La Gardienne

I don't know the story behind the lady who's
guarding this doorway in the 12th arrondissement
(if there even is one), but she has a nice face . . .  

and she's found a good way to guard
herself from the ever-present pigeons
(seems to be working pretty well).

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

beautiful in blue

This lovely window is in the little stone church
of Sainte Radegonde in Giverny
—which I featured once on my other blog.

[Linking back to inSPIREd Sunday and Blue Monday.]

à la gare

ABC Wednesday—L is for "gare de Lyon"

This photo could almost have been taken any 
time since the terminal was built for the
World Exposition of 1900.  Granted, that's a 
fairly sleek-looking train on the left (I believe it's 
a TGV). On the other hand, I don't see 
anyone with a suitcase on wheels.

[To see more ABC shots, go here.]

ET en rouge

And here's another one:
If there'd been a way to get it from Paris
to Brooklyn and if I even had room for it in my
apartment, and if it had actually been for sale . . .
Of course, I didn't bring home this big red Eiffel Tower, 

but I did get this red-and-gold
ET garland to add to my
collection.

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

Little Shop on the Île

I could happily live without 99.9% of the
stuff in this little store on the Île Saint Louis.
However, I wonder if they'd sell me that 
sparkly pink Eiffel Tower for my ET collection.

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

ABC Mercredi

ABC Wednesday—Y is for "young at heart"

Every Sunday, a group of people gathers in
front of the Saint-Médard church to
play and sing old French songs and to dance.
Spectators and passers-by are welcome
to join in and on this Sunday in September, my
favorite dancers were this chic—and so
obviously French—couple.  (And each time
a dance ended, he kissed her.)

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

la ruche

This beehive can be seen on the building
at the northwest corner of rue Rambuteau and
rue Pierre Lescot.  If you look, that is—
because this spot is kind of overshadowed by
the construction of the new incarnation
of Les Halles going on directly across the street.

It was  a "sign" for a honey shop;
the shop is gone, but I hope
the hive remains for a long time.

[Linking back to Monday Mellow Yellows
and to Macro Monday.]

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

This 61-acre, entirely-made-by-hand park was
opened in 1867.  Although I was living in Paris 100 years
later, I never set foot here until last September.
Whatever you want to say about Baron Haussmann,
I have to give him credit for looking at an ugly,
smelly, barren hill on the outskirts of the city and
having the vision to see it turned into one of 
the loveliest spots in all of Paris.

{And Happy May Day! If we were 
in Paris, I'd offer you a brin de muguet.}

[Linking back to Weekend Reflections and to
The Weekend in Black and White.]

Le Louvre: Pei's pyramid

And we're up to the letter L for ABC Wednesday.
I did "Louvre"  last time too.  But that was indoors 
and this is out, that was daytime and this is late at night, 
that was then and this is now . . . (besides, I've 
been playing along with this meme for a long time!).

[To see more ABC shots, go here.]

Ask Allan

This is the grave of the teacher and spiritist
Allan Kardec.  While I was here, someone 
told me that his grave has more flowers than 
any other in Père Lachaise.  That's because folks
come here to ask for something, and reach up to 
rub his shoulder to help their wish along.
Then if they get what they wanted, they come 
back and leave flowers to say "Merci."
(By the way, I tried it and it worked—so now I"ll 
have to come back here with my offering.) 

[To see more of Today's Flowers, go here.] 

Saint-Antoine-des-Quinze-Vingts

This is very much a "local" church, catering
to its parishioners in the 12th arrondissement.
However, it does have two beautiful organs; the main
one, built by Cavaillé-Coll, is considered one of the
best examples of symphonic organs in Paris—and some
powerful music has been recorded in this church.

[Linking back to inSPIREd Sunday and Shadow Shot Sunday.]

Sur les Champs Elysées

I probably wouldn't go out of my way to stroll
up this commercialized and overcrowded
avenue these days.  However, when it's all decked
out for the holidays like this . . . well, it's still
too much, but in a fabulous French way,
and if given the chance (as I was
last November) I wouldn't miss it.

Happy New Year/Bonne Année à tous!