Into a New Year

A spiral staircase in an old building on the Left Bank winds its way up to a ceiling that opens to the sky.

- Bonne Année / Happy New Year 2017 -

Café on the Champs

Wedged among chain stores on the Champs-Élysées the Nespresso Boutique surprises with excellent coffee in an upscale setting.

119 Avenue des Champs-Élysées 75008

 

Red teddies

A tree decorated using small plush red bears of varying sizes as ornaments, with larger bears at its base for effect.

Black storefront

Bare trees lining the quai are reflected in windows of an antique shop facing the Louis-Philippe bridge.

En famille

 

A Christmas Day Lunch

All over France, Christmas Day lunch is a quiet family affair. I love it all, from helping create the menu and set the table to the long conversations that extend into the evening.

On the menu: apéritifs / gourmet nibbles in front of the fire; at table: foie gras w/fresh figs starter, roasted confit de canard and wild mushroom sauté, mixed salad w/toasted pumpkin seeds and orange, farm cheeses, home-made green apple sorbet w/vodka and fresh mint verrines, a light prelude to the traditional yule log cake. And to finish up properly, espresso / tea followed by bracing digestifs.

Above: a different wine for each course; a brother-in-law takes over in the kitchen; table set for 10

Festive mood

Feeling festive and in a holiday mood Parisians hit the streets.

Plaza aglow

Luxury Hotel Plaza Athénée all dressed up and ready for the holidays.

(w/thanks to Serendipity)

- Merry Christmas Peace On Earth - 

Sapin de Noël

A sparsely decorated Christmas tree inside the entry of a church.

Pre-trip pause

Inside Le Train Bleu leather armchairs line a long hallway that leads to the ornate dining room.

Bûches de Noël

Traditional Yule Log cakes along with candied chestnuts are starting to fill bakers' shelves.

Book nooks

"Happily, one-of-a-kind bookshops are alive, well, and thriving in Paris..."
Now in winter issue, "10 Brilliant Book Nooks" The Good Life France

Changing a kiosk

A Paris kiosk gets its posters replaced.

Bag and gloves

Hermès' signature orange is incorporated into this winter bag and matching gloves.

24 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré 75008

Little fortress

Approaching medieval fortress castle the Conciergerie a.k.a. the Châtelet by boat.

Liberty as art

Yet another of Frédéric Bartholdi's Statue of Liberty, this one inside the Orsay Museum.

Lady Liberty

A Statue of Liberty, one of several throughout the city, greets visitors to the Musée des Arts et Métiers.

 

Nativity scenes

This life-sized crèche from Eastern Europe is one of many set up in churches across the city.

Night steps

One of Montmartre's longest and steepest stairways is next to the Funicular.

Hold that note

Reminders that Paris' mid-winter opera season has arrived are popping up everywhere.

 Palais Garner / Opéra Bastille

Cracking good

Croquantes and enormous, these shiny meringues are waiting to be taken home.

Window masks

A small designer boutique creatively uses cutout masks, pom poms, scarves and hats as faces for its displays. 

Sacre carousel

Postcard view of the Basilica of Sacre Coeur over a carousel in the foreground.

Flacons

A shop near Sacre Coeur sells many kinds of perfume flasks.
(w/thanks to Y. Foulon)

Bernard Palissy

Statue of the famous Huguenot on Place Félix Desruelles next to church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

Weekend pastries

A neighborhood pâtisserie displays its weekend dessert selection.

Rain and shine

Daniel Buren's columns at the Palais-Royal shine no matter what the weather.
(w/thanks to M.Durst)

Parked car

This photo taken on Place des Vosges reminds me of something you'd see in Havana.
(w/thanks to M.Durst)