Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts with the label Eiffel Tower

April in Paris 2019

Some 800 parasols are throwing serious shade over visitors at Le Village Royal in Paris. The Umbrella Sky project which started in Àgueda, Portugal in 2011 has been so popular that it has made the rounds in different parts of the world. The installation in Paris is temporary and will fold in July 2019. Le Village Royal is on 25 Rue Royale, a stone's throw from the Eglise de la Madeleine. There’s no denying that La Tour Eiffel is one of the most visited landmarks in Paris. The internet is full of images of this iconic steel structure and recommendations for the best viewpoints. Once you’ve settled on where to snap that Instagram worthy image, the next step is to decide on how to portray the tower. There are innumerable angles to consider but definitely check the surroundings for the best way to frame the photo and capture the "mood" you wish to communicate. Speaking of steel, the interior of the Eglise Notre Dame du Travail (Our Lady of the Laborers Church) is

Paris in Winter

Tour Eiffel If winter is about grey skies, showers and chilling temperatures, then there's all that in Paris in January. So why go at such an inhospitable time? Because Paris in winter is moody (great for photo ops), less frantic, the bi-annual store sales are irresistible, and you don't have to fight with the swarm of selfie indulgent tourists. There is no absence of color beneath the threatening cloud cover. Rue Cremieux These pastel painted houses were my neighbors during my stay in Paris. I counted five visitors here, myself included.  Cathedral of Notre Dame I was at once elated, captivated and saddened to see Notre-Dame de Paris again. Elated that I could behold her in festive finery, captivated by her timeless beauty but saddened by the reality of the threat of terrorism.  For a moment I felt fear when I saw policemen dressed in combat gear with high powered rifles patrolling the cathedral. We shouldn't have to accept this as the new norm. But

Vegas - It's not all that it seems

Ca' d'Oro The last time I was in Venice was nearly two years ago. It was in mid June and Venice was teeming with visitors.  We took the vaporetto which was jam-packed with passengers bound for St. Mark's Square. It was scary full. And I had no view of the beautiful palazzos that line the canals.  So nice to see a replica of the Ca' d'Oro's façade in Las Vegas. This 15th century palace is my favorite building in Venice.  It's all about the balconies, each one with its own distinct personality.  Tour Eiffel Disguised against the black of night, who would think that this tower is on the Strip and not in the City of Light? Were it not for the building in the background, this scene could be mistaken for Paris! Miracle Mile Shops Clouds dot the bluest sky inside a shopping mall. It's nice to be indoors when it's smouldering hot outside and have a glimpse of the sky, faux though it may be.  Fortunately, I have something he

Unexpected Pleasures

Tour Eiffel While eating lunch at Le Lafayette Café on the 6th Floor in the Galeries Lafayette, I happened to look up from my plate of lousy fish du jour with overcooked green beans and saw the Eiffel Tower from my perch. That was my lunch treat. As I was walking away from St. Etienne du Mont toward Boulevard Saint Michel, I passed by this plaque which says that Erasmus, the Dutch philosopher, was a boarder here for a year at the College of Montaigu in the University of Paris. From Rue Galande it's a short walk to the quays of the Seine where the bouquinistes have plied their used books within plain view of the towers of Notre Dame since the 16th century. A novel way to sightsee in Paris is by tricycle. I saw a couple of Yellow PediCabs around Notre Dame. No need to rush in a double decker bus. Slow and easy does it. One of my favorite parks in Paris is the Jardin du Palais Royal. It's surrounded by arcaded buildings constructed around 1874. This garden was origina