Lyrical Lampposts

Last week when I walked through the Jardin des Tuileries on the way home from work I was blown away by the beautiful light as the sun was setting. I took these photos, 'Twilight in the Tuileries' as I approached the Place de Concorde, Paris at it's photogenic best.

However it when I first entered the Cour Carrée du Louvre that I got to see something extra special. I walked along the south wing of the Louvre, the sky was an orange bronze, and despite it still being quite light, the street lamps were lit up. The combination of natural and artificial light were truly magical. 

The lights turned on the moment I passed through into the Cour. Here they were still 'off'

Moments later they were on.

It quickly got darker. Here I was looking toward Place de la Concorde, la Grande Roue in the distance.




Then I saw the Eiffel Tower and a lamppost standing side by side. Definitely Paris.


For a post with a range of quite extravagant Paris Lampposts click here...or Paris lampposts are not banal.

Magical Monday - Fooling the eye

I love the old fashioned trompes l'œil you see around Paris. This one, just by the Pompidou Centre, made me do a double take. I was fooled for a moment and nearly missed it.

Every Monday, Magical Monday, I post a photo that is hopefully puzzling, fantastical or unexpected.

More photos from the Magical Mondays series can be found here.

Twilight in the Tuileries

Oh Paris, you spoilt me this evening. Merci.

Magical Monday - A Parisian Jewel

Every Monday, Magical Monday, I post a photo that is hopefully puzzling, fantastical or unexpected.

More photos from the Magical Mondays series can be found here.

Magical Moulin Rouge

The Moulin Rouge, built in the same year as the Eiffel Tower (1989), is a cabaret club on Place Blanche in Montmartre. We live about five minutes walk from the Moulin Rouge and I confess that I've never been to a show there! I'm spoilt and have the luxury of being able to say 'we can always go tomorrow'.

In 1915 the Moulin Rouge was destroyed by a fire and only reopened six years later in 1921. If you emerge from Blanche metro station today, one of the first things you will see is the red windmill, perched on top of the cabaret club.

I tend to pass the Moulin Rouge without paying too much attention. I'm usually on my way home from somewhere and cast it a nonchalant glance. If I'm with the kids they often insist that we stop so they can have a little 'session' standing above the metro vent on place Blanche just in front of the Moulin Rouge. Like so.

However, armed with my new camera, which takes wonderful pictures in low light, I wanted to have a go at capturing some photos of the red windmill looking magical.

Et voila, at dusk.

After dark.



As my new camera allows me to control the shutter speed I also wanted to get some blurred images of the rotating blades. Here is a photo taken with a one second shutter speed.

And here we have a three second shutter speed.


Zooming in.


Weeeeeeeee!

Heart gathering season

The way is not in the sky. 

The way is in the heart. 

(Buddha)

'Tis the heart gathering season again. Here are some monochrome ones I found.

This is an accidental heart.


A scribbled red heart.


A blue heart. In the Bois de Boulogne.


One edible heart.


Two edible hearts.


A sneak peek of a red heart in the sculpture fountain by the Centre Pompidou.


Edible red.


A gift from the tooth fairy.


Gifts from nature.



Happy Valentine's Day.

More hunted hearts can be found here and here.

Magical Monday - A Parisian Circus Dog

It's amazing what you come across in Paris the small hours.


Every Monday, Magical Monday, I post a photo that is hopefully puzzling, fantastical or unexpected.

More photos from the Magical Mondays series can be found here.

A morning tinged with light

Slowly slowly the sun is rising a little earlier every day. Today as I walked with my daughter down to the junction where she meets her friend to continue the second half of her school run, I looked up at the sky and saw this. A beautiful inky blue sky, a pale glow of hope on the horizon. 

After dropping her off I walked up rue Lepic to enjoy the early rain-free morning. Something I haven't had the pleasure of for a while!

Looking down rue Tholozé from rue Lepic I got a view of Paris.


Looking north I saw le Moulin Blute-fin, its' sails silhoutted against the blue sky. Lampposts looking like hanging lanterns in the dark.

I always get confused while trying to gather information about the Montmartre windmills on Rue lepic. It seems that what we refer to as Le Moulin de la Galette is actually TWO windmills, le Moulin Blute-fin, and le Moulin Radet (which now houses a restaurant called Le Moulin de la Galette). It was in 1870 that le Moulin Blute-fin and its' gardens housed the famous dancing hall/guinguette Le Moulin de la Galette. This guinguette, was painted by many of the impressionist artists, notably Renoir who painted the very well know tableau 'La Bal du Moulin de la Galette'.

As I got further up the hill I saw the Sacré Coeur peeking out over the roof tops.


At 8h00 on the dot the street lights went out.

Magical Monday - The Museum Monster

Imagine my surprise when I saw this scaly necked Monster on the Esplanade du Louvre.


Every Monday, Magical Monday, I post a photo that is hopefully puzzling, fantastical or unexpected.

More photos from the Magical Mondays series can be found here.