A Glowing Cycle Ride

The other night I had a late work meeting. I didn't fancy getting on a crowded metro after being in a windowless room for a few hours so decided to pick up a Vélib (Paris' public bicycle sharing scheme) and cycle at least part of the 7kms home. It was a lovely mild evening and late enough for the worst of the traffic to have gone home. The Seine marked the halfway point of my journey, I stopped to take a few photos.

The golden glow on the river was magical.

The glow was none too shabby as I passed the Louvre either.


As it turned out, this gave me enough of a buzz to get me all the way home.

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!

Bleu, blanc et rouge

Yesterday morning up by the Sacré Coeur. Blue, red and white.

Place de Tertre before the crowds have arrived. Red, white and blue.

Moulin Rouge. Red, blue and white.

Brocante, Place des Abbesses. White, red and blue.