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Category Archives: Paris parks
Early one morning
We do not, as a rule, take early-morning walks in Paris. If we do not have a morning appointment, we tend to dawdle over breakfast, reading and chatting and enjoying the view from the windows. Quick showers are not an … Continue reading
Posted in Paris gardens, Paris history, Paris hospitals, Paris parks, Paris quartiers, Paris streets
Tagged aqueduc Medicis, Centre Hospitalier Sainte-Anne, Charles-Auguste Questel, empêche-pipi, Georges-Eugène Haussmann, Hôpital Rochefoucauld, Lycée Notre Dame de France, Maison Santé des Soeurs Augustines, Monastère de la Visitation, Plancher de Jeannot
9 Comments
Life on the rue du Ranelagh
By the time you read this, we will have returned from Paris, where we spent Christmas. Friends had graciously given us the use of an apartment on the boulevard Suchet in the 16th arrondissement. “Ah, le seizième ! C’est un … Continue reading
A bird lover’s guide to Paris
This is one of my favourite photographs from Paris. I use it as the wallpaper on my desktop computer, so that every day, when I sit down to work, I feel for a second that I am taking my place … Continue reading
Posted in Paris gardens, Paris history, Paris parks, Paris postcards, Paris streets
Tagged Bois de Boulogne, Charles Yriarte, Charmeurs d’oiseaux, Jardin du Luxembourg, La Bagatelle, Medici fountain, Parc Monceau, pigeonnier contraceptif, pigeons, Puvis de Chavannes, Rene Dagron, Richard Holmes, Siege of Paris, Square des Batignolles, Tuileries
14 Comments
The colours of the Batignolles
The Batignolles does not attract many tourists. That, in itself, is part of its charm. But there are many reasons to venture there. Food. Gardens. Places for children to play. And colour, because that is what struck us both – … Continue reading
A parachute in the Parc Monceau
On Christmas Day, before it was time to go to dinner with friends, we wandered into the Parc Monceau. We have walked in the quiet park many times before, but had not noticed the little plaque near the path running along … Continue reading
Posted in Paris history, Paris parks
Tagged André-Jacques Garnerin, ballon perdu, Francois d’Arlandes, Henry David Thoreau, Jacques Charles, Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier, Jean-Baptiste-Olivier Garnerin, Jeanne-Geneviève Garnerin, Jerôme Lalande, Joseph-Michel Montgolfier, Louis Carrogis Carmontelle, Louis XVI, montgolfier brothers, Nicolas-Louis Robert, Parc Monceau, Philippe d’Orléans, Pilatre de Rozier
12 Comments
A walk in the snow
No trip to Paris would be complete without at least one lengthy visit to Des Photographies, an intriguing shop in Village St. Paul in the Marais. There, with some help from Sylvain Calvier, I have found and bought some wonderful … Continue reading
Posted in Paris gardens, Paris parks
Tagged Arsène Alexandre, Candide, Des Photographies, Gilles Vigneault, Henri Riviere, Louvre, Mail aux pommes, Napoleon Bonaparte, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Robert Lowell, Sylvain Calvier, The Expiation Russia 1812, Victor Hugo, Village St-Paul, Voltaire
3 Comments
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
Posted in Paris history, Paris parks, Paris postcards
Tagged 1910 flood, Bois de Boulogne, gasometer, ice skating in Paris, January 1910, Jardin du Luxembourg, Marche St-Martin, Nanterre, Paris flood, Paris postcards, Snow in Paris, snow load, St-Martin market, twig brooms, vintage postcards, winter in Paris
7 Comments
Merry Christmas and don’t forget the bûche de béton
I hope some of you enjoyed the traditional French Christmas treat, the bûche de Noël (Christmas log), as we did. But let’s not forget another great French tradition: the bûche de béton. Or as some would call it: faux bois. … Continue reading
Sitting on books in Paris
The libraries, bookshops, and bouquinistes’ stalls of Paris are justly famous. So, too, are places to sit, alone or with someone else. The city offers many spots for quiet contemplation and conversation. So why not combine them? Sit on some … Continue reading
Parisian Fields 