Dead of winter

 

 

Montmartre's Saint Vincent cemetery on a cold January day.

Night walk

At the top of the butte the smaller church of Saint Pierre, lit up.

 (click to enlarge)

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 Thank you C and R

 

Café to go

 

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All over Paris coffee lovers who've been cut off from their local cafés can be spotted meandering semi-conscious in search of a decent cup. But it's not just coffee they're craving, otherwise they would stay home and brew their own. No, these are the displaced, whose cafés were abruptly shuttered, thus cruelly shutting down a lifestyle, a French lifestyle, of savoring time, with coffee as the backdrop.  

 

But thankfully, with each confinement many cafés, boulangeries, pâtisseries and small shops that weren't in the business of selling drinks-to-go have risen to the task. No one is complaining about the once annoying noisiness of espresso machines, now a welcome sound. Or pointing at tourists carrying drinks while walking around, until now a very un-French habitude.

 

Parisians are finding these stop-and-go places set up to sell coffee their sole reprieve. Sometimes there will be pastries, sandwiches and crêpes. And if they happen to live in a neighborhood where many know each other, such as Montmartre, these quick coffee stops will provide a welcome excuse to speed socialize and catch up on local gossip - which makes taking a walk something to look forward to. - BPJ

 

Above: a coffee roaster shop makes use of its burlap coffee bags to show they now have coffee to go

 

Below: freezing weather doesn't deter this man in flip flops, T-shirt, and shorts; a café-turned-hot-drinks-street-food vendor w/plenty of hand gel on hand on a side table

 

Note:

 The latest curfew begins each evening at 6 p.m. and ends at 6 a.m.

(exceptions: if you have a dog to walk, a signed attestation to justify why you are out. If nature calls toilettes will be off limits - however a need to step outside for a smoke isn't.

 

  

  

 

Take it away

 

Perfect for roaming....

With seemingly never ending lockdowns and curfews, and despite days growing colder, leaving the sofa to stretch legs and inhale fresh air has become a daily essential. 

Atop (or at the foot of) Montmartre stairways and on its winding streets, expect unexpected enclaves that harbor comfort in the form of familiar faces and hot drinks, but only à emporter - to take away. - BPJ

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  Tip: whatever small or medium drink you order - espresso, tea, café noisette, hot chocolate... - ask for a large cup to be able to balader without spilling or having to fumble with plastic lids

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 - Tomorrow: more emporter -

The parasol

A street artist sets up in his usual spot, recognizable by a worn monument-covered parasol.

 

 

Le Christ jaune

  

A graffiti version of Paul Gauguin's Autoportrait au Christ jaune with a nod to his fantasized some say delusional journal, "Noa Noa," discovered well after his death.

Paris meets London

Evening apéro of saucisson sec à l'ancienne and herbed baguette croûtons paired with a crumbly Shropshire Blue and splash of port.

Cheers!