We started our walk in the Marais district at the Place des Vosges. Will said "take lots of photographs, make them jealous." I didn't take a picture of the park in the middle of the square, but it is surrounded by lovely brick buildings and there are lots of art galleries in the shops at ground level.
A beautiful courtyard
metal door knocker
Carved figure on a door. I'm guessing Medusa.
We had lunch from L'As du Fallafel, the Ace of Falafel.
A pretty mosaicked building across the street.
We continued walking and I was startled to see the Notre Dame Cathedral come into view across the Seine.
After a quick trip to Le Rouvray quilt shop (too dark and sky-high fabric prices by American standards) we walked closer to the cathedral.
How is this for an ominous sky with gargoyles?
An Art Nouveau monument to Sevres (the porcelain?) on a wall facing a little park.
I walked all the way home. It took quite a while and I thoroughly exhausted myself, but at I wasn't at home whining about not having my internet. I had a conversation with a boy in the lobby about his cool sock monster that his aunt had made him. It wasn't until I had made it all the way upstairs and thrown myself into the recliner that I realized the conversation had been in English. English! My husband heard rumours that there are Canadians living in the building and I think he might just be right. If I ever get desperate for conversation I just might go door to door.
14 comments:
Hi, Tonya, the gorgeous photos make me jealous, that's for sure! Love the gargoyles in scary profile against the swirling sky. The face on the door knocker reminds me of A Christmas Carol. It looks like it says "always imitated, never duplicated" on the Ace of Falafel window. Absolutely love the little buildings on the mosaic building. Wonder what that mosaic dates to.
OK, mission accomplished, I'm jealous.
So much decorative art in the architecture. Modern cities are so cold in contrast.
Such a gorgeous city, and so nice for walking. Thanks for the wonderful pics...reminded me of many happy trips to Paris!
Thank heaven for Internet fabric ordering...I know what you mean about sky-high prices, and the weak US dollar at the moment doesn't help. In Oz, prices for fabric run about $25/metre, Australian!
Absolutely stunning pictures Ton!! Love the gargoyles against the stormy sky!! You've got a great eye for the type of pictures I love and a great camera to support that...thank you!!!*VBS*
And a boy with a sock monster who delived the 'goods' ENGLISH!! Hurray for monster connections..*G* Keep up the good work, Monsters rule. Hugs, Finn
Tonya, Thank you, thank you! for sharing the picture of the door knocker. When I was in Germany, I took 22 rolls of film of such exquisite details. Glad to know I'm not the only one.
well it worked, I am totally jealous! My favourite gallery is in le Marais area... I know you like outsider and folk art so I hope you'll pop in next time you are there. http://www.artnaif.fr/index.html
Great pictures! Love the gargoyles against the sky.
My personal favorite photo is the letters/quote. Wouldn't it be fun to torture future generations by making a quilt with a quotation done that way on it? Especially if it was done in a 'foreign' language!
So - cheese or meat? I have never been to Place des Vosges so perhaps you can take me. I'd love to see Les Droits d'Homme too. Do you know if you are still allowed on the roof of Notre Dame? DH thinks probably not, but if you are and you can stand heights there are some fantastic gargoyles up there.
I going to force you down here and take you to Bordeaux. You would love it.
Yup, count me in with the jealous ones too. I'd love to join you and Will some day. We were told by teh previous occupants of our house that we had Canadians in our row. Ends up it's a family my hubby went to school with who are of Canadian heritage. Small world!
Having been the only english people in our village and thus travelling over 45mins each way to Boulogne to church each week just to have an english conversation I can just imagine how delighted you are to find english speakers in your building - love the Sevres monument! and doesn't Medusa look ugly?
Neat gargoyle pix, thanks for sharing them! The medusa one is delightfully scary.
Stephen King wrote about the gargoyles he never noticed in NY till someone pointed one out: They're everywhere, and they're watching you, and no one notices.
Can't be jealous when you take me along with such marvelous pics but tell DH I am so he'll encourage you to continue to take more!
my thanks to Will for encouraging you to take many photos...all wonderful
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