Christmas Eve

No white Christmas this year. Just rain - thanks to the storm "Dirk" that brought high winds, rain, and mild temperatures to Paris today. Good weather for taking pictures before coming home to Christmas Eve dinner.

Paris trees in bloom

Spring is late this year, but the flowering trees of Paris are finally showing their springtime colors.

Horse chestnut (marronier) flowers

Paulownia flowers

 That's a paulownia tree on the left and a horse chestnut (marronier) tree on the right.

Eiffel Tower on a rainy day

Today is the first day of spring and it feels like winter will never end this year. Nevertheless, even storm clouds can be pretty.

Rainy Sunday in the Champs de Mars

Spring is just around the corner

Eiffel Tower

Rule number 1 in my writing and photography class is "no trite clichés", in other words, try to find a unique subject or at least a unique angle. Well my friends, here's yet another picture of the most photographed subject in Paris. But I just can't help it. . . . I walked out the door of the library yesterday evening and she took my breath away.

Sunny Sunday

Blue sky in Paris. What a treat! I just had to go out and enjoy the rare winter sunshine. Here are a few of my favorites - found within walking distance of my apartment.

Statue of Liberty replica on the Ile des Cygnes

Tilting at the tower?

Hey Santa, get down from there!


I pinch myself each day I look up and see the Eiffel Tower - am I dreaming this life?

Foggy Tuesday

The Tour Eiffel has her head in the clouds today.


Now you can see why I appreciate the rare blue sky here.

Holiday decorations

Christmas seems less commercial in Paris than in most American cities. And you don't even hear much Christmas music on the radio or in the stores.

Nevertheless, I thought you might like to see the holiday decorations in my neighborhood. Here's the view looking "down" la rue Saint Charles.


And looking "up" the rue Saint Charles.

Yes! I can see the Eiffel Tower from the front door of my apartment building. Unfortunately my large windows face west rather than northeast, so I can't see the tower without going outside . . .

Here are the decorations in the lobby of my apartment building.


I'll be staying in Paris for Christmas. I'll be spending Christmas eve with my landlord/neighbors René & Sophie and their daughter Nathalie. Not sure yet about Christmas day.

Although I'll be meeting someone new this afternoon. We "met" through eDarling on December 4th and have exchanged over 40 emails since then - but we haven't yet met face to face. And not a single phone call. However, I like his photos and I really like the way he writes. I wonder what he'll be like . . .

Snow in Paris

I went to the Jeu de Paume this afternoon to check out the Kertész photography exhibit. So many opportunities here in Paris to learn from the masters! However, I didn't see the entire exhibit. It's snowing today and as dusk arrived I had to rush outside to take advantage of the snow, the early evening light, and the big ferris wheel that's been set up in the Place de la Concorde. Here are a few photos from just a short while ago . . .



Tuileries garden and Louvre in the background - seen from the ferris wheel:


Eiffel tower seen from Concorde:


Champs Elysees


And finally . . my bus goes right past the Eiffel Tower. Those aren't stars in the sky, they're snowflakes captured in the camera flash.

Why Paris?

"What does Paris mean to you? Why did you come here?" Lisa asks over a glass of St. Emilion. We are sitting indoors at "Au Sauvignon" my favorite wine bar on the rue des Saints-Pères in Paris.

I struggle for words to describe what Paris means to me. How can I compress a love affair of 40 years into a few meaningful sentences? But she presses on and I try to respond to her question: Paris is about Romance.

Romance? What exactly does romance mean to you? she asks.

Uh, Paris is a place where people can kiss openly in the streets, I stutter, you know, those photos of people kissing? . . . My mind flies to those black and white photos by Robert Doisneau


But this isn't really what Paris means to me. My story is much more complex, much more personal. I begin to explain to Lisa what THIS wine bar means to me: I can see the rue du Four from where I am sitting. I can see the hotel where Charlie was staying in 1972, I can remember the day when Inge dropped me off in front of his hotel, telling me that she knew that Charlie and I would get back together sooner or later, so it might as well be sooner . . .

But wait, the story starts a few years earlier; with our marriage in 1968, our divorce in June 1972, my graduation from college in August 1972 and the adventure planned with my best friend Inge as we purchased one way tickets from Denver to Paris, departing on September 1st, 1972. The surprise is that Charlie also purchased a one way ticket on the same plane - quitting his job and selling everything and following me to Paris.

Inge and I left Paris shortly after arriving here. We went to Germany to pick up a Volkswagen beetle that her sister had left behind in Freiburg. Charlie stayed behind in Paris. He didn't speak French and he didn't know a soul. The story of our personal romance in Paris continues from there and includes many many chapters. I'll be exploring some of those stories in these pages . . .

And so Paris is full of romance and full of memories. I'm here trying to sort them out, to understand them, to get over them, and to start anew.

I walked Lisa back to her hotel and as I walked past the Champs de Mars towards the metro Motte Piquet, old memories swirling through my mind; I happened to look up and I saw:

Paris by night

The last night of Ruth's visit we took a ride on one of the tourist boats that cruises the Seine. I don't usually like such touristy things, but I must admit I do like taking the cruise after dark. Paris can be quite magical at night, and even the noisy students on our boat didn't spoil the ambiance.

Here are a few of the gargoyles on Notre Dame:



A hazy half moon was peeking over the top of Notre Dame:



And here is Notre Dame from another angle:



The Eiffel Tower seen from the river:



And this is the Conciergie, a former prison where Marie Antoinette (among many others!) was held before going to the guillotine:



I must admit that I'm quite happy with the camera that I bought just before leaving. All of these photos were taken by ME!

Dancers in Paris

Life is all about balance!

My old neighborhood

Yesterday I wandered through my old neighborhood. I was curious to see if much had changed since I left there in 1978. The building and apartment where I lived looked exactly the same from the outside. The square in front is also still the same, with school kids playing during recess. The butcher shop and the bakery still occupy the same corner although they have gone considerably upscale and now sell a lot more than the simple meat and bread that I remember.




Finally, I visited the playground where I used to take my son Philippe when he was a toddler. The playground is in exactly the same place although the swings and slides have been upgraded.