Salut C’est Cool, ‘Des Fleurs’
Time to jump up and down with Salut C’est Cool‘s sense of humour, as this dance anthem demands equality for all flowers in the bunch.
Month: December 2018
See Paris in 1927
You’re just too good to be true, can’t take my eyes off of you
Paris. Do I really need to say anything more?
My feet were not on the ground today; I spent part of the afternoon walking at rooftop level, admiring the view. It was almost sunny, very cold, and pretty near perfect.
And then, there it is; the iconic tower. That tower simply cannot take a bad picture!
I think the traces of jet airplanes makes the sky more interesting. I must admit, I can’t help comparing France with Italy. In Italy, the blue skies are usually filled with the most interesting cumulus clouds. I never tire of that sky. France is different. The clouds are more diffused.
It becomes an addiction, trying to capture the tower in a photograph:
So, finally, I must turn away. Other parts of the Parisian skyline are beautiful too:
And, even looking down, from the fancy perch I was on, is also interesting:
The perch itself is gorgeous!
Far away is the mighty Sacré-Cœur; the misty atmosphere hiding its outlines.
And the Paris Opera house is nearby. So interesting to see it from on high and not ground level. A temple (to the arts) in the sky.
But then, like a magnet, my vision is drawn back to it:
I look away:
But go back:
You’re just too good to be true, can’t take my eyes off of you.
Just Paris, plain and simple
Feeling French cinq (5)
Yooj, ‘Mademoiselle’
Yooj is a San Francisco-born DJ and producer who relocated to Berlin and quickly garnered a following with his Mademoiselle EP, a sensual mix of French female vocals over a driving techno-house texture.
Feeling all French six (6)!
Riot in Belgium, ‘La Musique’
Hitting DJ decks since 2009, ‘La Musique’ is an irresistible dance track by the Riot in Belgium duo, Beni and Joel Dickson.
Protesters in Paris, December 2018
If you are reading this in 2018 you will know that Paris has been rocked recently by violence with protesters. People wondered if it would be a safe idea to spend Christmas in this beautiful city, and I was one of them. In the end, we kept our long-held plans and arrived in the French capitol, ready for Christmas.
I’ve witnessed the tail end of a march by the Gilets jaunes, the name given to the protesters. What I saw was peaceful. Other than that, it’s been fine.
But, walking around in the Champs-Élysées, which is where the violent protests — complete with window smashing and car burning — were for the preceding 3 or 4 weekends, there were a few remnants of the damage done to the businesses and monuments. I photographed them here:
On the Arc de Triomphe I saw a small splotch of the red paint that had been sprayed on this grand monument:
Here’s the cleaned arch.
See the red paint above the cornice line? Almost invisible.
The Louis Vuitton store had covered their lower windows with metal bracing.
Another store’s windows were smashed and the store remains closed, with this light wood covering:
The only other thing I noticed was the graffiti on the large advertisement with Julia Roberts for Lancome cosmetics. The graffiti, “ça pue le luxe” means, in English, “it stinks of luxury.”
I sympathize with the protestors; at the heart of their complaints is that while Paris and the rich of France live high on the hog, the rest of the country struggles to maintain a basic living standard.
Illuminations de Noel des Champs-Elysees 2018
Christmas Day, Champs-Élysées, Paris. 2018
Christmas afternoon on the Champs-Élysées. Sunny and chilly. Perfect winter day in the perfect city!
Random things that struck me, found on the Champs-Élysées:
One of the most charming aspects of Christmas in Paris to me is all the hand-painted decorations on the store windows. Some are really graphic and cool like this one:
But more of them are really sweet and old-fashioned, like the next bunch:
Okay, back to the fun holiday decorations and great architecture of the Champs-Élysées:
The next set of pictures are of what is to me the most beautiful building on the Champs-Élysées.
Other striking aspects of the Champs-Élysées:
And, finally, I’ll close this post because this is already so long. But, before I do, pictures of some of the cool advertising I saw in the subway on my way to the Champs-Élysées:
Oh, and P.S.: here’s a very cool old picture of the layout of this area from the point of view of the Arc de Triomphe. The Eiffel Tower hadn’t even been dreamed of yet!
Breakfast in Paris
Christmas 2018. It all started with breakfast, la petite dejuener:
get back, lauretta! 
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