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.]

Des ombres des arbres

I'm just back from a wonderful week in
Paris, where I met some talented—and inspiring—
expats (artists, photographers, designers)
who are living my dream of making it work in
our favorite city.  I also walked miles every day,
collecting "blog fodder" such as this beautiful
building in St. Germain des Prés.

[It's Shadow Shot Sunday. To see more, go here.
And as always, I'm Dreaming of France.]

I love my view!

I've been told that if you take a picture of
a person next to one of these stone creatures that
live atop Notre Dame, the chimera will look real and
the human will appear to be made of stone.  I've never
tested it out myself, but others I know have and guess what:
It's true.  If (or better yet, when) you go to Paris, climb 
the 387 steps of the north tower and try it out for yourself.
(Or just go up there for the awesome view!)

[It's Skywatch Friday. To see more, go here.]

What's the story?

Saturday, 8 A.M., rue St. Julien le Pauvre—
in front of the Hotel Esmeralda.  I can think
of a few scenarios to go with this image, all of 
them dramatic and most likely involving tears.
So, is this a sad tale or a happy one?

[To see more Ruby Tuesday, go here.
Catch Traveling Tuesday posts at Sandi's meme.
And find Our World Tuesday here.]

Jardin du Palais Royal

This was an early-spring day in the garden
of the Palais Royal, and the pleached
lime trees were already leafing out. The
building just visible at the end of the allée
is where Colette once lived.

[It's Shadow Shot Sunday. To see more, go here.
And of course, I'm Dreaming of France.]