Saturday, December 20, 2014

Shine Bright Like A Diamond

'Shine bright like a diamond'

'Like diamonds in the sky'

Paris Christmas STREET LIGHTS

Never cease to delight

More than 130 streets are lit up in Paris for Noel.

'Paris illumine Paris'
Paris lives up to it's name "Ville Lumière"

A complete list of streets HERE.
 
Early December to beginning of January, Paris City Hall will switch on the lights from 5 PM till 2 AM each night.

I love Printemps 'street' of lights along Avenue Haussmann better than their window decorations...

Diptyque too has spectacular lights over their original shop on 34, blvd Saint Germain.

Lite-up trees along blvd Saint Germain.
More lite-up streets in the 6th arron:
Rue de Rennes illuminée de la Place du 18 Juin 1940 au Boulevard Saint –Germain

Rue d’Assas de la rue de Rennes à la rue du Cherche Midi

Rue Notre Dame des Champs de la rue de Rennes à la rue de Fleurus

Rue St Placide, entre la rue du Cherche Midi et la rue de Sèvres

Portion de la rue de Sèvres à proximité du Bon Marché

Bd Saint-Germain de la rue des Saints-pères à Odéon ainsi que la place Saint-Germain des Prés
 
A spectacular lite-up tree at Notre Dame one very chilly Dimanche with PBer Gretchen...

At Un dimanche a Paris these edible trees - their buche de Noel.

Some Paris shops go to town with the lights...

A little restaurant on the Island gets into the act...

What to wear in Paris now?

Follow these French girls example: All black, big brand bags (2 if possible), branded knitted cap, boots, no scarf.
At the end of my street, Sully-Morland and quai de Bethune, a rather unspectacular display of flashing lights on 4 trees. Still nice to see when I get home after a walk through Paris' drizzle.
"Shine bright like a diamond" Paris !

29 comments:

  1. Anabel2:17 AM

    A poem to Paris Christmas lights !
    merci

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  2. Pretty! I am surprised there are so many coloured lights, like the blue Christmas tree at Notre Dame. My favorite is the little restaurant, what joyful display of Christmas cheer!
    Merry Christmas from Vienna,

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  3. Felicity et famille4:16 AM

    Paris in lights...lovely read.
    Its sunny with a cool breeze here , we have squeezed ourselves into our regular beach house rental down the south coast, 3hours from Sydney.... with three cats and two teenagers.
    Have a lovely Paris Christmas and lovely New Year! ♡

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  4. You have such a charming and pretty blog, but I do wish you would get a slightly better camera so that your night shots would be of better quality. You really deserve it! I mean this in the kindness possible way.

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    Replies
    1. If you click on STREET LIGHTS link above you'll see my New York Canon night shots are not so different in quality.
      http://parisbreakfasts.blogspot.fr/2011/12/ny-lights.html
      I can't give up the freedom or ease of the iPad camera at this point. It makes life simple for me. I don't proclaim to be a photographer after all.

      Delete
  5. Maureen8:18 AM

    The lights are lovely (I remember the trees along the Champs Elysee in 2004). Can't compete with London though but perhaps they don't even want to.

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    Replies
    1. That's it Maureen. It's definitely not as glitzy or bling, bling as new York. Just 130 streets doing their thing. Paris is 20 villages remember ;)

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  6. Yesterday we had to go back to Ontario..we had been the day before..driving there I said to Jacques:"I should have brought my camera for those pretty trees"..he said :"you should always have your Mini Ipad with you".
    Lesson learned..That's what I boght it for primarily..because of you..
    I think the spontaneity of your photos is a very endearing and real part of your blog.
    Perfection becomes boring to me.
    Very nice of the poster to suggest..I love suggestions..

    Just saying...that for me..your diverse ,candid and not staged shots..reel me in..post after post.

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    Replies
    1. LOVE U !!!!
      If people want perfection they should go to LA TABLE DE NANA !!! ;))

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  7. Anonymous10:34 AM

    Ha! That's funny because the thing I liked best about the quality of the photos was the misty kind of ambiance giving the scenes a magical affect. so much prettier than cold drizzle or reality for that matter. To each his own. Joyous Holidays everyone and I fervently hope that 2015 brings "Peace on Earth" and oceans more Good Will To Men on this lovely little planet we all call Home.

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    Replies
    1. Haha Me too
      If I had my way they would all be blurry and misty.
      But I would need a better camera for that! ;)

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    2. Exactly. If I took "perfect" photos of Paris lights at night, I'd have top photoshop them to get Carol's misty, mystic, and moody ambience. I love these pix -- it's like looking at Paris with my own teary eyes.

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  8. cyndi from SD10:37 AM

    I love Paris during the holiday season.It's just magical.
    Thanks for rekindling my memories.
    Merci beaucoup


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  9. Fantastic THANK YOU. THANK YOU! Merry Christmas, You made my morning coffee taste so good!!!! Wish I were there, I can hardly wait to return, now I'm really wondering which time of the year would be the best, maybe December?

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  10. thank you...nostalgia and magical...

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  11. How beautiful these photos are! Could we see photos of OFGs sometime. Merry Christmas, Carol.

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  12. Carol,
    Merry Christmas
    With your paris posts and monthly sketch letters, you have certainly made my year brighter.
    Happy New Year.

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  13. Anonymous1:40 PM

    If it were not for your blog I would never have known what Paris looks like at Christmas. Australian newspapers are certainly not going to be full of photos of Paris by night, and I would never brave the cold to be there in December. I was glad that there was one patisserie shot included though! Merry Christmas to you. Joyeux Noël Gwendoline in Australia

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  14. oh now this is fun ... the holiday ornaments along West Broadway in lower Manhattan are just like your shooting stars .. i can pretend i am in Paree... Whee!

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    Replies
    1. Parisbreakfast6:18 AM

      I really miss Bergdorf's windows...
      Nothing like it here believe it or not!!

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  15. The comment above was rendered unreadable by auto-correct, which I stick with because my typing is so abominable.
    Martha Stewart's current magazine has a buche I wish I'd thought of: it's a tree stump instead of a log! I will not be rolling this year's buche!

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  16. Margarete1:42 AM

    Pretty Paris. Thanks for sharing the lights. I love how the café tables are still in use even in December. Just so chic! Vive la France! Have a great weekend and a wonderful Christmas!

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  17. I like your night shots
    BUT in the few pix where you mention the lights as the main subject (like diamonds) they should be sharp with good color. You are over exposing (the camera is taking in the dark of night for the light meter reading and overexposing and washing out the color in the brighter parts(the lights!)-Don’t you have a darken button for exposure? or shoot at Twilight- just before the sky in the background goes so black

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    Replies
    1. Dude. It's not a camera. It's an iPad. And it's called STYLE.

      Delete
  18. Hi, Carol
    The little restaurant also caught my eye when I saw it in September, but the picture I made was of the little white mice climbing up the side of the front, on about the first floor height. Did you see them? Do you know if the restaurant name has anything to do with the story of Alice in Wonderland? Merry Christmas and stay warm!

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  19. Really beautiful series of photos, Carol. My favorites are the first and last; just enough blue in the sky to add an extra source of light.
    They really know how to do it right in Paris :)

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  20. thank you. this is spectacular. I’m in los angeles, but there’s not much Christmas here but this is a wonderful post. many thanks,

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  21. But LA has Palm Trees!
    Wanna swap?

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  22. So beautiful, so festive and yes, so like a diamond!

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