As the caption says, in Paris it’s the end of a 120 year old era: the paper metro ticket.

Ile-de-France Mobilites, which operates the metro’s ticketing system, had wanted the pack of 10 tickets known as carnets to be gone by the first quarter of this year.

But then the Covid-19 pandemic erupted, and Russia’s war in Ukraine, and with it a global shortage of microchips needed to make the smartcards to replace the tickets — whose sales still total 550 million per year and use more than 50 tonnes of paper.

We were in a hurry, but the chip crisis slowed us down,” Laurent Probst, director-general at Ile-de-France Mobilites told AFP.

The operator has started cutting the number of metro stations that still sell carnets to nudge clients towards plastic cards, and many turnstiles can no longer read cardboard tickets.

As a result, the share of card tickets used on urban trips has dropped from more than two-thirds a year ago to well under half now. “Our customers are beginning to change their habits,” Probst said.

He said carnets would be gone completely sometime next year.

https://www.france24.com/en/france/20221004-a-tradition-ends-paris-says-goodbye-to-iconic-paper-metro-tickets

I wouldn’t think these 2 trees were very colorful. But Denver has a different horticulture, and for us, here, these are glorious deciduous trees with great color!

The tree below is pretty amazing. Its bark has a kind of zebra design.

Wish I could say this pot of annuals was mine, but it’s not. But, next spring…look out!

Speak for themselves in the sunshine.

Oh, how I hate to leave this place!

Denver has traditionally been a city of booms and busts. Gold and silver mining, cable tv, and other industries have fueled the strong economic times.

On a glorious fall afternoon I found myself strolling through some of neighborhoods developed in late 19th and early 20th centuries. I love some of these big old Victorian homes.

Here are some photos of a few homes and their details.

When I think of Denver (and Colorado), I think of the ubiquitous red flagstone. In the old Denver neighborhoods, large slabs of red flagstone were used to form the sidewalks. Many pieces are still in great condition, amazingly.

Amongst some of the historic homes are some old apartment buildings. I love the style of this one, the lovely Casa del Rey.

I spotted it while walking through an old Denver neighborhood recently!

I just finished reading The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont and really enjoyed it. It’s actually a favorite kind of story for me: a fresh take on a real-life event, layered with mystery and filled with very unexpected plot twists. Based on a chapter from Agatha Christie’s actual life, it’s intelligent, wise, suspenseful, and completely fresh. I love that it mentions contemporaries of Christie’s getting involved in fictional history: including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Dorothy L. Sayers. Read it! You’ll sure to like it.

Photos taken on October 2, 2022! Unbelievable day in Denver!

So were the children and their coaches and parents!

And, after my long walk, a little time sitting in the October sunshine, playing a bit of mah jongg! Bliss!