A special garden in Paris

There is a special garden in Paris this weekend. Pretty awesome. Blocked traffic and all. If you like one of the plants, you could buy it! And tons of people!

20091217: Metro bridge

I thought I would share one more shot from that day. I quick glance at the Metro bridge. I just had to stop at the river and take a bunch of photos. It was really wonderful that day.

20091217: The Lion in snow

I was heading out for an appointment. First big snow of the season. Man, did it ever come down that day. I was near Place Denfert Rochereau, in the 14th Arr., and caught a the Lion covered with a white blanket of snow.

things to do in Paris

Paris on its own has more places worth seeing than most countries have to offer. It would be impossible to list everything here, but the absolute highlights are mentioned below. Please be realistic and do not assume that you will be able to see everything during a single visit to Paris. And do take your time.

Do not miss the following highlights of places to visit:

• The Eiffel Tower: if you want to save money or do not wish to cue, you may use the staircase to the second level.
• The Notre Dame: probably the most famous cathedral in the world.
• The Champs-Élysées, with, on the one side, the obelisk of Place de la Concorde and, on the other side, the Arc de Triomph in the middle of the former Place d’Étoile.
• The Louvre: with its glass pyramid, the Mona Lisa and the Venus van Milo. It is estimated that one would need nine months only to catch a glimpse of all the works of art offered by the Louvre.
• The Cimetière du Père Lachaise: the cemetery where you will, among others, find the grave of Jim Morrison and many other celebrities.
• Centre Pompidou: the most successful cultural centre in the world.
• The Sacré-Coeur: basilica on the hill of Montmartre.
• Dômes des Invalides: the grave of Napoleon Bonaparte.
• La Grande Arche: the modern triumphal arch in the La Défense business quarter.

You need to eat too, right?

Do not miss the following highlights of where to eat:

• Angelina's:
  

Can you see it?

Can you see it?

On our way to the Luxembourg Jardin (Garden), I took a picture of this rather large statue. What was interesting to me, is that there was something present that I didn't expect. I only realized after looking at the photo. Can you see it?

my first quiche

Cooking my own quiche? Yep!!

Quiche receipe provide by my wife before she left me home alone...

Bach-a-thon

Yes - there was a Bach-a-thon at St. Louis Cathedral!

The piano man...

No one plays like the piano man! Especially on a piano that you can wheel around without issues. Bigger than a toy piano, smaller than an upright. Truly a unique and fun sound.

The Blue Genes

Truly enjoyed hearing the Blue Genes on the bridge this past weekend.

Fete de la musique

This past weekend was some summer festival or event - loosely translated to mid-summer's night festival - Fete de la musique. On the longest day of the year, they allow street performers to do their thing without the need for a license. So, there is a lot of music and things to see. We walked all over the place and came back with our feet pounding from standing so long.

All in all it couldn't have been be better weather.

The food was good: Berthillon ice cream, a crepe with jambon and elemental (ham and cheese), and L'As du Falafel sandwiches.

We actually saw some good performances in-between all the not so good ones. ;-) Folk, Country and Western, Rock, Classical (winds and strings), Reggae, Brazilian, French (with accordian), Brass band, Indian? (local native French and from local native Peru), and Chinese. Also, some skaters, dancers (formal and non-formal).

finding work

The date of the photo is 20090121. The date of the event was actually, 20090105. I have a dessk! With a real phone, a computer, a chair and some nice people to chat with! Please call this a delayed entry, finding work.

Close to the Bourse is where I spend a lot of time now days.

There's a market (marche') at the Bourse that happens each TUE and FRI. They offer a wide variety of things from food to music to clothing. It's actually quite interesting. A word of caution! Be sure you know what you are doing! They will take your money and not be honest about it if you are not paying attention. Mr. fruits and nuts, I'm watching you.

My wife's birthday and Inauguration Day

What could be a bigger event!?!? :)

1. I started the day off by making sure that tea was made available for my lovely wife
   
2. a quick check at work
   
3. get ready
   
4. off we go to Musee d'Orsay to see the Picasso and pastels exhibits
5. Fantastic lunch (and desert!) at Angelina
   
6. home to watch the inauguration online

It's been a good day.

What could be better than strolling along the park with a dear friend? (the above shot)

Bonne Annee 2009!

Happy New Year 2009!

I'm not sure what this blog will lead to except an exploration into another technology in my technology filled world.

To start things off, I'm going to try and share a picture a week, basically, something that was significant that happened to my life. After all, I'm an American in Paris. Enjoying life!

My wife and I celebrated New Year's Eve 2008 by taking a walk to the Eiffel Tower. We made it to the bridge underneath the tower and found it was too crowded to be comfortable. We went back along the river side. Throughout the evening, I was taking different shots and attempting different settings with my digital camera. I wasn't sure what would work and what wouldn't. To my surprise, I think this picture will be hard to beat this year. Enjoy!

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Adding on, this picture won Kodak's photo on the month award for February 2009 and is up for Kodak's photo of the year!