4 June 2023

3 June 2023

Café on a square

 

Paris' countless cafés are, for many, a hallmark of the city.

Above: a sunny June morning brings out tables and chairs

 

 

2 June 2023

Fraîcheur Friday

With glorious warm weather upon us cooling salads are seemingly everywhere.

Above: 1) red cabbage, green onion, carrot, fresh greens, sesame seeds, goat cheese-spinach-sun-dried-tomato samosas 2) salmon gravlax, avocado, green onion, mango, red-&-green cabbage, fresh dill; roasted tiny pommes de terre grenaille w/garlic on the side


 

1 June 2023

Café culture

 

It seems the entire city is under construction as Paris updates its metro system and prepares to host the 2024 Olympics, but that hasn't stopped café regulars.


29 May 2023

Mocha Monday

  

Stacked receipts behind my café noisette on the zinc counter of a local Paris café.

 

24 May 2023

Sun Ré

 



We lucked out with sunshine every day, not always the case on the Atlantic coasts.

Above: simple Ré-past (sharing apéro) of beet falafels, baked camembert w/honey and fresh herbs, local oysters, terrine maison; village square dining; morning markets; seaside gathering


23 May 2023

Travel Tuesday

 

 île de Ré: a favorite destination

With its quaint white villages, lighthouses, salt marshes and beaches backed by dunes and pine trees, this island off the west coast of France in the North Atlantic (not to mention an easy jaunt from Paris) is a photographer's paradise.

 

Below: ports of call; a secluded pathway; bicycling past vineyards

 




 Tomorrow: more Ré

 

15 May 2023

14 May 2023

Mother's Day

 
A very Happy Mother's Day to mothers everywhere.
 
🌹
 

***

Mother's Day 2023 in France: June 4 

 

11 May 2023

Café calm

 

Paris cafés are more than a place to sit down to enjoy a coffee. They are a way of life and a part of what makes this city so special.

 

 

10 May 2023

9 May 2023

Abbey road

 A medieval abbey once home to the powerful bishops of Cluny now a museum is accessible from a small street in the heart of the Latin Quarter.

 
 National Museum of the Middle Ages
 28 rue du Sommerard 75005 


5 May 2023

3 May 2023

Wine Wednesday


 A casual evening of tasting: good food and fine wine
 
Above: l'art de vivre in a Paris apartment
 
Below: surrounded by the work of our host, a local artist



 

2 May 2023

Graffic

 

Graffiti art brightens a street corner in Montmartre.

On the wall: "That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger"

 

 

1 May 2023

Mocha Monday

 

Espressos, tea and a neighborhood flea market on a weekend morning.

***

 - Happy Fête du Travail -

 


 

  

 

26 April 2023

25 April 2023

Twisted Tuesday

 

Upside down world.

 Above: mixed media digital art by Lithuanian artist Natalie Shau
 

 

 

24 April 2023

21 April 2023

Floral Friday

 

A new café-restaurant has taken over Le Refuge in Montmartre.

Rita
72 rue Lamarck 75018
 




16 April 2023

Today in Paris


 

 

Above: out and about in the Latin Quarter; a flower vendeuse on a lively market street corner; café-ing in Montmartre

 Below: dancing to accordion music


 
***
 
For awhile now I've been receiving concerned texts and messages with "Are you ok?" or "Paris is burning!" in the subject line and each time, my reply is the same: manifs here are accepted as a part of life and while this one is particularly passionate for many reasons - it's not just about waiting two more years to retire - many Parisians, if it were not brought to our attention that these upheavals were going on, would not even know. The fact is, many of the social benefits enjoyed by workers in France today - whether an appropriate living wage for waiters with benefits or paid vacations for all workers, much more - are the result of this sort of relentless pushback. C'est vrai.

Paris is a large and spread out metropolis with many diverse neighborhoods. And though it is anyone's guess if these protests will eventually engulf the entire city, you can rest assured dear readers that right now, and in spite of what the media is blaring, Paris is teeming with hordes of tourists. Except for the usual blips of grèves such as delayed trains or the recent garbage strike in support of the current protests, ended for now (10 of the 20 arrondissements or just half of the city was affected, without a mention in international news), life goes on. As it should. - BPJ
 
***

Motto of Paris:

Fluctuat nec mergitur!

 "Tossed by the waves, but does not sink" 

 

 

 

14 April 2023

Fashion Friday


 
  
New: stunning spaces devoted entirely to quality vintage clothing
 
Printemps Department Store
 7th Floor
64 Boulevard Haussmann 75009