Monday, April 30, 2012

Paris is..?


 I took a long walk this morning and asked myself,
What is Paris to me? Joggers!
 Boots!
 Les touristes everywhere. Some are French.
 Scooters. Kids on scooters and grownups.
 The long corridors of Haussmannian buildings.
 The curvy corners - 3 at one fell swoop.
 Les balcons!
 And pots of muguet from Un Jour de Fleurs to put on your balcon.
 FROMAGE!
 Lapin.There are bunnies everywhere for every occasion in Paris
 Paques/Easter is long gone but the chocolate rabbits remain
 Les ardoises
 La formules
 Petit dej'  For researche and to paint
 Patisseries - I'm doing 'Polonaise' researche
If I get a place in Paris it will be full of polka dots/pois.
French Girl said she will decorate. I'm not so sure she would approve of polka dots.
 Coccinelle bring happiness and polka dots - double joy
 Stripes and scarves ARE Paris
 Who doesn't covet Repetto ballerinas?
 Cadeaux!
 If the vendeuse asks you,
'is it a cadeaux/gift?'
toujour dit, 'OUI!'
 Paris l'arbre have their heads chopped off -
from the revolution?
 I asked French Girl,
'How come so many manifestations(mani), greve, strikes?'
She said, 'It's our tradition from the Revolution!'
Oh
 Tous les mamans and les gosses/kids
 L'aire frais.
I thought Fr Girl was crazy to open the windows every morning.
Now I know she's not so crazy. Fresh Paris air is nice in the mornings.
Doing l'escaliers/stairs is essential anywhere but especially in Paris where you eat croissant for petit dej' and dessert dessert dessert.
What is Paris to you?

41 comments:

  1. Lucinda6:37 AM

    j'adore les....BEAUCOUPS!
    it's hard to choose..
    the awful, awful Eiffel Tower!

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  2. the street signs!!
    no other city has them like Paris

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  3. The food, the pastries, the croissants, the chestnuts roasted on the street, the museums, the beautiful architecture and wonderful memories.

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  4. Such visual delights, Carol! Merci for sharing them, makes me understand why you love Paris so much, no wonder!

    I fell in love with the green polka dot bowls. Would you keep one for me once you move to Paris? I may just jump on the train and pay you a surprise visit (a historic one, that would be, my very first!). ;-)

    Enjoy and don't work too hard, indulge yourself,
    Merisi

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  5. Anonymous8:17 AM

    I just returned from my first trip to Paris and I miss it sooo very much. I have fallen in love with all the things Paris that you mentioned. Beauty is on every street corner in Paris. There was so much to take in. I am so glad I discovered your blog so I can revisit Paris everyday through your photos and words.....

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  6. Paris for me is a New Years weekend back in the late '50s. I was in the Air Force and just played naive tourist...which I certainly was.
    It is also the 2 brief overnight stays upon landing, then off to visit the wine country and Rhine castles.
    So perhaps with luck I will eventually experience the city itself, at length. "Til
    then I must be content seeing it through your eyes and posts, Carol.

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  7. Paris is a sophisticated, beautiful city: the boulevards, Tuileries, the Seine through the city and all those beautiful ponts, cathedrals, bateaux mouches, cafes, musees, and the French themselves. C'est si bon.

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  8. Geri, NJ8:47 AM

    That's my kind of research! Paris to me is being a tourist on a summer eve. in the 6th Arr. enjoying a Nutella filled crepe while watching street artists; throw in a full moon during a walk thru The Tuilleries and I'm good to go.

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  9. I want to be there!!!! Love Paris!

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  10. I still remember my first walk around Paris and having the experience of seeing with my own eyes views I'd previously only known from paintings. It was an astounding experience.

    Might I also mention how much I liked all those very large doors and hearing a beautiful language all around me?

    xo

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  11. Oh, I see you are in my neighborhood! One of these photos is right under my apartment!

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    Replies
    1. Oh la la
      now I'm totally mystyified...
      hmmm
      you live over Cafe Richard
      or Lemoine macarons
      or...

      Delete
  12. - The bells of Notre Dame.
    - The "A Mon Seul Desir" tapestry at the Cluny.
    - Walking, walking, walking, walking in boots.
    - The whoosh of the doors of the Metro.
    - Pearly grey mornings.
    - Soupe d'oignion.

    For starters...

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    Replies
    1. The whoosh of the doors of the Metro.
      so poetic Amy!
      I love the DING on the bus when I smash my navigo card against the machine :)
      so funny the things that stick..?

      Delete
  13. Sunny weather today, sunny pics !

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  14. Oh boy, so much. The River. The architecture. The esoteric shops. The scooters. The smell, not at all healthy but unique. The trees. The down-at-heel classicism everywhere. The dozens of beautiful discoveries every time you take a walk. The history around every corner. The fact that there is an aesthetic to everything - everything is done in a mindful way. Paris spawns the imagination. Paris makes you feel good and it makes you feel part of the world.

    North Americans can try to imitate it: copying French decor or a French restaurant down to the last detail but it never works because it's not France. It's artifice.

    Thanks for letting me blather on.

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    Replies
    1. I completely agree Pup
      Yr name is correct
      I hate the copycat cafes in the US

      Delete
  15. Balcones, ballerines and macarons are it for me....every time. I end up stumbling when I am there because I am always looking up at things!

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  16. the corners of Raspail, Vavin and Monteparnesse...that's Paris to me and my "hood"....
    the smell of crepes...the gravel along the sidewalks...the Luxembourg Gardens on a Sunday morning...that first sight of the Eiffel Tower..the basement at BHV...the tacky tourist shops on Rivoli...Rue du Bac....the sound of skooters and motor cycles...the chimes in the metro as the train pulls out..the little flipper you need to push on to get out of the metro...using my navigo card instead of those silly tickets...jambon sandwich...MONOPRIX!!
    I could on and on and on....

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  17. I completely agree with everything, however, one who lives in Paris knows that a (half-eaten) baguette is missing :)

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    Replies
    1. this isn't fini yet
      I got a very bad blurry pic of a guy walking and eating
      choices choices...

      Delete
  18. You have never shown Paris in quite this encyclopedic view before...remarkable!

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  19. For me, Paris is my heart, I lived in this city during 20 years, I miss Paris but i see her when I want to see a ballet at Palais Garnier or an exhibition, or theater... I can give you an adress that I love : "l'Heure Gourmande", Passage Dauphine, in 6e, a must for eat a quiche lorraine or salade, and cakes, you can eat on mezzanine, it is very nice and elegant restaurant.
    Paris, for me is fresh like a rain in spring, or in Autumn, wonderful like Christmas time, fantastic like autumn leaves...An so chic ! :) i love Paris...
    Nice 1rst May Carol !
    Greetings,
    Nathanaëlle

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  20. Lovely little trip, Carol, happy May to you. Paris is most of all my French-American son educated there, music, walking, the Seine, flowers....frites!!

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  21. Oooh, everything mentioned above adds to the incredible romance, beauty, charm and mystique of Paris, but there is one thing missing...the captivating 'Paris chiens'!! They put a smile on my face and warm my heart endlessly :) Parisians do love and pamper their cherished doggies. It is always such a great joy and pleasure to see them walking, sitting in cafe's, windows, cuddled, with their 'celebrity' owners, etc. This adds so much to the overall experience of 'MY Paris' dream Carol...xo I adore it!!!

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  22. Carol! I just sent you an email. Are you free to meet up tomorrow for either brunch or lunch or coffee or whatever? Let me know! I am living in the 3e right now (temporarily). I hope you get my email on time! :) Let me know via email

    xx Milsters

    http://littlepiecesoflight.blogspot.fr/

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  23. All that you mentioned AND the river....the river is peaceful and balancing...whenever I can, I walk along the Seine. Peace is always on one side and hustle/bustle on the other....the river always win.
    ~Suzanne

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  24. I've always loved the Haussmann buildings - what would Paris be without them?
    I like the shots of French girl's apartment, too - and the staircase.

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  25. it is LOVE. It is romance in a city and red lipstick, champagne, elegance and chicness and food as art and icecream flowers and haute couture and parks to linger in for hours and never enough time to see it all or to try all the pastries. it is beautiful.

    :)
    mikky
    www.todaloos.com

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  26. I subscribe to your blog and LOVE it.

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  27. art, museums, flowers, book stalls, cafes, architecture, pastries, Angelina's, quiche, the Eiffel Tower and, in 2 weeks, my daughter & me!

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  28. I LOVE this list! It takes me back! I would add Galleries Lafayette ads everywhere, the music in the metro, the little trays in shops to place/pick up your change.....oh how I miss it!

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  29. I saw my old neighborhood in one of your photographs and cried. Thank you for bringing little pieces of my favorite city to me even though I'm far away.

    Merci mille fois,
    ♥ Jessica

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  30. Love this post! It brings back so many memories. For me, Paris is about endless walking, and gathering with friends at cafes and dinner parties. It's about mousse chocolat, almond paste croissants and roasted chestnuts. And wine, of course. I miss it so much... especially Parc Monceau, the 8th arrondisement and La Madeleine - places where I spent a lot of time.

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  31. I would have one room with stripes on every wall and another room with polka dots on every wall. I think I would have pots of muguet de bois everywhere. I would have coffee and a fruit tart for breakfast and coffee and macarons for that special afternoon treat. I would love one of those tiny rooftop apartments with a small balcony where I could sit and look at all the other rooftops. I would sit gazing out a window writing poetry on the rainy days and stroll the streets when the sun finally came out. I guess if I'm going to dream, I may as well dream big! Well, small apartment wise.

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  32. Fantastic post, Carol! I've practically devoured your photos - you capture the details with such a great eye.
    (and I love your theory about the chopped off trees!)

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    Replies
    1. The feeling is mutual Karen.
      I adore your photos and can't get enough!!

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  33. When I lived there it was waking up every morning and remembering I was living a real-life dream!

    Can't wait to go back. Next year? The next?

    Your blog reminds me to be so so thankful for the experiences I had there, and not to let it manque me so much.

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  34. I love the square trees!

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