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Paris Markets Wrapped in Plastic
Life at the Parisian market has taken on a new form. The market is wrapped in plastic wrap. I could only look on. The scene was very surrealistic. On May 13 the markets reopened with new sanitary guidelines. The last time I visited the Bastille Market at Boulevard Richard Lenoir was March 22. Plastic crates separated the shoppers to provide distance. On March 23, the Mayor's office closed all outdoor and indoor markets. The ban did not include the grocery stores. Who needs a straw shopping basket ("panier") to carry around anymore? Market shopping is now available online for home delivery. The delivery order goes through Mayor's Office website, takes…
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Le Doggy Bag Concept Expands in Paris
Paris has a new dining style in 2020: Take Away or in French "emporter" in le "doggy bag". All closed for health reasons, some cafés and restaurants are creatively staying in business. At the entry door is a table, display case of food, posted menus and sometimes flowers welcome walk-up guests to place their order. Using a paper bag to carry out your lunch or dinner in France, got its start in 2010. Le loi Grenelle 2 required restaurants to reduce their biodegradable garbage whence came le doggy bag or "sac à toutou". Home delivery from chocolate to sushi to pizza is catching on with riders on motor scooters and…
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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
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Stopped by the Gendarmes
It is Covid-19 time and I am out for a beautiful, blue-sky morning walk with my camera. The delivery men on bicycles are collecting bags of chocolate for Easter from the chocolate shop on La rue du Pas-de-la-Mule. Walking past Places des Vosges, I passed a cinematographer and a director/producer filming for the gendarmery television network. Two mounted gendarmes were being filmed while questioning and chatting with locals about the document...
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Paris Scenes: Balcony, Street & Snow
These are scenes from a Montmartre balcony over Paris while at a party, walking to the metro near Ledru-Rollin/Bastille to attend a conference, snow scenes along streets in the 11th arrondissement heading to the suburb of Bagnolet for a presentation rehearsal between January 26 and February 7.
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Saying Goodbye to Icons in the Bastille Neighborhood
Living in a small neighborhood of the Bastille, the hardest phrases to hear over the last year have been: "We're closing and retiring" and "They have sold the shop for their retirement": Holmes, the stationery store, and now à la Petite Fabrique, the chocolate factory. Holmes was transformed into an upscale Italian restaurant and word is that Alain Ducasse is buying the Petite Fabrique.... The neighborhood in the area of Hugo's Les Miserables and the French Revolution has gone upscale.
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For the Paris Police Dial 17
When an emergency arises in Paris or you want to report a problem to the police, dial "17". Today a security guard at the Banque de France helped me after an incident at the BNP Paribas Beaumarchais, Bastille. After speaking with the police on the guard's phone, I noticed the number on his screen "17". I will never forget that number and used it about an hour later. By coincidence the same three teenagers who hassled me earlier at the ATM inside the BNP Paribas were leaving the line one metro train the same time as I walked off. I dialed "17".
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Use Lulu Dans Ma Rue When You Need Help
From our balconettes (Parisian wrought iron window fences), we are enjoying our carrots - getting fatter every day, fresh cherry tomatoes, and wild strawberries; the plants are blooming. BUT who will water them while we are on vacation? Lulu Anna. The city of Paris (Mairie de Paris) has a service called Lulu dans ma rue (Lulu on my street). Need a helping hand taking things to the cellar (cave)? Ironing? Water your plants?
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Foire de Paris 2017-Successful Treasure Hunt
Each year it seems I have a list of items to look for at the Foire de Paris (Paris Home Show) until May 8. This year was no different. I list of treasures to hunt for. Every year nine out of ten of the 500,000 visitors buys something from one of the 1,700 stands. One third of the visitors have a home improvement project in mind when they walk through the entry gates. This year my list included: A new shopping basket because my handles pulled away from the threads. Found it in the Madagascar
Enjoy Paris Through My Eyes
