Showing posts with label Paris. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paris. Show all posts

Thursday, 24 November 2016

Walking the Streets of Paris V: Tour d'Eiffel in Variations





...in twinkling dress  ...


Tour d'Eiffel is always worth photographing  - but how to take pictures of this icon without being boring or repetitive? 

 chinoiserie



 an impression



a bit shaky



classic lighthouse

original and copies



so many!


Good night! 

Thursday, 3 November 2016

Walking the Streets of Paris IV : Parc André Citroen



Parc André Citroên was opened in 1992 on the space of an old Citroên manufacturing site south of the Eiffel Tower on the banks of the Seine. It is a very young public parc with an ambitious geometric layout. Magnolia grandiflora and oak trees are cut in geometric box-shapes in contrast to more naturally growing parts of the gardens.   





 from above



Parts of the garden are divided into smaller areas with colour themes dedicated to a colour, a metal, a day of the week, a planet, a state of the water (rain, snow etc.) and a sense. 
Six further gardens are named for activities: Jardin doré, Jardin en movement and others. 


The blue garden , Perovskia (russian sage) in the back


Stachys byzantina "Blue Carpet"


Several greenhouses are connected with elaborate elevated walks.



surrounding office buildings



 A cherry alley : cherry trees have been planted on elevated pedestals. They seem to sit on small Mexican-Aztec-style pyramids.



a small bamboo grove



at work



Visitors can ride in a tethered helium balloon 150 m up to see a panorama of Paris: 


Sunday, 30 October 2016

Walking the Streets of Paris III

A walk along the Seine: See what I found here, on the banks of the river or on or beneath her many bridges. 




a lizard on Pont Alexandre III





idyllic scenes under Bridge Pont de Bir-Hakeim (Pont de Passy)





This view is from the island Île aux Cygnes, an artificial island in the Seine connecting three bridges. On one end stands a copy of the Statue of Liberty.

She is facing in the opposite direction from Tour d'Eiffel. This is an  in-camera image-overlay to have them in the same picture. 





The other end holds "la France renaissante" in a strange riding posture. 







Another bridge offers covered space for a free  and open-air gym on Île aux Cygnes.





 a sirene calling









 a rest on the banks of the Seine?


Wednesday, 26 October 2016

Walking the Streets of Paris II : Sainte Chapelle



lower chapel


This is a place that I always visit when in Paris: Sainte Chapelle, the two storey-chapel dating from the 13th century located on Île de la Cité.  Its stained glass windows and the intense colour of sun light through the windows continue to amaze and uplift.


upper chapel










a poor reflection of reality



Abstractions





The chapel is within the building complex La Conciergerie , where during the French Revolution many prisoners were held. Nowadays it is part of the Palais de Justice with law courts.  




The medieval hall "Salle de gens d'arme" is used for exhibitions.



Marie Antoinette's cell in the penitentiary

Saturday, 22 October 2016

Walking the Streets of Paris I

I had nearly four days in Paris with only few commitments, full days all free to roam the streets and visit places, get "in the flow" with open eyes and ears, no one to look after, no one to tag along : my favourite pasttime! 
I had been to Paris a multitude of times so I knew most of the touristy sites. This time I had made no plan, nothing in particular to photograph, and decided to let myself drift through the city, see where my feet would take me, and what would be my favourite spots this time. 
I happened to visit some old favourites, but found some new locations as well. This series is about  four days in Paris and the harvest I brought in photographically speaking.












someone's lost an ear ...








in the Tuilerien





Trojan horses? What are these black circles on their bellies?  

 No grazing! 

at the Louvre




in St Germain-des-Prés




reflections of Centre Pompidou



  Place de la République



groupies