Merci pour les souvenirs

I created my Birmingham Daily Photo Blog in June 2008, after following Eric Tenin's Paris Daily Photo ( pictured on the bottom right). Six months later, after my second trip to Paris, Paris Through My Lens. was born.  Since that time I have visited Paris a total of 17 times and posted a photo of Paris almost every day. It's been a life/career changing experience for me. I have made so many friends with fellow bloggers and readers around the world. Many I have had the pleasure of meeting in person. I regret that this collage doesn't represent all of you, but it brought me so much pleasure today collecting these images.

With much regret, his seems like the right time to close both of my blogs. I am so grateful to all of  you who have followed and left comments of encouragement. I value your friendship. I will leave both blogs up so that if you choose, you can still do a search and perhaps finds some photos that you missed along the way. In the meantime, I will continue to post images on my Instagram @vjonesphoto and offer prints on my Etsy shop:http://www.etsy.com/shop/VirginiaJones.

Pétanque dans le jardin

 

I have loved photographing the pétanque players in Paris since I discovered them at Luxembourg Gardens in 2009. Since then, I always seek them out. They kindly allow me to photograph them as they play. I"ve photographed some of these men many times over the years.

Léche vitrine

Our first morning in Paris last February,  and here I am drooling over these galettes de pomme!

La fleuriste

This florist in Montmartre had found a way to make these old pipes much more charming outside of the shop.

Musée Bourdelle

Bourdelle's studio.

Paris Rouge - la voiture

A Slice of Paris

From the Centre Pompidou

Le fleuriste

Paris florists decorate the outside of their shops as much as inside. This lovelyvine, tied against this glorious peeling pipe was reason to stop for photos.

Tôt le matin

a la boulangerie

Le fleuriste

Montmartre

Le café est fermé

Montmartre

Evening at the Palais Royal

Cathédrale Notre Dame de Chartres

Lucky for me, Mary had visited the cathedral previously and knew that the area around the church are not to be missed. We left through the doors to the right and had a lovely walk around the church. It was one of the few blue sky days we'd had and were most appreciative.

Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Chartres - La restauration

The massive and painstaking restoration of this cathedral has created a storm of controversy. Many think that the cleaning has rendered the magnificent stained glass windows not nearly as effective when viewed against the centuries of grim and soot removed. Others celebrate seeing the incredible details uncovered. I will admit that seeing the restored portions against the darkened walls is startling. I will leave it up to each of you to decide which you prefer.

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres V - L'autel

 I have been fortunate to visit many churches in Paris and a few outside of Paris. Most of these beautiful old churches now have interesting contemporary altars. Chartres is no exception.

Cathedral Notre-Dame de Chartres IV

As we made our way around the church, I was drawn to this scene. A class of students were there sketching using the flashlights of their cell phones! I was careful not to intrude but I had to get a little closer to see what they were doing, of course. I often marvel at how fortunate French students are to be able to take a short field trip to such historic places.

Cathédrale Notre Dame de Chartes III

One of the main reasons I have always wanted to visit this cathedral is to walk the labyrinth. For future visitors please note that on most days, the labyrinth is covered with chairs, but on Fridays they are moved aside. It's a large one so I walked it to the center, then quietly walked out of it. I"m sure the church members stationed in chairs on the perimeter gave me disapproving looks! The problem with a labyrinth obviously, is that it's almost impossible to photograph from ground level. This is the best I can offer. If you click HERE you can see an aerial view. 

Cathédrale Notre Dame de Chartres II

The extensive restoration of exterior reveals the intricate carvings, making them even more beautiful.

Cathédrale Notre Dame de Chartres I

For the next week, we will be spending time in Chartres France. This past trip in March, I made my first trip there and I couldn't imagine why I had not gone sooner. I hope you will enjoy images not only of the cathedral itself but the area around the church and the charming town itself.

Le Pétit Enfant

Jardin du Luxembourg aprés la pluie.

City Daily Photo Theme Day - My Neighborhood

Since I sadly do not live in Paris, I'm sharing a photo from our window this last trip in early March. We were on an upper floor so I had the pleasure of photographing the rooftops in all times of day and weather. Rue des Entrepreneurs.

Today, the first of the month, I'm joining my fellow city daily photo bloggers around the world. Click HERE to see their neighborhoods.

Les chaussures pour les enfants

Marché aux Puces de Vanves

Les Danseurs

Dimanche å rue Mouffetard. I hope the dancers on Mouffetard are back now that the lockdown has ended. 

In Full Bloom

Square Georges Cain is tucked away in the Marais, just across from l'Institut Suédois, on rue de Payenne. Another very lovely quiet corner of Paris. 

Chateau Vincennes

As we wandered the grounds at Chateau Vincennes, these outbuildings caught me eye. "Harnachement" translates to harness so I'm guessing something to do with stables? If any of you have a better translation, I'd welcome it.

Flower School Catherine Muller

Flower School Catherine Mueller - Paris

What a lovely morning we spent with Catherine and her gracious staff. I see from her website that she will resume her flower schools in July. Such good news.

Place Dauphine Reflet

This is one of my favorite quiet corners of Paris. 

Shakespeare and Company

 If you wander up the stairs to the second floor, you find the very  interesting places that this bookshop is known for.

Les bouquinistes

For hundreds of years, the booksellers have opened their green boxes in almost any weather, to sell their wares. It's a treasure trove of antique and used books, prints, magazines, and now assorted souvenirs for the eager tourists. I'll admit to purchasing some lovely vintage prints and posters myself. C'est Paris!

La dentelle antique

Late one afternoon, while Mary and I were poking around one of our favorite places, Village Saint-Paul, we discovered a small brocante. Note: On our last trip in early March, it was under renovation. 

Quiet Corner of Paris - Place Dauphine

Place Dauphine, located on Ile de la Cité, is a small, quiet square. Surrounded by a few cafés, I always make a point to stop by. Once or twice I've found some pétanque players but most of the time, it looks just like this. I almost hesitated to share this info so as to keep it on the down low, but wanted you to have the pleasure as well.