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!

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.]