View across the Seine

 

A view from the banks of the river made possible because traffic was diverted for the annual "beach" scene, Paris-Plages. On the right, Notre Dame Cathedral's towers.

Ready & waiting

A café on Place Colette, named after the writer who lived nearby, ready for its first customers of the day.

LVMH steps out

Once again Fashion Week will descend on Paris in September with endless parties, poseurs and Pretty People. Here, luxury bag brand Louis Vuitton struts samples from its shoe collection. That's right. Shoes. 

Water wall

It's early at Place de l'Hôtel de Ville, and the only sounds as the city awakens are from this sparkly fountain.

Café-journaux ritual

As much as the internet and TV have become main sources for news, for me, nothing compares to getting installed at a café on a market street with the morning papers.

The right to vacation

In Paris, getting away in August is considered so essential that each year the city sets aside a sizable budget to create Paris Plages along the banks of the Seine, a bogus but fun "beach" set up for those who stay behind.

 

Paris Plages 2015

Hold the marshmallow

Le Vrai Paris, a popular Happy Hour café on rue des Abbesses, tops off its cocktails with a marshmallow.