Monday, January 16, 2012

Paris Blue Monday

Did you know today is 'Blue Monday' -  "the most depressing day of the year." Psychologist Cliff Arnall reasoned Blue Monday is the day when a slew of unpleasant variables such as drab weather, failing New Year's resolutions and Christmas bills collide, creating a veritable maelstrom of negativity.
 So let's pretend we're in tres bleu Paris instead non?
 Paris does have a grey-blue caste to it, that makes many Parisians long for 'blue skies' New York, but that's their problem...
 So many bright blue shops like chocolatier Marquise de Sevigne at Place Madeleine...
 Posh Bonpoint promotes bleu for French kids...
 Is it any wonder French kids are so mature? They get trained to be little adults right off the bat.
 Bleu port + bleu shoes = perfection!
 Jean-Paul Hevin does not have bleu macarons but all his goodies come in his signature cobalt bleu tins. MIAM! I'm a collector...
 The French wear bleu head-to-toe as do their dogs...
 More French in bleu. Don't you love the little 'bleu' riding hood jacket here?
 Street signs are easy to find in Paris - always in bleu and plastered on corner walls. Not the case in NYC malheureusment...
 Paris Metro maps are full of French Ultramarine bleu...
 Thanks to Harriet I ordered the bleu Paris bus guide from Amazon.fr...
 Somehow you can never find these treasures when you're in Paris and it's fun to plan ahead...
BONJOUR BLEU MONDAY!

18 comments:

  1. It's very difficult to have the blues after reading your blog! Blue is my favorite color, so I especially loved this one.
    I have that bus guide too, but it's no improvement on the old bus guide (it was cream color, just for the record) which had the actual STREET ADDRESSES of the various bus stops so you could never go wrong! I'm glad I didn't throw it out.

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  2. Ohh...now I'm having a Blue Monday.
    But I do have the FAB giant map book of Paris you gave me

    I will never be without that on the streets of Paris Grace.
    I become everyone's BBF instantly with that thing.
    Big Merci!!

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  3. You 'see' the way Glenn Gould said he wanted to play the spaces between the notes. The way he heard the notes in everyday things. The rustling of a newspaper, silverware slapped down, autumn leaves blowing against the ground. Your gift that reminds me to observe more deeply, too. Happy Bleu Monday ;)

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  4. Lucinda1:23 PM

    lurve the BLUE ridding hood jacket!!
    worn with exactly the right accessories too
    Those French!

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  5. My friend leaves Friday for Paris:)

    I hope she sees a lot of Blue:)

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  6. It may be blue Monday, but here in Michigan, the skies are gray, gray, gray!

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  7. Blue is my favorite color, so I loved this post.
    I generally wear blue, so it's nice to know that I'd blend right in there! (I'll worry about getting there later...)
    It's a very gray day here, though & I'm in a blue mood - January always does that!

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  8. WOW!
    This Monday blew by so fast I didn't have time to think about being blue because I've been in my studio doing a water color that is just filled with big lush mixtures of Cobalt Blue, and Cerulean Blue and Manganese Blue, with accents of Thalo Blue and oh yes how could I forget my "workhorse" blue, good old French Ultramarine Blue, all while I listen to my favorite kind of music, the Blues.

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  9. I clicked on the link for the Bus guide...am afraid I would require English, but perhaps not: A Wish List is "liste d'envies" and I understood it immediatement!

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  10. Jeanette,
    if you have a US Amazon account you can easily access Amazon.fr or UK or CA. Same password, same everything.

    'Livraison gratuite' (only in France is shipping free)
    It generally costs about 10 euros but it's worth it and it's fast and reliable.

    'Ajoute au panier' = into your shopping basket
    Easy as tarte tatin.

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  11. it is Blue Monday so your right on time!!
    Bravo Nikon
    after Christmas highs come January lows...

    that's why there are sales of course.

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  12. Carol, once again, you've made me smile with your post. It was not until I got home from the shop tonight that it dawned on me (could dawn come after sundown?) that this was indeed blue Monday.

    All fell into place. As it did with prior warning from the calendar last Friday, the 13th.

    There is something to all of this.

    All the same, I do love the color blue, love to use it in my painting, and do think that I wear the deeper blue colors very well.

    xo

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  13. I am now drawn to blue things since I have been reading your blog. I even painted our sunroom ceiling a light blue so I can see blue in the wintertime if its gray out. My Hubby tends to want to wear all blue too..I really loved that blue riding hood too.

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  14. Blue-tinted light bulbs are supposed to be sleep-inducing too Cris!

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  15. Great timing, Carol. Yesterday and today we've had the most magnificent blue skies in Paris and even in les banlieues - plus just finished painting our kitchen wall bright blue to chase away the January blues!

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  16. There is nothing blue about being in Paris today! It is clear sky and brisk, cool weather. Perfect walking weather!

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  17. Blue walls Jill-
    how very soothing...

    Bet you have done bleu macarons knowing your endless innovation skills

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  18. Carol, so glad that you got the book. I would LOVE to have the old one with the addresses of the actual bus stops. (Grace, I always 'go wrong' when looking for them!) The next time I'm in Paris, I will check out the latest edition of the book to see if they have added them back in.

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