Les Mains Mignon!

I never cease to be amazed at the delightful little shops you find in Paris. Who would ever imagine a shop that sells only plaster molds of feet and hands!  Des Pieds et Des Mains, on passage Molière, near the Pomidou was closed, but I took these through the window. I loved the dear little signs with their ages.

Sunday Paris Church Series - L'ange

Église de la Sainte-Trinité

This magnificent papier maché angel was part of one of the most beautiful nativities I have ever seen. Made, I'm assuming, from papier maché, each figure was lit from within.  I'll share more next December !

L... is for Laurent!!

My alphabet series seems to have taken on a twist I didn't predict........dear friends.  Well this day L is for my Paris blog ami Laurent of Daily Photo in Paris.  We FINALLY met this last trip. Laurent met Mary, Peter and me for dinner one night, and we had such fun. It ended later with Laurent on one side of the Mètro tracks while Mary and I "posed" from the other side!   Laurent and I often find that we post the same places on the same day. I like to think it's "great minds...."!  Today my friend Laurent, it's all about YOU!

Dimanche à Paris... Lost in Thought

I tell my photography students over and over about waiting for the best shot.  I'm pretty impulsive (quelle surprise!) and tend to just fire off a few shots and keep going, but in Paris, I seem to be able to slow down and just wait.  Meredith Mullins calls it the "art of the wait".  Cartier-Bresson was the master of it. Maybe I feel their vibes when in Paris!  This day I spotted the man on the quai.  I took several shots and then I waited a bit. I liked this last pose the best.  The carvings on the tree were the icing on this cake!

Amies en s'amusant

It's not often that I appear in my Paris photos. This great day last January,  Peter took my camera and was our photographer.  I just love this shot of my travel buddy Mary and me with la Tour Eiffel in the background. Of course it's the most "touristy" of photos, but girls just wanna have fun.......in Paree!

L'artiste de bijoux

Well as you all know, I've met some incredible friends in Paris through my blogs, but now I've added some new amis through Facebook!  Shauna von Giesbrecht and I met through a mutual Paris friend in the fall so it was only natural that we planned a face to face meeting in January. Shauna, who hails from Vancouver, is a multi- talented artist.  She not only designs and makes fabulous jewelry pieces but also creates the most marvelous handmade textiles. There will be more photos to come!

Mary, Peter and I visited her lovely little boutique in Montmartre the second day we were in Paris.  After we'd oohed and aahed and tried on everything to our heart's desire, we trekked up the hill in the rain for a delicious lunch with Shauna.  More on that great place another time. Be sure to visit her website to see her many delightful creations!

24 rue Véron

Paris 75018

métro Abbesses

01 42 58 52 41

Paris Rouge XLII- Le Menu

Can you believe that I have posted at LEAST 42 Paris Rouge photos?  Oh I have more, but you'll have to wait.  Today, a charming little wall with a menu that made me stop and take quite a few.  Montmartre ...bien sûr!

Merci to our blog friend Keith at a Taste of Garlic who gave Genie et moi his Official Paris Photographer's Award for the week!  He chose yesterday's waiter photo and Genie for this great shot.

Dépêchez-vous!!

It seems to me that the waiters in Paris work really hard. They always seem to be rushing here and there. I like the movement in this one at Le Petit Marcel, near the Centre Pompidou.

Sunday Paris Church Series - Église de la Sainte-Trinité

The Église de la Sainte-Trinité houses not one but two organs. I think the bell tower is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen, and that cobalt blue sky at dusk made it more so.

La Tour Eiffel + Chocolat = Ooh La La!

Sometimes having an obsessive photographer's eye saves one some euros and some calories.  I was so preoccupied with capturing this window, that I just realized those fabulous chocolat la Tours were only 8.40e!!  I would have paid that in a heartbeat and taken one back to nibble on for the week. NON,  I wouldn't have eaten it... I would have made a zillion photographs of it!  Maybe I'll have another chance to visit this shop in my future, located across from the Église Sainte-Trinité if memory serves.

Paris From Above - "Do You Want To Go Up?"

My last day in Paris, Peter asked where I wanted to go.  I didn't miss a beat... Tuileries.  It is a place I return to again and again. Even in the winter I love it. Perhaps it's because I have such sweet memories of my first taste of Paris with Melissa and Eva right there.   This day it was yet another misty, chilly Paris  day. We strolled from the Louvre right through the gardens and then the grande roue loomed ahead. Peter asked if I wanted to go up. I said, " Oh, non, I don't have the courage!"  Then....I don't know why... as we walked right to it, I turned and said, "Yes, I will do it!" Thankfully Peter had the Euros, and up we went. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, I saw Paris spread all below me! A breathtaking experience... my last day in Paris!

For the REAL Paris From Above by Yann Arthus-Bertand go here.  I saw this at the Marmottan-Monet in July, 2009. It is wonderful!

Ants

From high atop the Centre Pompidou.   What I love about Paris is the wonderful mix of old and new. Some I embrace, others I just accept!

Paris Rouge XLI - Le Parapluie Rouge

The morning we arrived in our flat last month it was cold and rainy.   I flung open the gorgeous windows and peered to the rue St. Roch below.  I spotted this lady with her red umbrella, but couldn't quite get the shot I wanted.  I decided to climb onto the window sill and hang over the wrought iron railing.   Mary and Peter found me in this precarious position.  I got the shot!!!

C'est Magique !!

J'adore le carrousel à Hôtel de Ville!  I have so many. What a delicious find that night in Paris. Actually I shot in January 2010 as well, but it at dusk. This time night had fallen, and it was even more magical. I'll bore you to tears with these.

Les cadenas de l'amour

I'm sure you've seen or heard of the locks on the bridges along the Seine by now.  Lovers lock them and toss the key in the river. Le sigh!!  Supposedly the city of Paris, with nothing better to do, cut them all off and tossed them, but you know what happened... the "power of love" prevailed!  Today one of my favorites. Parfait pour le jour de l'amour, n'est-ce pas??

Bisous pour tout le monde!
V

Sunday Church Series - The View From Our Room

Each morning when Mary and I awoke to this view and the sound of the bells chiming, we pinched ourselves.  One day I hopped up and got my camera.  I just had to capture the view from our bed!

The Église Saint-Roch was directly across a very narrow little street. What a delight!

Waiting

Patiently (or impatiently ?), waiting at the Centre Pompidou

Amour à la Première Bouchée

Pardon pour la présentation!!!

  Mary and I stopped at a sidewalk crêperie near the apartment late one night. I bought my first.......but not my last Nutella crêpe. Be still my heart.  We had decided to share it,  but by the time we got home, I'd pretty much eaten the bloom off the rose. ( Well it was warm, and gooey.......) Mary was lucky to get a taste. Miam, miam!!!

Harry's New York Bar

New iy

After a very very long day walking from Montmartre towards our apartment, Mary and I spotted Harry's New York  Bar.  "Let's have a drink" I begged!  This isn't like any other place in Paris that I've ever been.  When we ordered wine, our nice waiter ( that would be him on the right)  informed us they don't sell wine.  NO WINE, IN PARIS?? I didn't miss a beat, and ordered Jack Daniels and club soda. "Non, Madame." Perrier was a good substitute.  Mary ordered some fancy cocktail. I perused the walls and noted old football pennants hanging around the entire place. It didn't take me long to discover Auburn was nowhere in sight. When our waiter returned,  I inquired. Do you want to predict his response?  Bless his heart, he had no idea, but we watched as he went to the bar, asked the bartender and went all around the place in search of the Auburn pennant!  Bottom line: That was the most expensive drink I've ever had in Paris. Mary and I could have had wine at the Crillon for less. And when I get my hands on an Auburn pennant, I'm sending it to Harry's Bar. We're Number One after all!

Notre Soirée à Paris

Back Row L-R :  Lucy and Anne Hervier (Paris friends), Peter ( Peter's Paris), Mary, moi,  our"landlord", Shauna von Giesbrecht (jewelry/textile designer), Karen ( An Alien Parisienne), Paul ( Paris Inspired)

 Front Row  L-R:  Richard Nahem ( Eye Prefer Paris Tours), Eric and Steve ( our new Paris friends from Facebook)

Mary and I had the most wonderful flat in Paris this last trip.  We decided that we had so many new and old friends in Paris, well we needed to throw a party.  We thought, "A little wine, a little cheese,....".

Well it turned into one grand, long and very fun evening!!! Our party list consisted of bloggers, old friends, new friends, new Facebook friends......you get the idea.  Here's the group minus Vincent who kindly took the photo, and blog friend Anne who'd already headed home.

Victor Gagliostro (artist) was our photographer

Anne ( Just Another American in Paris) left us before the photo shoot

Table et Tabouret

As we strolled down from Montmartre one afternoon,  Peter pushed a door, Mary and I followed close behind, ( she and I are quite brave when we have Peter to do the 'splaining in French if we get caught)  and voilà, a charming little apartement courtyard.  It had one of the tackiest *Christmas trees that we all agreed we'd ever seen.  All was not lost however, many nice photo ops were spotted.   Here's one!

* and oui, you'll have to wait till next Christmas season to see the tree! :)

Ma Chère Amie Mary

Most of you already know my dear Paris amie Mary Gilbert ( Mad About Paris). We met almost 4 years ago on Virtual Tourist as  hopeless Francophiles. Our friendship grew from there. After months of emails, we finally met face to face here in Birmingham right before my second trip to Paris in November, 2008.  Since then, we've savored Paris together four times. We are, I think, wonderful travel companions.  She walks my tail off, and I just suck it up and try to carry on.  Merci Mar for dragging me all over Paris and being my very best Paris buddy. This photo I took last January.  I think it's just perfect.  I hope she thinks so !!!

Sunday Church Series - The Choir Practices

The afternoon we visited the Église Saint-Merri, we were treated to a choral rehearsal.  As you can see, it was a bit chilly inside.

Knock...

but don't expect an answer.

Cimetière Passy (1820)

2 rue du Commandant Schloesing

Paris Rouge XL -Les Garçons Très Mignon!

Buren Columns, Palais Royal 

Translate that!

Paris J'aime....

Mais oui, bien sûr, certainement, absolument!!!!

( and you can say that again!)

Table/Chair Series - Rouge et Bleu

I'll bet you thought I'd forgotten all about my Table/Chairs Series...you'd be right!  That said, this last trip I got some nice ones. You know why these caught my eye! ( and for some reason the leaves did it for me aussi)