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.