Treeful Tuesday

 Arches and a sunny terrace in the Jardin du Palais-Royal.

 

Window Wednesday

 

 

Looking out from a café-restaurant onto rue des Abbesses. 

Tower Tuesday

The Iron Lady through winter branches.

 

Feel good Friday

 A perfect place to stop and linger on a sunny February afternoon.

Tchin tchin Tuesday

 

An early evening apéro at a local café. 

Mood Monday

 

A soft light in an upstairs window warms up a still Montmartre night.

 

Walking the dog Wednesday

 

 

A cobbled street in Montmartre.

Twilight Tuesday

The fading light of a midwinter afternoon. 

 

 *** 

It's called the Golden Hour, that light just before sunset while the sun is still visible over the horizon, soon to disappear. Because of the season, night arrives earlier as trees cast long shadows and time feels suspended between day and dusk. In the distance, the Palais du Louvre rises like an enchanted château, its turrets catching last rays. On February 3, winter's midpoint passed without fanfare, the day after Groundhog Day far away in Pennsylvania. Thanks to Phil The Groundhog, it became official: there will definitely be six more weeks of frost ahead despite intermittent, teasing rays of sunshine, as it turns out that Phil did indeed see his shadow. - BPJ

 

Meander Monday

 

 

A late evening walk through Montmartre back streets.

 

Table Tuesday

 

Paris doesn't wait for spring.

Above: a table and chairs brought out at the appearance of sunshine

 

Flashback Friday

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

💐 

Wintry Wednesday

 

 

Place Dauphine in rare winter white in early January.  

 

Sit-down Saturday

 

 

Scrolling away the morning in a Paris café.

 

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. 

Sit-down Sunday

 

 

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

Maison Sauvage
5 rue de Buci 75006

Wheel Wednesday

 

 

La Grande Roue de Paris, the giant Ferris wheel, just before sunset.

 

Snowful Saturday

 

 

Snow in Paris is a rare and fleeting treat. As soon as we heard more was due Wednesday morning (it had snowed the night before), we were up and out early. 

 

Photos: along the quais of the Seine

 

 

 

White Wednesday

 

Paris wakes up to an Impressionist dreamscape.