Bonne année mes amis

Seule

Of course I love dining with friends in Paris, the more the merrier, but lunch, glass of wine,  or a special cup of tea or chocolat chaud alone is always lovely. Ladurée on Bonaparte is a place I seem to always go back to. My favorite is rose petal ice cream and violet tea. 

L'heure bleue

Joyeux Nöel

Basilique royale de Saint-Denis

Paris Rouge - Printemps

Paris Rouge à Nöel - Merci

Merci, located in the Marais, is one of our favorite stores. At Christmas this cute little voiture rouge is perfect.

Nöel à Paris - Place Vendôme

Christmas 2011

Nöel à Paris

Café Nemours. The simple green trees are the perfect decoration.

Noël à Galerie Vivienne

L'émerveillement

Galeries Lafayette

Noël à Paris - Café Nemours

Café Nemours is a favorite spot for us every trip. I love the simple trees at Christmas. 

Noël à Paris - Galerie Vivienne

For several trips we stayed in a lovely apartment owned by friends of ours in Cincinnati. It's a terrific location, just blocks from the Palais Royal and across the street from Galerie Vivienne. This beautiful passage is my favorite. At Christmas it's magical. 

Temporarily Out of Order

Many of you have asked if I'm in Paris this week. Well, it was planned, but the massive strikes, including Metro, buses and oh so much more were scheduled to start today, so I made the decision to postpone the trip. No one knows for certain how long the strikes will last, but from what I've read, they won't even sit down and talk till Monday and who knows what will result. We hope to make the trip in February or March. Surely they will have all gone back to work by then!

In the meantime, I will continue to share the Noël à Paris photos from years past. 

Noël à Paris - Les sapins des Galeries Lafayette I

Galeries Lafayette, 2017

Belle Lumière

Late afternoon light through the stained glass at Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Senlis

Cathédrale Notre Dame de Senlis

This little side door looks hardly large enough for an adult to walk through. This French Gothic cathedral in Senlis FR was completed in 1191. We took the train there last November with our friend Owen Phillips who lives in nearby Chantilly. We were lucky enough to enjoy an organ saxophone recital while there. Tomorrow, we'll go inside for a look.

Musique dans le Métro

Vivaldi at the Bastille stop!

L'urne

Jardin des Tuileries

Bleu, blanc et rouge

Vendôme Column, Place Vendôme

Paris Rouge - Charlie

Proof that you can count on finding something charming/interesting to photograph in even the smallest Paris café.

Paris Rouge - Le backpack

Fontaines de Pol Bury, Palais Royal

Le grand escalier

Musée Jacquemart-André, one of the smaller museums in Paris is a good choice if you've done the large ones or it's high tourist season.

158 Boulevard Haussmann

75008 Paris

Another Look

I have visited the Palais Royal more times than I can count, and enjoy each and every one, but always seek out another view that I've not taken before. 

L'heure du bain

Bath time at the Palais Royal.

Portes de Paris

rue St. Honoré

Only in Paris

 Galerie Vivienne

City Daily Photo Theme Day - Brown

Je suis en retard! Sorry, I missed yesterday's theme day but I'm sliding in at the last minute. The theme for November was brown. In Paris, all I could think of was CHOCOLAT!  Chocolat chaud at Angelina's to be exact. It's an experience I'll never forget. It's on my list for my trip in December of course.

Stately

 Église de la Madeleine, was designed as a temple to Napolean's army, hence it's commanding soaring columns. It's a magnificent church now.

Paris Photo 2017

After YEARS I was finally ble to experience Paris Photo in 2017. Each trip in November, I gave it great thought and always decided it would probably mean waiting in long lines to enter, even if I had a ticket. This day, Peter, Mary and I were headed to the Petit Palais for an exhibit when I looked toward the Grand Palais and discovered there was not line that I could see! Peter spoke with a guard and voila! I walked up, paid my 30 euros and was inside. This was also my first time under the fabulous glass and steel dome of the Grand Palais, so I experienced an adrenaline rush just wanting to photograph every inch. That and the hundreds of photography exhibition booths was just as Meredith Mullins had warned, sensory overload. I wandered without an organized plan but managed to experience the architecture and the photography. More photographs to come this week!

Paris Photo 2019, November 7-10. 

L'escalier

We never pass a courtyard that we don't peek inside. You never know what you'll find. This was a grand find.

Paris reflet

Place Dauphine, one of my favorite quiet places in Paris.