Let's Explore
Check list to see and do Destinations Tours, Guides, Walks & Wheels Museums Sightseeing Famous Graves sightseeing destinations in Paris, around Paris, outside France, within France
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Bright Colors: Paris Evening Lights
A week after seeing a part of Paris in black and white, it was time to focus on bright colors. Along the way, I recalled other ways to view the evening light in reflections and patterns. I was one of seven photographers who followed a spontaneous route from the Metro Temple along Rue de Turbigo, off and on Rue du Temple, toward Arts et Métiers (museum), rue du Renard (fox) down to l'Hotel de Ville and the Pont d'Arcole. On the bridge....
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Paris Evening, Walking in Black and White
Paris has an aura when the lights dim on a moist evening. With a group of photographers on an evening shoot, the black and white theme had four criteria: reflection, near and far, silhouette and/or en marche (walking, movement). An image could have any or all of these criteria. We began at Place Igor-Stravinsky and walked through the first, second and third districts/arrondissements... click on the title to read more and see the images
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The Temporary Grand Palais
On the radio one day I heard that the Grand Palais was moving to a new location. I went to Place Joffre across from the Ecole Militaire and the Champ-de-Mars--Nothing. Shortly after, I heard on the radio work had begun. I jumped on bus 86 and headed for the Eiffel Tower, missed my stop but saw this looming wood structure jutting out above the trees. The first frames secured on delivery trucks were being pieced together. A few weeks later, I returned to the construction site to check on progress. The Grand Palais Ephémère (temporary) is a wooden dual-framed structure is well underway in its new location with a spectacular…
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Christian Louboutin Exhibition(iste)
For Christian Louboutin, "a shoe has so much more to offer than just to walk". The fashion designer known for his over-the-topThe sign that impressioned Louboutin between 10 and 12 to work with heels footwear with the red soles, Louboutin was inspired to create a line of high heels after a visit to the Museum of African and Oceanian Arts. Here he observed a sign forbidding patrons to wear high heels because of the delicate mosaic tile floor. Inspired by the museum in the 12th arrondissement where he lived, Louboutin used motifs, architecture, color, Indian and Egyptian movies even the iridescent fish in the museum’s aquarium to interpret this multi-cultural neighborhood in his…
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Lift the Mask and Smell the Rodin Roses
Alain Baraton recommends the garden at Musée Rodin for the perfume of roses. Colleen’s Paris recommends you hurry before all the petals fall off. It is the end of July. The alternative is to save the date for next year. You will be swept away by the variety of scents. Early Saturday morning, Mr. Baraton convinced me to make the museum’s garden my focus for the morning. He responded to a listener’s question on the radio: If one is in Paris, what garden would he recommend for a garden visit? He saw rabbits in the garden; I saw the Auguste Rodin’s Le Penseur (The Thinker) surrounded by roses in an…
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Les Halles and the Mist in Paris
After walking for the last 20 minutes between the shade of the buildings and the sun, our body temperatures mounted. On this warm, July morning we were sitting in the shade chatting before going into Les Halles. Without warning we received a lovely surprise: a light mist spouted forth from the fountain in the Jardin Nelson Mandela. It lowered our body temperatures and the air around us. We were ready to attack the book section at FNAC!
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Artisanal Shop Brings New Flavours to the Bastille
On my way to the oriental pastry shop Diamande along the Rue Sedaine in the Bastille, I noticed a new just-opened épicerie. I was tempted to stop for a glass of wine on its terrace (i.e., the sidewalk). When I walked into the shop, the man behind the counter looked familiar even behind his mask: the eyes, the Tintin-spiked haircut. “You resemble someone”, I said. “Who”? he asked. I proceeded to say the television personality who visits French producers and chefs riding up on his red and white checkered tricycle. Bingo! Voilà! Loïc Ballet and his childhood friend, Elodie Charras have opened an artisanal shop selling products (condiments, wine, cheese, charcuterie, oils,…
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Paris: 5 Bridges and the Sun Set
One Saturday evening in Paris along the Boulevard Henri IV I made my way to Pont de Sully and the Quai des Célestins. During my stroll by Notre-Dame de Paris an exhibition is underway. This Saturday I enjoyed the peace and quiet of the city during a special time. The Conciergerie became a silhouette as the earth rotated until the horizon reached the sun, which burst into vibrant yellows and greys.
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Stroll at La Place Saint-Germain des Près
Want to travel or go outside but cannot? Visit parts of Paris with Colleen's Paris. Take a bus ride and a stroll (flânerie) with Colleen’s Paris on a 2-minute visit to La Place Saint-Germain des Près, Les Deux Magots and the Gothic Saint-Germain des Près with the oldest bell tower in Paris
