Sovereign Saturday

Today is officially the last day to claim your throne.

Le Pain Retrouvé

18 rue des Martyrs. 75009 

 

[Also at many other bakeries throughout the city]

Flashback Friday

Come on spring. We know you're just around the corner.

💐 

Throwback Thursday

 

 

Twilight mingling in the Renoir Gardens.

 

From Opening

 École de Paris (Marek Roefler Collection)

 

 Musée de Montmartre

12 rue Cortot 75018

 

Reminder:

Ends February 15, 2026

 

   

Wintry Wednesday

 

 

Place Dauphine in rare winter white in early January.

 

***

  

Last year FocusOnParis quietly passed its 10-year mark, and today, its 11th anniversary has quietly arrived, and so quickly. What began as an experiment with an iPhone, a parenthetical activity inspired (and encouraged) by other photographers - as well as a way to make use of the trove of photos I'd accumulated - has led to unexpected and rewarding experiences and lasting connections. Obviously I don’t post 98% of my life, and it takes me just minutes to post, usually in the morning over a second cup (the first is reserved for My French Half), and I can post/edit/tweak/update from anywhere: a café, a park bench, my couch, waiting in line for a chai latté, while traveling. If there is a special event or shot I'm after (for example recent snow), I will try and track it down. I appreciate and thank my many loyal visitors - including those who tiptoe around in wee hours their time - and look forward to posting more. And of course my thanks, always, to this beautiful city, my city, for the endless images it doesn't cease to offer up. - BPJ 

 

 

Treeful Tuesday

 

 

Christmas still sparkles on the streets of Montmartre.

 

Above: an olive tree dressed in red fairy lights

 

Mocha Monday

 

 

If coffee be the food of love… alors, deux express.

Sweet Sunday

 

 

Another galette des rois holdout as January comes to a close.

 

Pâtisserie Gilles Marchal

9 rue Ravignan 75018

 

Sit-down Saturday

 

 

Scrolling away the morning in a Paris café.

 

Festival Friday

  

All this weekend:

 

Live music, dancing, street food, wine...

 

 Place des Abbesses 

 Montmartre 

 

Seafood lovers 

 Fête de la coquille Saint-Jacques and Saint Vincent 2026

 

January 24 - 25 

 

INFO

 

 

Thursday threesome

 

 Candlelit secrets.

 

Below: three masterpieces by Georges de La Tour

Le Nouveau-né / The Newborn (c. 1645–1648); Les Joueurs de dés / The Dice Players (c. 1650–1651); Le Jeune Fumeur / The Young Smoker (c. 1646)  

 

 

Musée Jacquemart-André

 158 Boulevard Haussmann 75008

 

 

 Georges de La Tour

 Ends February 22, 2026

 *** 

Anyone who's ever come across the dark paintings of Georges de La Tour (1593-1652) won't soon forget his work, and today he stands as one of the most captivating and enigmatic figures of French Baroque painting.

Born in the small town of Vic-sur-Seille in Lorraine, La Tour spent much of his career in nearby Lunéville, where he achieved considerable success, and even earned the title "Painter to the King" under Louis XIII. After his death he fell into near-total obscurity - ironically the same obscurity that had become his trademark - only to be dramatically rediscovered in the 20th century when in 1915 a German art historian published a groundbreaking article identifying several unsigned or mislabeled works as La Tour's, pulling him (literally) back from the shadows.

La Tour’s name is synonymous with chiaroscuro and tenebrity. His nocturnal compositions, illuminated by the soft glow of a single candle or hidden light source, combine profound realism, an almost meditative stillness. Far from the dramatic theatricality of Caravaggio (whose influence reached him indirectly), La Tour’s somber luminosity creates an atmosphere that feels deeply intimate. - BPJ

 

Window Wednesday

The cat sees everything but says nothing.

Treeful Tuesday

 

 

Paris, where the Christmas decorations outlast your New Year's resolutions. 

Mocha Monday

Expresso yourself... One macaron at a time.

 

Sit-down Sunday

 

 

Keeping cool under the heat lamps of a Left Bank terrace.

Maison Sauvage
5 rue de Buci 75006

Sitting pretty

 

 

Innovative interiors, cutting edge furniture, decorative arts.... Meet the designers.

 

Paris Is My Living Room Dept.

 

*** 

Paris Design Week 2026 

Ends Monday January 19, 2026 

 

IN THE CITY / MAISON&OBJET 

Fève Friday

 

Galettes des rois - each with its hidden fève and paper crown - continue to reign in bakery windows across Paris all month long.

 

Three Kings Day / l'Épiphanie

 January 6