Paris, je t'aime :: the day after

Random pictures from a random walk the day after the French presidential elections.


Blue Blanc Rouge



Ariane 




Superheroes
Hollande - Sarkozy :: le rassemblement 




Riverin Hollande

50% Eiffel Tower

This picture was shot on 11.11.11 but it might as well have been today.
Grey and foggy weather but still very mild.

I wonder what the lines look like right now, under the Eiffel Tower at the ticket boots, as visibility is pretty shallow...
Like this it looks like it's still under construction -
as if the fog took us back into time.
If it weren't for the satellite dishes, that is...

Non merci!

I hope you all had a nice weekend. Ours wasn't too bad. We had some lovely, cold but sunny, weather on Saturday. Little H. had a birthday party to go to and instead of spending half of my day on the metro bringing her, going back home, going back for pick up and back home again, I decided to go for walk in between drop off and pick-up instead. Since the party was in the 16th I somehow ended up at the Eiffel Tower. And though I love the Eiffel Tower and the Champs de Mars I have mixed feelings about everything else going on there. Except for the fact that it's (understandably) always crowded in the area between Trocadéro and Eiffel Tower you also have to deal with the vendors and street gamblers bothering you every five steps. Non Merci! I certainly do not want a mini Eiffel Tower to take home as I already explained to your colleague two steps ago... Very annoying. Equipped with my camera I once again realized that it's impossible to take a picture of "la Grande Dame" without having at least a dozen of people you don't know posing on your picture as well. Well, that entirely depends on the angle you choose, I came to realize. As I walked passed the Eiffel Tower, away from the crowds and to the left, there were much less people there and the view on La Tour Eiffel wasn't bad at all, especially not given the fact that trees have shed enough of their leaves by now to see through. So, until they ask me to shoot the next "glossy magazine Eiffel Tower perfume add picture", this one will have to do.
To be honest, I had much more fun taking the two other pictures. Not a single soul around there frantically running through my viewer looking for the most photogenic spot...


... so much nicer than a parking ticket.


I love these trompe l'oeil's often found in dead end streets.

Tonight was a good, good night

Those trees do not belong to our courtyard, unfortunately, but to the Parc des Sceaux...

We just spent the most wonderful evening. It's been a busy day and a busy week for each one of us and the weekend won't bring much of a change. But tonight we had the most relaxing time imaginable, thanks to one of our neighbors. She came up with the brilliant idea of having a picnic in our downstairs courtyard.
In the middle of Paris, in a neighborhood, on a block, on a courtyard, on a small patch of green, tonight, a couple of families sat down together and shared food, drinks and ice cream. Kids played and got themselves dirty, while parents celebrated the beginning of summer with wine, stories and laughter. It was totally improvised but so much fun. It made me forget about all the things which remain to be done for tomorrow's party...

I gotta feeling tonight was a good night...
I gotta feeling tonight was a good, good night...

Nice weekend

I hope you had a fun (Easter) weekend. We certainly did. We didn't do anything special really, except for yesterday when we went for a long walk through Paris. But overall it was a nice and relaxing weekend.
Yesterday, the weather was just perfect for one of those long walks. We took the metro to Place des Vosges from where we walked to la Bastille, and next went on to the Seine. We then took the riverbank all the way down to Place de la Concorde, where we decided to take the metro back home - for a moment we thought we could make it back home just walking, but M. who's still recovering from a minor injury looked tired.
People were having picnics - their first one of this year? - along the Seine, or just sat down to read or take a nap, or having a chat, enjoying the first sun rays after a long winter inside. It felt so good to spend the afternoon outdoors... We got home with our batteries reloaded and our minds worry free.

It promises to be a busy week here. I'm not sure there will be any creative time in it for me. I do have a couple more of ideas for bags but I need to set my priorities which right now are getting everything ready for little H.'s trip next week with her class. She'll be leaving on 'classe de decouverte'. Her first time away from home. She's excited and a little worried about it, just like me. My little girl will be gone for close to a week...
Well, I'd better get started, now, labeling her clothes and making sure she has everything on her list!

Wishing you a great week!

xo, P.

PS: I'm wearing this today - for the first time. I didn't change the necklace after all and when the girls noticed the necklace this morning they both exclaimed: "Oh mommy, I love your new necklace! Did you make it?!" And then M. continued: " Can you please make me one? You should make a whole bunch of them and start selling them! Really, mommy, you should!". That's so funny and sweet - ever since I started this blog the two of them have been on the outlook for a place for me where I could start a store - the bike shop which closed down is still there favorite spot and they would help me run the store... So cute!

I *heart* Centre Pompidou

We made it to the Centre Pompidou yesterday afternoon. It's one of my favorite places here. We should go more often...
We got there at a good time. By the time we left, lots of people were waiting in line to get in.

Here are some photos of some of the things I liked - too bad I didn't write down the artists names. I should take a notebook next time...


Nikki de Saint Phalle


Nikki de Saint Phalle








the girl's favorite - projections on the floor which they could walk on

Pont Bir Hakeim

Little H. and I went for a walk along the Seine on Sunday afternoon. She needed another picture of her and Flat Stanley, on a bridge, to finish her project for school. So, we walked - and she talked - all the way down to my favorite bridge in Paris, le Pont Bir Hakeim.

Here are some of the bits and pieces we came across on our way - a slightly different view of Paris... (click on picture to get directed to Flickr for a larger view)


From left to right: 1. old fuse box, looks like the perfect spot for a bird nest - 2. liked the curve of these staires and the orange blinds in the back - 3. little H. and Flat Stanley on Pont Bir Hakeim - 4. the rattling sound of these blue metal blinds, caused by the wind, scared the hell out of little H. - 5. litter all over the place a not so unusual sight in Paris, unfortunately - 6. ever lost a bike in Paris? go check there. some parts might have gone missing, though - 7. "It's too bloody cold to dive for food..." - 8. Liked this window of one of the boats on the Seine: the boat themed curtains, the little canoes and Mickey Mouse, cheerful as always...

Paris, je t'aime... :: not to be missed

I'm exhausted, that's the least thing I can say. My brother came to visit us and for three days I was a tourist again in what's been our hometown for almost two-and-a-half years. Under the most pleasant Fall weather we walked miles and miles, talked and just enjoyed the city. And in between we visited a couple of exhibits.

On Thursday, I took my brother to the Centre Pompidou, to see the Soulages retrospective. If you happen to be in or plan a trip to Paris: this one's not to be missed! I highly (HIGHLY!) recommend the Soulages exhibit. His work is stunning, of a magnificent beauty and simplicity.


© © Adagp, Paris 2009 (photo found through ARTE)


© © Adagp, Paris 2009 (photo found through ARTE)

At the same venue and not be missed either is the exposition "La subversion des images - Surréalisme, photographie, film", which brings an overview of surrealist photography.


Man Ray : « Lee Miller's Neck ? », Paris 1929
© Man Ray Estate. All rights reserved. Lee Miller Archives, England 2009 / Man Ray Trust / Adagp, Paris 2009
(photo through the Centre Pompidou website)


And then there's the Photoquai Exhibit, Deuxième Biennale des images du monde, a photo exhibit in the open at the Quai Branly. But hurry up for this one as it ends October 22nd.


© Sanan Aleskerov Sitara au-dessus du ciel, Bakou, 2007 . Azerbaïdjan (photo through the Photoquai website)



Soulages, Centre Pompidou, Paris, October, 14th, 2009 - March 8th, 2010, entrance fee: 12 euros (covers visit of the entire museum)
La subversion des images, Centre Pompidou, Paris, September 23rd 2009 - January, 11th, 2010, entrance fee: 12 euros (covers visit of the entire museum)
Photoquai, Deuxième Biennale des images du monde, Quai Branly, Paris, September, 22nd - November, 22nd, 2009, entrance free

Flea market find

Yesterday afternoon I went to the flea and antiques market at La Bastille. Though the weather looked very promising in the morning, it was pouring by the time I hit the market. But it was fun nevertheless, except for the soaked shoes and cold feet the rest of the day.

I like flea markets, not necessarily to buy, but just to look. The reason I hardly ever buy things is because we don't have the space for even more stuff in our tiny apartment. And also because I'm simply not good at it - the bargaining I mean, and telling the good stuff from the junk (unless it's obvious, of course). But once in a while I discover something I really want. And that's exactly what happened yesterday when I found these hemp (chanvre in French) bags, once used for transporting wheat and flour. The guy selling them had a whole stack of them. All in the same natural oatmeal color, but all very different because of a different line pattern. Some even had initials embroidered on them. Though clearly used, they were in mint condition. Since I just got there I decided to wait and to continue my way through the market.
But I couldn't take these off my mind and I went back. I chose one with blue lines - just one! can you believe it?!- which took me some time as they all were gorgeous. (as I'm writing this I'm thinking of going back, maybe - don't tell K.!)

I'm not sure what I'll do with it. Sew some pillow covers for our couch at the seaside was the initial idea. It's really big so I could easily get two covers out of one bag. However, for now, I want to keep it as is and look at it, touch it, feel it.
Because, really, isn't this a great find?!



I just love the details: the hand stitched seams, the hemp string tied in a knot, the irregularities, the texture...



Check out here for another detail...

Vivre la ville...

It's been a bit of a frustrating week, to say the least. A week of waiting. A week of things not happening.

About three weeks ago I ordered a macro lens (YES!). The order was supposed to get here somewhere mid last week (YES!). But somehow, the package delivery service messed up - completely! (I won't say which one as I want the delivery still to take place, but its a three letter word, it doesn't start with "U" and it rhymes with hell). They didn't mess up once, but twice... so far. I won't give you the boring details, but it got me really upset.

Tired of the waiting and tired of being angry, I fled the house this afternoon. And I had a great and relaxing afternoon! I still needed to pick-up some frames I ordered, to frame some of my abstracts (a special order from K. - he wants some of my abstracts for his office at work!) and since the store is in the Centre Pompidou area, that's exactly where I ended up: le Centre Pompidou. I didn't visit the museum this time, but just walked around the area and took some pictures. It's amazing what that camera does with me. In an instant, all the anger from a week of waiting for nothing was gone. A couple of clicks and I was a different person. A much nicer person...A much happier person... A much more relaxed person... Some people might not like that area because it's always crowded but I just love it. There's always something going on there, always something to discover or rediscover.

The RATP (public transport company) is celebrating it's 60th anniversary and for the occasion erected a wall in front of the Centre Pompidou, with running headlines...

So, now that my batteries are reloaded, I'm ready for another day of waiting. Tomorrow, they said. For sure, they said... I keep my fingers crossed they won't be sending Godot again...



Note: To end on a positive note - the good thing about the waiting and the being stuck at home is that I went through a stack of un-ironed laundry. K. has now a two week set of freshly ironed shirts!! He won't believe his eyes!

Paris je t'aime :: Vingt

No, it's not my age, my twenties are way behind me!

Vingt - Paris, is the name of a French blog (but written in English) I came across recently and which I love. Vingt - Paris (until recently known under the name "I V Y paris") "serves as a comprehensive hub for visual arts information and resources in Paris, nurturing our creative community through a series of art exhibitions and events.", as they describe themselves.
You'll find all sorts of information here about events, exhibitions, concerts, etc. but also lists - Vingt - hence the name.
Yesterday's list had the very promising title "20 French Sex Symbols (Les Hommes)". Have I been here long enough to know these men, I wondered. Well, it turns out I know some of them, beside the obvious like Alain Delon, Jean-Paul Belmondo (I don't agree!) and Sarko. There's Thierry Henry, the captain of "Les Blues", the French national soccer team, and yes, he's handsome (without the moustache, that is). His "les Blues" team mate Yoann Gourcuff sure is cute (and I'm not the only one to think so, just ask my girls about him). How about Serge Gainsbourg? I don't think he had the looks (he's been referred to as l'homme à la tête de chou (cabbage head)), but his voice and music definitely sound sexy. We've actually been listening a lot lately to his 1971 concept album Melodie Nelson. Very Gainsbourg, psychedelic, highly recommended. If you don't know this record, here it is



Anyone missing in that list? Well, I surely was surprised not to find Sebastien Chabal, one of the French team rugby players, in that list. After the 2007 Rugby World Cup, this man with the viking looks certainly was "hot" in France, with the Caron "Eau de Toilette pour un Homme" ad on every corner of the street, just to give one example.

There have been many other lists at "Vingt", but my favorite one is definitely the "20 Arnaques (rip-offs)" - with haircuts featuring at the top of the list, which makes me think they're "arnaque" at any place in the world. They were in California, at least.
I also particularly liked the "20 Expressions Françaises" , though I think the list is not complete. I might try to make a list of my own at some point.

And since we're talking about lists, yesterday as I watched 3 (!) episodes of Grey's Anatomy on French TV, I decided to make a list of my own. As you may know, in France every show on TV which isn't originally French, is dubbed. It took me about two and a half episodes of Grey's Anatomy, yesterday, to get used to the voice-over Patrick Dempsey (wasn't he considered really hot in the US a couple of years ago?) and Ellen Pompeo. The thing is Patrick Dempsey and Hugh Laurie (House MD) share the same voice-over, or that's what it feels like, which is VERY annoying. House MD, was actually another favorite show of ours, but just because of this dubbing thing we stopped watching it on French TV. His ranting simply doesn't have the same impact in French.

So here's my list - a random list of movie titles as you would find them here at the box office. I limited myself to just ten. As you will notice some of them get quite hilarious when translated back in English, others just give away the movie... I wonder why they keep doing this...

1. Jaws (1985) - Les dents de la mer - The teeth of the sea
2. Final Analysis (1991) - Sang Chaud pour meurtre sang froid - Warm blood for cold blooded murder
3. Lost in translation (2004) - Traduction infidèle (Canada) - Unfaithful Translation
4. From Dusk till Dawn (1996) - Une nuit en enfer - One night in hell
5. The Departed (2006) - Les infiltrés - The infiltrators
6. Cinderella men (2005) - De l'ombre à la lumière - from shade to light
7. The matrix (1999) - Les jeunes gens qui traversent les dimensions en portant des lunettes à soleil - The Young People Who Traverse Dimensions While Wearing Sunglasses - I can't believe this one's actually true, it must be a joke really, as I also found it as La matrice, which makes more sense...
8. Rebel without a cause (1955) - Fureur de vivre - the rage of living
9. Betrayed (1988) - La main droite du diable - the right hand of the devil
10. Dirty Harry - L'inspecteur Harry - Inspector Harry as opposed to Inspector Clouseau, Inspector Morse, Inspector Barnaby, ... I guess...

Like petals...

This post is dedicated to my little girl M. and her latest creation: a wall hanging made out of petal-like pieces of fabric, strung to some natural colored flax string. This was her Saturday morning surprise for us, at breakfast. I just LOVE it! The choice of colors and fabric - the shape - the drape - the way it casts its shadow on the wall throughout the day... Just everything about it is perfect!

When I asked her where she she got the idea from she said "Well, that book of yours. I wanted to make something else, at first, but then I realized I didn't have enough fabric and I didn't want to bother you. So then, I got the idea to make this." She made it with some bits and pieces of fabric she still had in her little sewing box.

That book of mine - that's exactly why I bought it. That book of mine - is this one: "Paris: Made by hand" - Fifty shops where decorators, designers, and stylists source the chic & unique, by Pia Jane Bijkerk (ed. The Little Bookroom - New York - ISBN 978-1-892145-70-3). Though intended as a shopping guide this book is more than that. With its brilliant photography, to me (and to my oldest daughter it turns out) it's also a source of inspiration. An inspiration to create, and - this only applies to me - to make better photographs (maybe?, hopefully?). If you want to see or read more of Pia Jane Bijkerk, just check out her blog.



In the mean time, I'm off to look for a better spot for my new wall hanging... It needs a more prominent place as I think it's gorgeous!

Have a fun week, everyone!

P.

Père Lachaise Differently

We had out-of-town visitors this week so things have been a bit busy around here. Busy but fun.
Yesterday, the girls and I joined our guests to visit Père Lachaise, and though I'd been there a couple of times, I'd never visited it on a bright sunny day. Because that's what we've been having for an entire week now, nice, sunny and hot weather. I thought the cemetery would loose much of its "charm" on a bright sunny day like this. Aren't graveyards to be associated with gray, cold, foggy weather, with darkness and sadness... ?
Well, the place was simply beautiful yesterday, maybe a bit of weird thing to say about a graveyard - I'm not depressed in case you're wondering....
A feast of light and shadows unfolded in front of our eyes. I've never seen rustiness and decay being more beautiful, more peaceful, more serene, more majestic...
Even the artificial flowers and ceramic wreaths with their faded colors, the cobwebs and dust of decades became of a magnificent beauty...

There's something about that place, even on a bright sunny day...


I just love the color palette in this one...



My sister-in-law's favorite picture in the set - almost like a painting, she said...



Moss and wreath happily living together...





The beauty of rustiness...



Taken in natural light...sun, trees, moss and dandelion playing games...



Statue almost one with the surrounding chestnut trees...

Click here to see the full set on Flickr.

Relaxing weekend

We had a relaxing, touristy weekend here in Pars. That's the weird thing about living in such a gorgeous city: it's almost like one forgets about all that's there. Since we realize that Paris might not be our home forever, we're planning to visit more of it and also because it's just fun to be a tourist "at home".
With that in mind, we took the kids to the château de Vincennes on Saturday. Though Paris is crowded with tourists right now, the place was nearly empty. Clearly, le château de Vincennes is not featured in tourists' guides, though it is an interesting place to visit. We took a guided tour of "le donjon" which is highly recommended. Mistakenly we thought it used to be a prison, only. Not so! Several of France's kings have resided here and only later on it became a "dungeon" to some very famous men. If you're interested in finding out more about this historically important place, make sure to check out the excellent official site of this château, here.


The girls had packed their cameras and sketching books in their little backpacks. This is M. drawing a detail of the grid.

Back home the girls cooked dinner with daddy: Mac'n Cheese (from scratch - daddy's secret recipe!) for themselves and a Spaghetti Putanesca for daddy and me. Yum!

We took a slow start on Sunday, but in the afternoon we decided to take a stroll in the Quartier Latin with a stop at le Musée Cluny - aka the National Museum of Middle Ages. The museum resides a magnificent collection of tapestries, artefacts and sculptures of the middle ages, the most important pieces in the collection undeniably being the six tapestries of "La dame et la Licorne". Stunning! Unfortunately the place was incredibly crowded, probably because it always is and also because entrance is free the first Sunday of every month. I definitely need to go back there!
After the visit we decided to head over to the Ile de la cité only a short walk from there.


on our walk to "l'île de la cité" we passed this charming bookstore...

Our feet growing tired - I was wearing my pumps, not ideal for taking long walks I realized - we went for a drink at Café Panis, which can best be described as an authentic, romantic Parisian brasserie, located near the Notre-Dame de Paris, a hot spot so witnesses the price list.


Café l'Imprimerie - I was sitting right under this light fixture. Of course I couldn't resist...

Since the weather was really nice we just kept on walking, now towards Châtelet and the Forum des Halles, where we planned to catch the metro. We didn't feel like going home, however, and ended up at another café, the very nice Café l'Imprimerie, 29 rue Coquillière, 75001, where we decided to have dinner. The nice decor, with accents reminding of the 30's, really good soul music coming from the speakers, a friendly and helpful waiter, and very unusual... 2 golden retrievers made this place the perfect "endroit" to end our touristy weekend. I had a divine salad with grilled toast topped with "confit de poires" and grilled goat cheese. So good! Might try to make this at home!!

Now, let that be my first post in the "Paris series" I promised. I didn't intend this post that way, I just came to realize it while re-reading it.

There's so much more I want to share about this gorgeous city. To be continued!

Paris, je t'aime...

It's been exactly two years now since we arrived here in Paris. And what a time it has been!

I remember it as if it were yesterday, how me and my girls were sitting in that plane holding hands while it took off, taking a last look at what had been our home for five and a half years, and how the three of us started crying. The weeks before had been very intense - the packing, the farewell parties, saying goodbye to daddy who left earlier to get us installed at our new place across the Atlantic, the last hugs and goodbye kisses from our very best friends, the early morning trip to the airport.

But I also remember the feeling of relief when we finally got in Paris - the feeling of coming home somehow, being closer to relatives again, as if a weight was falling off my shoulders. Though I really loved our Californian life, and never felt homesick (except for Fall each year, mainly because we missed the change of seasons), I often felt some sort of burden: K. and I were the only family our girls had over there, their only roots. "What if something would happen to us?", often crossed my mind. But we had wonderful years there - a good life, surrounded by the best friends imaginable. California definitely changed me. Being a rather shy person, I opened up, for one thing...

And then all of the sudden there was Paris. It just happened to us, just like California happened to us. We never planned on going abroad, but we did. Paris wasn't an easy decision. The girls would have to give up a lot: their friends, the open space they'd been used to as long as they could remember, the pools, the lovely weather, and so much more. But our main worry was the language: the girls didn't speak a word of French... how would they deal with that?

That was then. Now, we've been here for two years and we love it. The girls are doing great, are both fluent in French - to be honest: they teach me how to speak French. I'm often surprised about their amazingly wide vocabulary. I've caught my self checking the dictionary more than once, lately, to look up a new word or expression H.'s been using. Unlike K. and me, they speak it with no accent. The English is still there, but the French becomes more prominent. People on the metro often look surprised when they hear us jump from one language to the other.
Both girls made plenty of new friends, M. toughened up a bit which is a good thing (she's such a sweet, gentle and empathic girl it sometimes hurts...), and H. fits in perfectly with her natural flamboyant style. All this didn't happen overnight. It was a bit of a bumpy road. To be honest, those first six months were hard and I thought or even yelled more than once how much "I hated this place". That was then, this is now: "Paris, je t'aime!"

I'm planning on a series of posts about Paris the coming weeks.
Let that be one of my blogging plans for summer...