Paris, assez dans l'image

For a change, I thought you might like to see the Paris I saw in pictures, so here are some of them and in random order. A bit like pictorial flaneuring really, if you think about it. Enjoy!

The only way to start the day if you are in France, croissants!

And cafe au lait, of course.

The le Corbeau et le Renard statue in Paris, that will be the crow and the fox for you folks who have read Jean de la Fontaine's fables. Or Aesop's.

This used to be my home-ground when I descended on Paris back in the 80's.

The only sensible way to get around Paris, Velib! which literally means "bicycle freedom"

It is tough being a bicycle in Paris, you can get booked! Just kidding. It was the car that got booked for not displaying a valid parking coupon.

I know, I know, there are always inconsiderate sods out there, even in Paris. Merde!

A nice way to spend the day, at a Parisian street market. The sights, the sounds, the smells, ooh-la-la c'est bon, non?

Oeuf course!

Another way to put your parapluie to use, how ingenious. Sponge anyone?

Ugh, do we have to see this? A sight for sore eyes, mate.

Eiffel, as viewed from the 6th floor of Georges Pompidou Center

You may just be able to trace out what used to be a rampart wall of a fort built in medieval times.

An interesting mural, beats having graffiti on your walls, n'est-ce pas?

A church with the setting sun behind it. Surreal. Very humbling.

Two landmarks for the price of one: Eiffel and Liberty as viewed from the bateaux-mouche on the river Seine.

What looked to be scribblers are no more than artists doing portraiture on the go. As seen on a side street in Montmarte.

These images speaks French better than I do.

The man in the mirror.

Restaurant le Moulin de la Galette, where John and I had lunch in Montmarte. People used to come here for dancing in the late nineteenth century.

Pretty cars all in a row, no prize for guessing the pink one is my favourite.

Paris, je 't'aime

John and I were knackered by the time we arrived in Paris.

You would too if you were to fly half-way round the world. In all we endured 22 hours of flying, 4 hours of transit, and countless hours of immigration grief before we finally find comfort in our hotel which by the way, is a fabulous gem of a find. Hotels in Paris are notorious for having unbelievably tiny rooms; by comparison you can swing a couple of cats and still have some room to spare at the Mansart Hotel.

Sleep was all I wanted and you can therefore, I believe, understand my grouch when instead I find myself trudging towards Pont de l'Alma with John to join ten other friends on the Batueux-Mouches for a dinner cruise. Perhaps it was the walk, or perhaps it was the cool summer air, or perhaps it was the elation of seeing familiar faces, I did feel a whole lot better once we boarded the bateaux and sat down to dinner. The grub was alright, one could see the chef put in an effort but there is nothing much to laud about.

However, the sight of a lit Eiffel is something else. There is something real magical about it, makes you want to pluck it up and put it in your pocket and take it home. And this is just the first day of our two-week sojourn in France, so much to look forward to. But for now, sleep is good.

interior of bateaux-mouche

green asparagus with basil mousse and bacon crips

fried veal medallion, veal jus and violet mustard

strawberry and mascarpone iced-flute

Eiffel