of attending a fashion show. It was held  by Frank Sorbier, a very talented French designer at Théâtre Antoine in the 10th arrondissement and was "powered" by Intel. When I say powered, I really mean powered, as it was based on a pretty clever idea: a model, dressed in beautiful white dress was standing on one side of the stage, while another one, also on stage, would trigger the video projection of various creative haute couture motives on her dress. How? Simply by typing a command on her computer (Intel based no doubt!). A bit far fteched maybe, but the show was really stunning;  the audience was lead to think she was changing dress every 30 seconds! You MUST have a look at the little video I made, even though you're not that much into haute couture!

Thursday, July 05, 2012

Sharing Paris...



Last evening I was invited to a little gathering organized by Paris-Sharing, one of the sites that provides vacation rentals, home exchange and B&B in Paris (of course this one does it better ;-). It took place in one of the apartments - well I should rather say houses - they have for rent. A real dream place, coincidentally located just a block away (in French we say "pâté de maison") from the Juillet street of yesterday's post. It's what we call an "architect house", with a real garden and plenty of space (check out here), which is pretty rare in Paris. The weather was perfect and the company very cosmopolitan, which was fun. I had a real nice time.

Wednesday, July 04, 2012

4th of "Juillet"


Today is July 4th, also known as "Independance day" in the US, and since I have a lot of visitors from North America, I thought of celebrating it on PDP! I found out that there is a "July street" (rue de Juillet) in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, so today I went there and planted my camera just in front of... number 4 (click in the photo to enlarge it)! I know it's not the finest photo I've taken, but it's just for the fun ;-) Happy 4th my dear American visitors.

Tuesday, July 03, 2012

Old Cadum advertising


On the Grands Boulevards, at the corner of rue Montmartre and Boulevard Montmartre, if you raise your eyes, you will see this ad for Cadum. Cadum is a very old French brand (they were famous for their soap and even more for the baby character that they used to promote it), that every single French person knows. If this ad looks pretty new to you, it's because it has been totally restored  in 1997 for the shooting of a documentary dedicated to the brand. FYI, since the 26th of June,  Cadum now belongs to... L'Oréal!

Monday, July 02, 2012

Paris Gay Pride 2012


Like every last Saturday of June, the Gay Pride took place in Paris last weekend. And like every year I took a zillion photos, even though it's not very different from one year to another! I selected this one, which may look to you like it was taken during a trip in Africa of Brazil (this guy is actually Brazilian), but no, I promise, it was taken  at the top of Boulevard Saint Michel! Please have a look at the ParisDailyPhoto Youtube channel and check what I made with all the material I brought back (photos and video), I spent far too much time editing them LOL!

Sunday, July 01, 2012

July Theme Day: Chimneys


A new month has passed and it's a theme day again... The whole CDP community will post chimneys today (that is if they anticipated for our portal is down again - in the mean time check our group on Facebook). I posted chimneys several times on this blog for the ones of Paris are really pretty typical. But this time I thought I would add a little bonus to it; a graffito by Monsieur Chat (Mister cat), whose real name is Thomas Vuille, a well known graffiti artist who paints cats everywhere, especially near chimneys! Have a nice Sunday everyone.