Category: France

On the rue St. Jacques just next to the Paris-American Art Academy and the Chapel of the Val de Grace, is the Schola Cantorum. This music school is open to all, and trains young and not as young alike in all the musical arts. It has a garden and in the garden are a few sculptures. Here’s a photo of one of them. Next time you’re in the neighborhood, go in and through one of the doors to the garden. You won’t regret it.

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au Luco last Sunday at about 7.

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Apparently, “tampopo” (that’s to say the Japanese pronunciation of this word) means “dandelion” or in French,  “pissenlit.”

Japanese restaurant where the staff is Japanese. Call for reservations: 01 47 27 74 52.  Speak slowly and very clearly. For simplicity, you might want to reserve with well-known names like “Carla” or “Yoko.” Pour deux – Two, please. One o’clock. Treize heures.

Excellent timely service … not fast food.

66 rue Lauriston 75116 Paris

About dandelions, suburban American culture tends to demonize this delicious plant and its pretty yellow flowers as a weed. However,  green dandelion leaves are just a little bitter but crispy and are eaten in France as a treat. Wild salad.  Of course, the French eat all sorts of things, n’est-ce pas?

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Do you know this extraordinary place?

Not only is it a landmark historical site having been home to Diane de Poitiers, it is also home to one of Europe’s most remarkable schools of artistic landscaping as well as the International Festival of Gardens. Every year it features creations from landscape artists from all over the world.

Here are four photos I took last summer.

… the Domaine of Chaumont s/Loire

Two hours and a few minutes from Paris if the weather’s fair

Soul.

Body

2010:

Body and Soul.

This year’s theme is “Body and Soul.”

Why do we need to discover?

… do we need to open our eyes?

vision and sight

… do we need to listen?

hearing and listening

… worlds away …

creation / expression

and

examples

of artistic creation

… the Royal … address?

The king’s signature?

the valley

is there

for those

ready

to explore

it

For more photos and all the info … here’s a link to the Domaine.

My suggestion: Plan your day … and include lunch at the Grand Velum.

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A brilliant movie … even if the simple is complex here … or vice versa. Or the original is a copy of an original.

If you don’t like mental gymnastics, this is definitely NOT for you. BUT if you enjoy incredibly good acting as well as the charm, wit and emotional soul of Juliette Binoche speaking English, French and Italian fluently … you can’t possibly be disappointed.

((**** Congratulations, Ms. Binoche! Just heard the news! Palme d’Or for Best Actress in Copie Conforme. You deserve it!! ***** Brava!!))

Set in an authentic Tuscan setting, you feel there. It makes you want to be there. Beautifully filmed.

This may appear to be on the fringe of our reality. But it is someone’s reality. And movingly so. Even if … it is a fictional reality. Get it? You don’t? Don’t worry. Art can take time to get to you. The difference between “The” and “A” …

Here’s a posting in English from THE NYT . If you look at the right side of the screen, there is an audio of Juliette Binoche talking about this incredible film experience. She lets you in on the secrets of this masterpiece.

a double bill with kiarostami.

At the Balzac.

on rue Balzac (as in Honoré de ) just off the …

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For three days, the Champs Elysées has become an outdoor ‘nature’ gallery. How strange to see all these visitors – trees, wheat, tomato vines – even sheep and 4 cows – set up as exhibits.

The weather was perfect. Here are a few snapshots.

This is what I could see ahead. Green.

(Savannah goes Green on St. Patrick’s Day.)

There were all sorts of people: young, very young, and even younger.

And speaking of cross-cultural … I mean, cosmopolitan!

Speaking of age, I believe that’s young lavender. From what I read, all the plants and trees were for sale and if bought for a charity, were tax deductible.

I good way to clean up!

just 1/400 th of a second !

Lots of people so if you go … you’d better follow this proverb:

“The early bird gets the worm.”

PS: The sheep were protected from the crowds.But I’m not so sure they felt so safe …

Here they are:

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Last night, hundreds of workers were transforming the Champs Elysées into a “green place”

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Now here’s one rare place for Japanese tea in Paris.

You might need to reserve. And for the site,  you might need to read French, or failing that, Japanese. Though there are some nice pictures and the prices are in euros.

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While A. was walking down to the river from the Mirabeau bridge on this cool May day,

there were a few people getting their morning air

together or alone

Admittedly, there’s less traffic down here … than up there …

but as this one was heading under one of the 22 bridges crossing the Seine, Arnoul was focusing on detail

and shapes and textures

here’s a still life

or perspectives … as he patiently waited for the metro to cross the Bir Hakeim Bridge

which it finally did

sometimes I imagined we were far away

but then, if you  walked just a little further and raised your eyes, you’d see what some architects imagined long before we were born

You know what happened on this bridge? It’s written right here

The links of friendship and solidarity and shared values persist- they were cast in bronze and shared

so that we could walk along the Seine on a Sunday morning and then share these pictures !

PS.

Once we’re walked up the stairs

and had a marvelous view from that bridge

Once he got to the other side of the bridge,  Arnoul shot this one

I think he likes this place where cats probably hang out at night.

Then as we walked, we talked about where we were November 22nd, 1963

The Kennedys loved France and France loved the Kennedys.

This is the story of our Sunday morning “Photo Hunt”

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You see how obedient Parisians can be? It must be forbidden to park on the cobblestones.

The English word  “bicycle”  has two current translations in French: bicyclette and vélo.

Bi-cycle or bi-cyclette comes from “two” + “circle” or “wheels.”

“Vélo” is the root of speed … as in velocity.

Not far from where this photo was taken was a place called the Vélodrome. Or more precisely the “Vél’ d’Hiv,” the Vélodrome d’Hiver.  Built on the concept of an ice-skating rink, the Vel d’Hiv (Winter Bicycling Rink) was a place where people could ride their bikes (i) in the city (ii) on a smooth surface-rather than over cobblestones and (iii) in inclement weather.

The Vél d’Hiv no longer exists.  As history illustrates time and again,  what was built out of a good intention can be usurped by those of ill will …  If you want to know the whole story … I suggest you read Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.

When you start out on a photo hunt … you never know where you’re going to end up!

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