Église Saint-Sulpice

Église Saint-Sulpice

This enormous late Baroque church

in Paris is surpassed in size only by Notre Dame.

I would have guessed Église Saint-Eustache, but

really should go back for another look.  

What would you have imagined?

The façade is massive and imposing.

bon dimanche

Église Saint-Sulpice

2, rue Palatine

75006, Paris

L'arbre hanté?

Haunted Tree?

This tree in Parc Montsouris

seemed almost alive with

its undulating surface.

I am not sure that I would have been

sitting in the same spot at monsieur here.

We hurried along before a branch reached out

and tapped him on the shoulder

Parc Montsouris

75014, Paris

Square du Serment de Koufra - carrousel

Square du Serment de Koufra

This enclosed carrousel 

resembled a little jewel box

nestled under the trees

(More on this park and its historical 

significance at another time)

Square du Serment de Koufra

75014, Paris

Palais Royal - Pelouse Interdite!

The gorgeous green lawn of the Jardin du Palais Royal

is as beautiful as the greens of the Augusta National Golf Club,

but you would have an easier time receiving permission to walk

on the greens of the Masters than you would the green grass of

many Paris parks and gardens.

I did take a nap on one such forbidden lawn 

in Paris, but that is another story....

Jardin du Palais Royal

75001, Paris

Le Tour de France?

Le Tour de France?

Well, perhaps this young boy is not quite ready

for the famed race, but he handled his bicycle well on

the park path.

Tomorrow the race will finish on the Champs Élysées

and I will be watching from home.

Jardin du Luxembourg

75006, Paris

Poisson d'avril! (demain)

Do you know what tomorrow is?

In the USA it is April Fools Day and we play pranks like, 

"Look out!  There's a spider on your shoulder!" 

The tradition in France includes poisson d'avril, attempting to attach a paper fish to the victim's back without being noticed.  There is an interesting history of this holiday of foolishness, and it originated in France in the 16th century.  You can read about it here.

Today in France, people who are fooled on April 1 are called poisson d'avril, which literally means the "April Fish," because a young naive fish is easily caught.

This man who is kindly shucking oysters has been "tagged" with a paper fish. 

So, are you going to play a little prank tomorrow?

Le Baron Rouge, wine bar

1, rue Théophile Roussel

75012, Paris

Aux Merveilleux de Fred

et voila!

Aux Merveilleux de Fred

"Fred" is Frédérick Vaucamps and his pastry shops are described as

"A visual and olfactory experience, the Merveilleux are made in

front of the customer in each of the stores."

So what is this Merveilleux? In a variety of versions

the core is a feather-light meringue coated in chocolate whipped cream with 

shavings of dark chocolate.  Miam-miam!

He has given each of the varieties fanciful names:

The Incroyable, the Impensable, the Magnifique, the Excentrique,

 and the Sans-Culotte.  Read more about these shops here

Aux Merveilleux de Fred

29, rue de l'Annonciation

75016, Paris

L'École Saint Pierre (la Rochefoucauld)

L'École Saint Pierre (la Rochefoucauld)

If you look up while walking on rue Cler,

you can see this spire and clock...

not found on the usual Paris maps

bon dimanche

L'École Saint Pierre (la Rochefoucauld)

11, rue Cler

75007, Paris

Cadran Solaire Vertical

Vertical Sundial

Many sundials can be found in Paris, 

either high on a building (to catch the sun's rays)

 or on the ground.  

This one is vertical and found in Montmartre.

Vertical Sundial

Montmartre

75018, Paris

Poisson d'Avril - chut! (demain)

Do you know what tomorrow is?

In the USA it is April Fools Day and we play pranks like, 

"Look out!  There's a spider on your shoulder!" 

The tradition in France includes poisson d'avril, attempting to attach a paper fish to the victim's back without being noticed.  There is an interesting history of this holiday of foolishness, and it originated in France in the 16th century.  You can read about it here.

Today in France, people who are fooled on April 1 are called poisson d'avril, which literally means the "April Fish," because a young naive fish is easily caught.  

So, are you going to play a little prank tomorrow?

Marché d'Aligre et le Baron Rouge

75012, Paris

Un landau?

A baby carriage?

This little antique was sitting outside a notions boutique 

in the passage du Grand Cerf.  

The short handles and small wheels 

made me think that it was a rather elegant doll carriage.  

The convertible shade was made of leather 

and I should have examined it more closely 

for the name of the manufacturer.

Passage du Grand Cerf

75002, Paris

Frederique! Attends!

Frederique!

Wait!

Life is brief

Drink it in big gulps

Paris

Note de cendrier

Ashtray note

It is difficult to believe that the French have limited smoking to outdoors.  

When I think of the French film there was always a sultry type with a cigarette.  

The restaurants do not allow smoking except on their terraces 

which makes it difficult to enjoy the open-air cafes.  

I was amused by this little note written on the paneled courtyard wall, 

imploring so politely that the smoker use the ashtray provided 

and not throw the butts on the ground.

joyeux anniversaire, Nanette

Courtyard, Rue de Seine

75006, Paris

Moulins Burgeois - un camion de livraison

Moulins Bourgeois

"A miller, and much more"

Coming out of Eric Kayser one morning we found these friendly delivery men bringing in the heavy sacks of flour from Moulins Bourgeois.  We asked permission for their photos and I was fascinated by the source of the flour which is transformed into the indescribable pastries and breads of Eric Kayser and other pâtisseries/boulangeries.

The company was established in 1895 in Verdelot and today continues to produce "classic bread-making flour, traditional French flour, gruel and flour from the USA, stone ground and organic flour."  With a staff of 80 people they serve a customer base of artisan bakeries, both within 200 km of the mill and Internationally to Europe and Asia.  

At home, would I notice a flour delivery to a bakery I frequented?

Probably not, unless it was Eric Kayser, John-Paul Hévin, Julien, Pierre Hermé, Dalloyau, Ladurée, La Petite Rose, Pâtisserie des Rêves, Stohrer, Coqueliqot.... just too many to name

Eric Kayser

8, rue Monge

75005, Paris

Elle pleure

She cries

She has cried many times 

over the past century

for loss of innocent lives

She cried again 

on January 7, 2015

Cimetière du Père Lachaise

75020, Paris

Leurs chemins se sont croisés

Crossing Paths

There were actually three photos of this mother/daughter pair 

walking down Rue Saint-Paul in the Marais.  

The blurred figure moving in the opposite direction 

gave this shot a touch of mystery...

 with a sinister mood.

Le Petit Saint-Paul

40, rue Saint-Paul

75003, Paris

le Marais

Le Perchoir - mes amis

Le Perchoir

(the rooftop bar)

There were only three of us that evening, 

plus the family of one of the workers, two or three others.

We enjoyed a sunset and drinks, 

chatted with these two who were pouring the beverages, 

a wonderful evening in this magical place.

When I returned to Le Perchoir a few months ago,

 there were hundreds of people in the space, 

most of whom were twenty-somethings.  

It had lost a bit of the mystique but still worth it for the view.

To see what it looked like last November, click here. 

Le Perchoir

14, rue Crespin du Gast

75011, Paris

Mona Bismarck American Center - l'escalier

Mona Bismarck American Center

This hôtel particulier was built at the end of the 19th century and remodeled by Stéphane Boudin in the 1950s for Mona Bismarck.  The windows, woodwork, and structural details retain the elegance of its origins.  

Mona Bismarck was a philanthropist, a beautiful, wealthy woman who divided her time among residences in New York, Paris, Palm Beach, and Capri.  Her legacy lives on in this museum just across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower with its art exhibitions.  You can even have a party in the ornate premier étage salons with an unobstructed view of the Tower.

Mona Bismarck American Center

34, avenue de New York

75016, Paris 

Dans ma chambre!

No, these racoons were not in my bedroom, 

but they made an eye-catching window display on Rue du Bac.

I have certainly never seen 

un raton laveur in Paris!

Rue du Bac

75007, Paris

Square René-Viviani

Square René-Viviani

In the midst of this square is this odd sculpture 

known as the Saint Julien fountain.  

It was constructed by Frenchman Georges Jeanclos in 1995 

and based on a tale of a curse by witches (with many characters), 

a tale told and retold since the Middle Ages.

It is an interesting square near the Seine and Notre Dame.  

I can hear the crunch of the "Paris gravel."

Square René-Viviani

75005, Paris