Category Archives: Paris history

How I learned to stop worrying and love Wikipedia

When I am not working on the blog or running my own business, I teach in the geography department of the University of Toronto. Among other things, I talk to my students about research skills, and I encourage them to … Continue reading

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Postcards from a Snowy Paris

Although it snows occasionally in Paris, it seems to be rare enough that only a small amount wreaks havoc. The city just isn’t prepared for snow. Parisian winters are normally mild, but there have been some very cold ones that … Continue reading

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Sailing ships and rowboats

Père Lachaise Cemetery, spring 2010. I took this photograph, wondering what on earth a “caveau depositoire” might be. Turns out it is a temporary storage spot for bodies awaiting burial. But what attracted my attention at first was the image … Continue reading

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The Paris Gigantic Wheel and Varieties Company Limited

It was an intriguing postcard, titled simply “Paris. La Grande Roue” (Paris, The Big Wheel). I didn’t recognize it, but I liked it, so I bought it. Little did I know that this purchase at an antiques fair in Paris … Continue reading

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Renault assembly line worker designs world’s fastest ocean liner

On its maiden voyage to New York City in 1935, the French luxury liner Normandie, owned by the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, astonished everyone who saw it. It was the longest ship in the world and yet, with its long tapered … Continue reading

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Discovery in a dairy shed

Some movie reviewers are saying that Martin Scorsese’s Hugo, a 3D fantasy set in Paris, is the best film of 2011. It certainly gets our vote. We loved the story, the characters, and the special effects (well done without being … Continue reading

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A closer look at Parisian streets

Over the past week, I have been pondering a comment made by Adam Roberts, the author of Invisible Paris (one of our favourite blogs), about our post on courtyards. He confessed to having mixed feelings about these interior spaces and … Continue reading

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The story behind the sculpture

The Rodin Museum is one of the most popular tourist sites in Paris. It encompasses a lovely old house surrounded by a huge garden, with several of Rodin’s bronze sculptures positioned here and there in the grounds. One sculpture in … Continue reading

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Eyes on the street

One hears a lot about the use of surveillance cameras in England. Indeed, when we returned from Greenwich, I spotted a few lurking in photographs I had taken. Can you spot the camera in the picture below? (There may even … Continue reading

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One address, many stories

“What’s that building with the dome, there, on the right?” Norman pointed to a building shown in a stereographic photograph of the Champs-Elysées he had recently bought at an antique photo show. The photo had been taken from the top … Continue reading

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