le coucher du soleil

Took this shot of the sun setting behind the 
Eiffel Tower and the Grand Palais a little over 
a year ago.  I'd love to take more sunset shots from
the rooftop terrace of the Galeries Lafayette
in warm weather, but by the time the sun sets in
the summer, it's close to 10 p.m., and 
that terrace has been closed for hours already.

[Linking back to Monday Mellow Yellows
and Mandarin Orange Monday.
And you know I'm Dreaming of France.]

L'éscalier

I liked this staircase so much, I took 30 pictures of it!
It's in the Petit (keeping in mind that everything
is relative) Palais—where there were lots of beautiful
things to see and not a lot of people, so I
could actually see them.  There's also a very 
nice café, they don't mind if you take 
photos, and admission is free.

[To see more monochromes, visit Dragonstar's meme.]

All alone at the Louvre

If you've ever been to the Louvre and seen the 

Venus de Milo, then you have some idea of 

how long I stood here before I was able 

to capture her all on her own. 

(Even so—and somewhat ironically—I did have 

to use Photoshop to delete one errant arm.)

[It's ABC Wednesday. To see more posts
that feature the letter L, go here.
And as always, I'm Dreaming of France.]

La Boutique Jaune

This quintessential Jewish bakery (and more)
has been in business on rue des Rosiers in the heart
of the Marais since 1946, passed down for 
three generations.  To be honest, I'd rather have
a New York bagel any day, but their sandwiches (made
on an onion roll) are worth the trip—and the price.

[To see more Monday Mellow Yellow posts, go here.]

ET times two

I know this looks rather romantic on the surface,
but when I took this shot last November it 
was so cold I could barely snap the shutter.
There are also rats living in the Champ de Mars
and they're not exactly shy late at night.
But, hey—who wouldn't put up with a few rodents 
and some frozen fingers for this?

[For more Weekend Reflections, visit James's meme.]

Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité

The city of Paris has been run from this spot
since 1357. This city hall, the Hôtel de Ville, was begun
in 1533 and has been added onto over the centuries.
It's one of my favorite Paris buildings, but there's so much
going on here that I like to focus on one detail or
another—like the allegorical statuary around the clock . . .

or one of the elaborately gated entries.

[I'm linking back to Our World Tuesday.]

Dans la Cathédrale Notre Dame

I love this church, but not so much
when it's filled to overflowing
with visitors.  The best time to really
see it, to appreciate the sheer
size—and the silence—is when the
doors are first opened, at 8 a.m.

[Am linking back to The Weekend in Black and White,
Shadow Shot Sunday,  inSPIREd Sunday
and Dreaming of France.]

Bonjour, petit chat!

I realize it may not be everyone's cup of tea
(so to speak), but my friends and I loved our visit to
Le Café des Chats, where 12 rescued kitties play,
lounge, and sleep among the clientele (and may jump
up in your lap for a cuddle and a scratch behind the ears).
This one is called Lovely, and she turned this felt
kitty "condo" into her own private bed.

[Today's prompt for the Thursday Photo Challenge
is "small animals." To see more, visit Dale's meme.]

A bit of a splurge

I'm so glad I ate here at the Grand Véfour when I
did—9 years ago, when the prix fixe lunch was
about $100 total.  Now it's at least half again more,
though no doubt still an incredible culinary experience.
Might be best to have lunch here rather than dinner, unless
you've just won the lottery and don't think 84 euros is
a tad dear for caviar "à la cuillère" (i.e., a third of an ounce) 
and some whole-wheat blinis—and that's just a starter.

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday and Our World Tuesday.]

Le Weekend en Noir et Blanc

Must admit that I was not an immediate fan of the
Colonnes de [conceptual artist Daniel] Buren
at the Palais Royal.  But they've grown on me—they
are a definite improvement over the parking lot that used
to occupy this space, and small children think they're
a playground.  Rosemary Kneipp (whose blog, Aussie in France, 
is always interesting and informative) told me when 
I met her in November that Buren's design was inspired 
by those de rigueur gray-and-white striped awnings that shade 
 the windows (including hers) overlooking the Palais Royal garden.

[To see more of The Weekend in Black and White,
visit Dragonstar's meme.]

Be still my heart

Clearly they are masters of more than just macarons
at Ladurée.  You could capture my heart on
Valentine's Day with this pretty pink confection—
though I'm not sure I could bring myself to cut into it!

[To see more Pink Saturday posts, visit Beverly's meme.]

ABC Wednesday—Y is for "yummy"

I had some delicious food in newly discovered (for me)
restaurants when I was in Paris.  But our best meal of the day
was often this one—collected on the way back to the apartment
 and enjoyed with a glass (or two) of wine as we
rehashed the high points of the day and planned the next.

Okay, this stuff is beyond yummy, but
for me it was mostly a "visual" feast.

[To see more ABC posts, go here.
And, of course, I'm Dreaming of France.]