La République

This statue representing the French Republic stands in the center of the "Place de la République" one of the largest square in the city. The square has been created in 1889 for the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.

Door

Mardi Gras

Paris doesn't have a giant Carnival like Rio or Venice but last sunday there was a "Carnaval de Paris" parade and as you can see we had Brazilians on the show. The great thing was that they made the two parades of the day (Chinesse New Year and Canival) meet on the Place de la République.
Today for Mardi Gras we do not do anything special in Paris except maybe in schools where the have fun with costumes. The two main Carnivals in France take place in the North in Dunkerque and in the South in Nice (click on cities for more information). As for me, my best Carnival ever was in New Orleans.

More New Year Parade

One more of yesterday's Chinesse New Year Parade in Paris.

Happy New Year

A late post today in order to publish a very fresh picture of the Chinesse New Year Parade. I'm just back home from the parade that was very big this year.

Oh my deer !

Seen in a street of the 10th arrondissement. For once a grafitti that fits !

Chopin at the Père Lachaise

If you are also a visitor to Virginia's Paris Through my Lens blog, you may have noticed that we often share the same places and as I liked a lot her yesterday pictures of the Père Lachaise cemetery it inspired me for today's post. Here is a this picture of Chopin's grave in that cemetery which is only 10 minutes walk from my apartment. It is also a way of celebrating Chopin's 200 birthday and if you like Chopin I advise a great French pianist Alexandre Tharaud and his record "Chopin - Journal Intime" (click on link to listen).

Un temps de chien

Yes we had snow again today ! A long winter this year and as we say in French for it's an awful weather : c'est un temps de chien. I guess this poor dog in the Palais Royal gardens just wanted to go back in a warm home.

Alexandrer III bridge

One of my favorite bridge in Paris. The bridge was built for the 1900 Universal Exposition to celebrate the France - Russia frienship and offered by Tsar Alexander III. And as you can see it is still freezing cold in Paris and we may have snow again today.

From Paris with Love and bigger

"From Paris with love" is a movie tittle that just opened this week with John Travolta in the leading role as you can see on the Cinema front on the right side, and that's also I thought I'm sending to you.
I took this picture in Montparnasse where we have a lot of movie theaters. Paris is by the way one of the Capital cities where you can find the more movie theater. Last year the movie industry in France had a very good year with a 7% increase of tickets sold representing more than 200 millions tickets for the year (we're 64 millions).

Yes you may also have noticed that I changed for a bigger size of blog page. I hope you like it !

Rugby in the City

Every week-ends you can see people playing rugby or football (soccer for my American friends) on the "Esplanade des Invalides" which is a large green avenue leading from the Invalides to the Seine river. The contrast with Grand Palais and its gorgeous glass roof  standing in the background is nice and I like this idea of a  city that lives and that is not a "museum city".

Soldes : last days

The winter sales ("Soldes" as we say in good French !) are entering their last days as they will be over in 10 days. I found this tiny shop very creative in the way they've decorated there window for the period.

Montparnasse Tower

Named after the area's name "Montparnasse", this tower is the only skyscraper in Paris. From the top at the 56th floor you can enjoy a very nice view that can be added to the one you have from the Eiffel Tower. The tower has been criticized a lot when it was built and still is. Some people even try to have it demolished. Nowadays it is not permitted anymore to built skyscraper in Paris because a law. The politics try to change this law but it seems to be a hard battle.

A night at the Opera

This is the Bastille subway station and the blue building in the background is the Bastille Opera House. I took this picture while waiting for the subway back home after having watched the Opera "La Somnambula" with Nathalie Dessay in leading role of Amina. It was just fabulous.

French national institute for blind youngsters

This place was created by Valentin Haüy in 1784 to teach young blinds. It is still a school located in a very nice building not far from the Invalides.

Dome des Invalides roof

As promissed yesterday, here is a close up of the Dome des Invalides' roof. It is beautiful and especially when the sun is on it and the sky is blue like I had the chance to capture last Saturday. You should also see it at night !

Les Invalides

This view of the Dome des Invalides is taken from the avenue de Breteuil. The Invalides is a museum of army and the place where the tomb of Napoleon lies. The roof is covered with gold. I will post a close up tomorrow.

Theme day : wood

A wooden door with nice sculptures in the 7th arrondissement of Paris for today's theme day.
For more pictures : Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Private lane

This private lane in the 15th arrondissement (you can see the Tour Montparnasse in the far background) is called  Square du Croizic. A very quite lane with splendid Haussman type buildings. Average price to buy an apartment here is 8500 euros per square meter. Definitely not for me !

Galeries

Palais Royal galeries and in the far background a special thought for V...

Buren's columns

Last time I posted a picture of the Buren's columns in the Palais Royal there were snow around them. Now we have rain and I liked the reflexion so here they are again !

Parisian street

Just a street view on a grey day leading the the pretty Place des Victoires named after King Louis XIV victories. He is the one on the horse.

Galerie Vivienne

The Galerie Vivienne is one of the covered pathways you can find in Paris. This one is rather "chic" as it is located between La Bourse (the former stock exchange building) and the Palais Royal gardens. It's hosting one of Jean Paul Gautier's fashion shops and as you can see they still have their holidays decorations. If you want to know more about it they have a nice website in English.

Too cold to seat

Paris legendary coffee terrasses are empty these day unless they use these awful street heaters.

Late Christmas trees

These Christmas trees were made of used plastic bottles and I was surprised to seem them still in place on the Place du Palais Royal yesterday. In fact I thought I was lucky because I did not have the chance to take a picture before so here is a Holiday season last picture.

Palais Brongniart

The Palais Brongniart was built in 1807 and was the Paris Stock Exchange building untill 1987. It is now a conference center and today there was a special happening as you can see with the red carpet. And yes Virginia it is still raining in Paris these days !

Statue of Liberty in Paris

Yes we also have a Statue of Liberty in Paris. I already posted a picture of it and here is a new one seen from the back with that grey sky we have these days.

Details

This is a close up of a building front on the Rue Rambuteau in the 3rd arrondissement. The whole building front is decorated with these sculptures. It is really a must see if you are in the area. The exact address is n°2 rue Rambuteau.

Laperouse

Laperouse is a famous Parisian restaurant and one of the oldest as it was founded in 1766. It is located on the river left bank and offers old fashioned "cabinet" style that you can see on their website. The place was very famous in the 1860's when all the "Paris litteraire" like Zola, Maupassant, Musset and Hugo used to come there to eat. Diner for one person is around 110 euros.

Thanks to all for you sweet comments on my blog's anniversary yesterday !

Premier Anniversaire !

Last year the Eiffel Tower celebrated her 120th anniversary but today it is my blog 1st anniversary. As I started one year ago with her I could not help but celebrating this first anniversary with her again. She is a Paris symbol for many foreigner but you know lots of Parisian like me really love it too.
I thank all of my readers for stopping by this blog and sharing your feelings with your comments. Who knows, maybe we're good for another year together ! Merci !

Musée Guimet's roof

You know I like roofs ! Here is the Guimet museum rooftop. A very very good museum by the way.

Second hand rose

A second hand shop in the 18th arrondissement. Reminds me of a song ...

Hotel de Ville

The Paris City Hall seen from the Seine.

Eating at the Louvre

The food court located in the Carroussel du Louvre (Louvre museum shopping center) has been completely renewed and is now totally reopened with new restaurants and a new design for tables, chairs and lights. I might admit that it is really better now. They made the place really look better and the best improvement is the noise of all those people that they really achieved to turn down using new roof technics that seem to absorb the sound. It'a good place to rest during a museum visit when it's too cold to enjoy a lunch in the Tuileries garden.

Blog day : best photo of the year 2009

I like the Cathedral, I like the Seine, I like the night lights and I love walking around in this part of my city. This is a photo I posted on may 24th and certainly one of my favorite for the past year.
For more photos of the blog day : Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Last lights

I agree with Eric that the post Chritsmas period is a little sad when they start to take off all the lights so here is a last one from Les Halles, a shopping center in the center of Paris where they put that very nice tree this year.
Tomorrow is Blog Day on CDP for "Best photo of the year 2009". I still wonder which one I will choose.

National Library

Two of the 4 towers of the National Library in the 13th arrondissement along the Seine river. As you can see we still have snow and it fall a lot again during the night so this morning everything is white again. I envy people like Virginia and her friend who will wander in the city today while I will be struggling on the road to work ...

More snow

One more with the snow on the Louvre. You can see the Caroussel Triomph arch and also the pyramid in the background. Snow has nearly gone now but it is still very cold (for us).

Palais Royal

In the courtyard of the Palais Royal these black and white columns are a scultpure by an artist called "Buren" created in 1986. They have been restored and reopenned to public last month. I like them with the snow.

Snow in the Tuileries garden

No, we're not in a ski resort but in the Tuileries garden yesterday afternoon !

Sunset on the Pyramid

As I was walking by the Louvre I could not resist taking a picture of the splendid sunset we had at that moment certainly due to the very cold weather. I did not have my camera with me but only my phone and I thought it would not be good quality but in fact I like it a lot so here it is to share this moment with you.
This morning it is snowing again on Paris so I am preparing myselft to fight the weather conditions and have some "Paris under the snow" pictures taken !

The canal is freezing

Actually it did not snow long yesterday and roads were ok but the temperatures keep going down and we even have a -18°c in the Paris suburb. The sky is blue though whivh gives nice colors like these on the Canal near Bastille which is starting to freeze. Have a nice week end!

Snow again

I just took this picture a few minutes ago outside my building. Yes, snow is back in Paris this morning and since we have had freezing conditions for the pas days I guess it's going to stay a little. I love it but not when I have to drive to work which is what I a going to do now ...

Rooftop of the Hotel de Ville

To be seen on top of the City Hall roof.

Musée des Arts Forains

The museum of Fairground Arts is located in Bercy in the former wine cellars that have been rebuilt in 2000. This place is never openned to individual visitor but only to group and to special events (you can book it for a Company event for example). But this winter is was open to public during the Christmas holidays and I had the chance to visit it last sunday on the last day. The place is magic ! It has outdoors and indoors spaces and provides all sorts of old fairground attractions like the merry go round below which is moved by the people cylcling on the bikes. There were also little shows of acrobats and singers that you can see on a video I put on you tube , it's a poor quality but it may give you an idea of the great atmosphere we found there.

The place has a nice website available in French and English : Les Pavillons de Bercy which you can have a look at if you want to know more about it.

A school to attend

This is the entrance of the "Bakery and Pastry school" located in Bercy, eastside of Paris. Anyone volunteers ? I do not know much about this school that I discovered yesterday on my way to the Musée des Arts Forains that was opened to public for the first time during this holidays and which I will soon post pictures of.

La fée électricité by Raoul Dufy

La fée électricité by Raoul Dufy is a huge painting (624 square meter) that you can see at the Paris Museum of Modern Art in the Palais de Tokyo (free entrance). The paintor made this incredible painting for the International Exhibition of Arts and Technology of 1937 representing Electricity through the centuries. If you enlarge the picture (click on it) you can see a person behind the sign "Marcel" that gives an idea of the size of the painting. 

It has been a long time since I haven't visited this museum since I am not found of the Palais de Tokyo which is still in a poor condition but I had friends from Orleans at home and it is still worth seen it when you visit Paris. If you come by métro you should stop at Iena station and walk down to the museum. That is where you've got this great view on the Eiffel Tower that Virginia and I both posted.

More lights

First I would like to thank you for you comments and wishes on yesterday's post. Getting comments from people of so many different parts of the world really made my day !
Now that the holiday season is ending and that back to work is scheduled for next monday, let's enjoy more Paris lights before it's over. Here is the Avenue Montaigne in the 8th arrondissement starting on the Champs Elysées where you find luxury stores mostly Haute Couture. The red trees decoration are very nice.

Theme day : changes

First I wish you all a " Bonne Année " ("Happy New Year") full of love , happiness and most of all great health.
Here is my view of today's theme day. It is what the Eiffel Tower looked like 4 times a night during the end of year 2009. There was a light show every night to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Lady just after the traditionnal 5 minutes sparkling show. Theses changing looks of the Tower were spectacular. I also tried to capture the show on a litlle movie that I put on You Tube if you want to have a look at it live.
To enjoy other CDP theme day pictures : Click here to view thumbnails for all participants