Favourite cards

May was not a productive month - most of my favourites are from the mixed media challenge on SCS. I think that was helped by the fact that there were two Fridays on which I wasn't working!

Paris Day 4 ~ Part 1

Day 4 was Sunday, and we were starting to flag a little after all that walking.
In the morning, I went to the second-nearest bakery, and got some tasty croissants for breakfast plus some even tastier patisserie to stand in as a birthday cake on Monday. I was so glad that I went - I wasn't sure they'd be open on Monday, being Easter Monday and a lot of places were going to be closed, and in fact they were closing for a week's holiday so they wouldn't have been open on Tuesday either. We went to the local market which is an organic one on Sundays, and then to the Luxembourg Gardens, buying salads and bread for lunch on the way. I'd been planning to get something in the market, but we should really have got there a bit earlier; somebody else bought the last three onion tarts as I stood in the queue.

 Most of these are just street shots. I'm not sure what the fourth one is meant to be - but having recently watched The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec, it rather reminded me of the dinosaur in the film. The first one is the front of a hotel on Boulevard Raspail.

bakery

Flower seller at the Metro entrance, Marché Raspail

Where we were staying...

On the street round the corner from our apartment, was a beautiful Art Deco building dating back to 1910. Several well-known artists had studios here, including Man Ray. This photo shows the typical decor - and reflection in the window from a tiny little triangular park just opposite it. Then a wide-angle view, and a close up of some of the ceramic detailing, created by Alexander Bigot.

31 bis, rue Campagne Première

These are some of the beehives in the Luxembourg Gardens. Last time we were there, we actually saw the beekeepers working on them. This time, we arrived just after the hives had had their Spring inspection, with the following results;  out of 21 hives, 2 didn't survive, one was found to be in weak condition, and the remainder were all thriving and would probably to be divided to avoid a swarms.

Paris Day 3 ~ Part 4

Just a few photos from our Saturday afternoon outing. Having looked at stripy Breton jumpers, looked in BHV and looked in Dehillerin, my final decision for spending some birthday money was the stripy Breton jumper in ArmorLux - so that's the third sign down. The first sign was a travel agency, the second photo was just on the wall somewhere...

We passed this almost every time we went out. C had problems with the smell from all the seafood - but I think the displays are amazing,

We went to Bon Marché hoping to have afternoon coffee and macarons, but it was so crowded that we gave up on that idea. Instead we went over to their food hall and bought macarons to have in the apartment, along with some lovely soup and good bread since we didn't feel we needed a dinner that night.

Bon Marché

Paris Day 3 ~ Part 3

We had such a surprise when we crossed the Seine and started heading back for the walk home. We didn't know, but there was an exhibition at the Institut du Monde Arabe, with the restored engine and carriages from the Orient Express. There was quite a queue to get into it (since, by the very nature of the carriages, not a lot of people can be admitted at a time), and C's feet were starting to feel a little weary - but not so weary that we didn't enjoy looking from the outside.

Here's a link to an article with a little information about the Institut du Monde Arabe; the whole of the south-facing wall, shown here, is made up of panels which open and close (like the aperture in a camera) to regulate the light entering the building. We didn't go inside - but another time I'd certainly like to.

We stopped at a market at the end of Boulevard St. Germain on the way back, and got some tasty treats for our lunch; not just these, but some good bread too.

The building we were staying in was at the end of an L-shaped pedestrian road, with gates across each end. This shot, since it's wide-angle, looks rather odd but helps show how, even with no garden space, they still add some greenery in to the street.

And goodness - we must have walked A LOT on Saturday. Since it's still only lunchtime at this point,  and we went out again in the afternoon, Day 3 is going to run to Part 4, rather than crowd more into this post.

Paris Day 3 ~ Part 2

Surprisingly, the Place des Vosges was somewhere we'd never been before - and a warm sunny day was perfect for taking it in.

This little piece of art was on a wall along Rue de Birague,
after leaving the Place des Vosges

This old clock dates back to 1640, but has been incorporated into the facade of a modern apartment block.

Next along the street is the doorway of an old house, Hôtel  Raoul, which was built in 1810 and demolished in 1961. All that remains is the old doorway - behind it is another modern apartment block.

We passed a shop specialising in mirrors (possibly even bathroom mirrors) - which made for some wonderful reflections, of which these are just a couple.

Then we crossed the Seine over the Pont de Sully - views from there. We don't often end up looking up towards the back of Notre-Dame, I liked that aspect.

Pont de la Tournelle

And since that is more than enough photos for one post, it looks as if Day 3 also is going to run to a Part 3!