Throwback Thursday

 

La ville aux mille fontaines / the city of a thousand fountains with its provençale architecture, open-air markets, rosé wine, ancient streets and inspiring beauty is a crossroads to Italy and the Alps.

 

Aix-en-Provence

Wine Wednesday

 

Everything's OK.

Frenchie Caviste

 9 rue du Nil 75002

 

 

Tête-à-tête Tuesday

 

A secret always has the shape of an ear - Jean Cocteau

 

Mocha Monday

Morning coffee on the Left Bank.

 

Sit-down Saturday

 

Feet up, an iced coffee, a good book.

***

At the fountain inside the gardens of the Palais-Royal

Floral Friday

 

 

Roses dominate the terrace at a local florist shop.

Weepy Wednesday

 

 

In the small garden of Paris' oldest church rain streams down the face of a bust of Dora Maar by Pablo Picasso.

 

***

 

"The New York Times called her 'a muse of Picasso' and the 'principal model for many of his so-called weeping women portraits in the late 30s and early 40s.'" - Dora Maar: how Picasso's weeping woman had the last laugh The Guardian 11/15/2019  

 

 

 

 

Table Tuesday

Two tables invitingly set for lunch in the passageway behind historical Le Procope.

 

Moules Monday

Monday's plat du jour:

Moules de Bouchot (mussels grown on wooden poles in the sea) fresh from Brittany in a creamy Sauce au Bleu with what else... frites.

Sunset Sunday

 A glorious sunset looking out towards l'Île de Ré.

Fève Friday

 

It's fèves and petits-pois season til the end of July.

 

Above: market supplies dwindle by mid-morning 

 

Below: shelling peas for fresh pea soup

 

 

 

Walking the dog Wednesday

 Walking the dog sometimes requires a break.

 

Travel Tuesday

 

 

A summer séjour in the French countryside.

 

Museum Monday

 

A fascinating look at the history of Paris including its origins as Lutèce during the time of the Romans and reaching all the way back to prehistory, as told by the river Seine.

 

 

Archaeological Crypt of the île de la Cité

(Parvis Notre-Dame Cathedral/Place Jean-Paul II)

 

***

 

 Exhibition:

The Seine: Recovered Objects from Prehistory to the Current Day

 

 

A sunny terrace

 A café terrace on a midsummer afternoon. 

 

Green Fairy Friday

Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder.

 

Above: at the counter of Montmartre café/bar Au Rêve

 

*** 

 

Dubbed "The Green Fairy" due to its supposed hallucinogenic effects and re-legalized in 2011, absinthe is often associated with artists,writers and as a preferred apéritif of Vincent Van Gogh.

Waiter Wednesday

 

Paris waiters, waiting. 

 

Table Tuesday

 A group of pigeons descend on a café terrace in search of crumbs left behind.

 

Divine design

Though many of Paris' churches were destroyed during the French Revolution, many have survived.

 Above: inside l'Église Saint-Germain-des-Prés w/its elaborate pulpit 

 

Floral Friday

Wandering at the Marché aux fleurs on Île de la Cité.

 

Wine Wednesday

 

 

A simple steak frites on a June afternoon.

 

 Tonton de la Butte

62 rue Caulaincourt 75018

 

***

 

Entrées (not shown):

Os à moelle

Terrine en croûte

 

Plats:

Entrecôtes w/purée de pommes de terres; frites maison; Sauce Béarnaise

 

 

 

 

 

Mocha Monday

 

 Coffee at a café-boulangerie on Place des Petits-Pères, affectionately named for the déchaussés (shoeless) priests who settled there in the 1600s.

 

Slow down Sunday

A local habitué takes it easy on a June afternoon.

 

Floral Friday

 A village florist in the Quercy region.

 

 

Point of view

 

Ground floor from above at the most visited book shop in Paris.

 Shakespeare and Company

 37 rue de la Bûcherie 75005

 

Wine Wednesday

 Midweek apéro of charcuteries and cheeses from Spain and France separated by a vibrant red from Portugal.

 

Terrace Tuesday

 

 

A favorite local café has been refreshed with a new look and new menu.

 

Mocha Monday

 

 

Candlelight accompanies a morning caffè latte at a Montmartre café.

 

 

Favorite photos Friday

These chairs have become a metaphor for relaxed moments in Paris' magnificent parks and gardens.

 

Above: Three chairs (7/2015)

 

*** 

 

I will periodically repost selected photos that continue to receive a high # of views - BPJ

Tête-à-tête Tuesday

 

Your table awaits.

Marché Monday

 

Rainy morning at a village market in Southwest France.

 

Floral Friday

 

A café terrace on a beautiful June day.

Wine Wednesday

 A touch of Spain at a favorite food counter on the Left Bank.

Above: manchego cheese, jamón ibérico, a full-bodied Rioja.

 

La Grande Épicerie

 Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche

 

 

Travel Tuesday

 A drive through the magical Dordogne.