30 April 2015

Art café


Morning coffee and art co-mingle in a spacious community café-gallery at the foot of The Basilica of Sacré Coeur.

[Exhibited artists have included enfant terrible and Warhol protégé Jean-Michel Basquiat]
 
Halle Saint-Pierre
2 rue Ronsard 75018

29 April 2015

End of an era?


Schnabel-esque, used ashtrays vie for space on a blanket at a neighborhood vide-grenier sidewalk sale.

28 April 2015

Window dressing


A giant cat's head balanced atop a dress adds a fun touch to this window display.

26 April 2015

Klimt


The chairs in the upper photo perfectly match a poster advertising an exhibition of works by Viennese artist Gustav Klimt.

24 April 2015

Bronzed defiance


Sculpture of a young girl defiantly faces L'Académie française, the all-male bastion of power created in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu to protect the French language.
Not until 1980 was a woman elected as a member for the first time.

23 April 2015

Caramel, chocolate, pistachio


A line-up of just three éclair flavors at mega traiteur Fauchon on Place de la Madeleine.

Above: salted butter caramel, black chocolate, pistachio

21 April 2015

20 April 2015

Let all who enter


A stone mascaron, a decorative touch that's long disappeared from modern architecture, keeps watch over an open doorway.

19 April 2015

To market to market


Sunday morning finds locals heading for bustling street markets like this one, leaving it to the season's offerings to do the meal planning.

18 April 2015

Jazz apéro


A Montmartre café readies to serve up cocktails, nibbles, and jazz on the side.

17 April 2015

Un coin des arts


A graffiti-covered wall on a narrow street in the heart of a funky gallery district on the Left Bank.
 

16 April 2015

Wine down


Bottles of table wines and champagnes, most from small regional producers, many not exported, displayed on a bed of corks.

15 April 2015

Gluten rules


No shortage of gluten in Paris, where there seems to be a boulangerie on almost every block.

Above: freshly baked plump brioches are the day's special offer

14 April 2015

Walk, don't fly


A lone pigeon carefully made its way to the top of this steep staircase, step by step, then flew away.

13 April 2015

Wallace fountain


Green fountains named for English philanthropist Sir Richard Wallace are now a symbol of Paris.
 
 

12 April 2015

Petit déj' en terrasse


Flaky croissants, jus d'orange freshly pressé and a grand crème get the day off to a great start.

11 April 2015

Sign of spring


Tables lined up along a sidewalk in the sun is a sure sign that spring has finally arrived.

9 April 2015

Fornasetti fix



The Face equated with Piero Fornasetti that launched 16,000 designs is in excellent company with many more of his mind-boggling pieces. Musée des Arts Décoratifs til June 14.
 
 

8 April 2015

Tea-totaler's lamp


A lamp inside a vintage clothing shop reminds me of something out of the "Mad Hatter Tea Party."

6 April 2015

The Love Wall


 
The shadow of a tree makes a dramatic splash on The Love Wall, a romantic meeting spot on a leafy Montmartre square where "I love you" is written in over 300 languages.

5 April 2015

Easter Sunday


An early morning walk on Easter Sunday revealed this beautiful bed of flowers in full bloom behind the Basilica of Sacré Coeur.

4 April 2015

Holiday kougelhopfs


It's Pâques weekend and boulanger-pâtissier Gontran Cherrier displays a lineup of show-stopping kougelhopfs, each cradling its own pot of chocolate-caramel cream.

3 April 2015

Eggs, bells, and fish


For Easter, Meilleur Ouvrier de France and chocolate sculptor Patrick Roger weighs in with his unique oeuvres.

1 April 2015

Smart


A tiny "smart car" sits alone in front of the Pompidou Center on an early morning.
 
Within hours this area will spring to life with street performers, sidewalk artists and vendors, and no cars will be permitted.