Dans les Rues de Paris - This Close

Paris - where every millimeter counts.

Dans les Rues de Paris - Art!

There's a square by my house where graffiti artists are constantly changing the scenery - it's a living work in progress. One day there's an indian chief, the next day a deer head. And yesterday, it was time to change again...two were in action, spray paint in hand, as I walked back from the market.

Dans les Rues de Paris - Le Printemps

My parents have called me Bug for as long as I can remember. My first birthday cake was in the shape of a ladybug, and when my Dad needs help with something, he usually calls out to me, "Hey Bug, can you get me that dish towel?" It's how it's always been.

So it was most definitely a good omen that this lovely Parisian ladybug - coccinelle- was hanging out near Place des Vosges on rue Pas de la Mule.

Copain saw her first:

She was stuck on a fence, so he took her to the park...

Where she flew away into a tree...where she would be happier.

Our walk continued to the Seine...

Where all the Parisians had flown to - because it was happier in the sun, near the water, the bikers, the roller bladers, and the trees, just starting to blossom for spring.

Puddles

I parked my Velib, put Clément the Casque in my day bag and started the walk to my office. 

A papi (grandpa) was walking what I imagined to be his little granddaughter to daycare. She had an adorable brown bob and held his hand as they walked.

Suddenly, she let go and started walk/running with her itty bitty tennis shoes to the most gigantic puddle on the sidewalk.

Papi: Don't do it. Do NOT jump in that puddle.

The little girl paused to think. 

Then, run run run run run

..... SPLASH!

 

Dans les Rues de Paris

rue de la Folie Mericourt - reminders are never a bad thing I guess.

Dans La Roue de Paris

A happy birthday ride with Copain on La Grande Roue...

Dans les Rues de Paris - Que de La Pluie

Vente Fromage with Yogurt, S'il Vous Plait!

Simply Market's got some nerve.

Dans les Rues de Paris

Dans les Rues de Paris

French food? In France? nah!

Dans les Rues de Paris

a fancy vélo in the 19eme arrondissement

Dans les Rues de Paris - Metro

I spotted this walking up rue Monge - hidden around the corner, a metro stop I've never seen before.

 I love it.

Dans les Rues de Paris - McBaguette

You read right - McDonalds has now introduced the "McBaguette" to the francophone world in an effort to culturally adapt to its various restaurant locations. 

Check it out:

They even decided to bust out a Frenchie remix for their commercial:

All of the Frenchies in my life said - it's just like "un américain" - Un américain is a sandwich made with baguette bread, hamburger meat and french fries. Yep, that's right - French fries stuffed in the sandwich. Then they ask you if you want ketchup or mayonnaise on top. I'm not going to lie, I definitely ate one when I first arrived in France and had the first 2.5 hour lunch break of my life at the university. It was horribly good and you definitely need 2.5 hours to digest the thing. This was followed by a 15-pound weight gain; a great story for another day.

 

Dans Les Rues de Paris - Vote

Dans Les Rues de Paris - Presidential Craze at Concorde

Sarkozy addresses the crowd at Concorde before the big elections on April 22

Hollande starts his speech (lower right)

Crazy crowd at Concorde - 

Cannes Cannes doesn't do crowds, we listened from our very political taupe couch.

Dans les Rues de Paris - A What?!

and a stinky one at that

Dans les Rues de Paris - Seriously Quick?

Copain and I were walking down rue de Rivoli, when BAM! we saw this:

Quick must be on the outs or something, because they have accepted to sell the Dark Vador burger - yes, that burger that you see right there, with the BLACK BUN. I was so intrigued / horrified, that I went inside the restaurant to inquire as to whether the buns were really black or not.  What did I see? A sign stating that due to such high popularity, they were out of Dark Vador burgers.  Seriously Quick? High popularity or just so bizarre that you had to stop selling them?

Dans les Rues de Paris - Reminder

Dans les Rues de Paris - Topless Tower!

Oh la la quelle audace

Dans les Rues de Paris - Dancer Dreams

On my way home from work, I glimpsed this lovely scene in the Repetto window.  I had to stop and capture it in a photo. I have a bouquet of old pointe shoes at my parents house that I will never throw away... years of hours in the studio, so proud to finally be dancing en pointe. I wouldn't dream of putting on a pair today; I love the feeling of the wood floor under my feet. But at the time, those pointe shoes meant so much to my young dancer-self.