" of gables and roofs "

somewhere in the roofs of Paris.

* where was this *
6th arrondissement
Paris

" La Tour "

just a quick post here and a glimpse of La Tour in monochrome.

ps: excuses for sporadic posts lately,
we're preparing for our (hopefully) next trip this coming winter, hoping all goes all, meanwhile, tons of browsing and research is badly needed. ^0^

* where was this *
Avenue Anatole France
7th arrondissement
Paris

" Barcelona Ciclo Tour "

another way to explore the streets of Barri Gothic is to rent a bike.


there's a company that offers one called Barcelona Ciclo Tour.
you can easily visit their website,
click this!
it would've been nice to try the biking sort,
but too bad, Pepperoni (little sister) doesn't know how to .^-^


but the cobblestone pavement and structured arches were what
drew us in the first place.
there's an old charm in this nice street.

" Wanted "

looking for work in Paris ?
here's something I caught outside a shop window.

But I think it's only temporary.
I wonder how much does an average salary costs in here though...

* where was this *
somewhere in the streets of Paris

" along the sixth "

the setting:
La Centrale.

the street:
Rue des Canettes

the highlight:
a very nice "street art" in between them.

* where was this *
Rue des Canettes
6th arrondissement
Paris

" Bailamos "

the nice abanicos, the floral shawls and especially made heeled shoes.
a window shop along Barri Gothic that has pretty much everything you need for
a Flamenco tune.

so, are you ready to bailar?! ^0^

* where was this *
along the streets of Barri Gothic
BCN

" La Boqueria "

A trip to Mercat de Sant Josep may not be enough for an hour,



to appreciate the local market, one needs to delve into their fresh produce,
try a few Jamons (hams) and then taste their rich cocoas and maybe those gooey colorful candies.
so, let's tour the market and see what we can find.

first, a handful of gummies


and chocolates! , almonds and roasted nuts...




nutty goodness and mushrooms...


did you say wild mushrooms?!


fresh veggies, dried goods.






must try "pintxos" = a snack typically eaten in bars, popular in the Basque country.
typical with a skewer or toothpick, often to a piece of bread + a nice slice of pizza and a cute server.


some out-of-the-blue frozen favorites




feast your eyes on Jamon galore




marinated cod fish




hope you enjoyed this as much as we did. ^-^
by the way, check its official website


* where was this *
Mercat de San Josep
Carrer de la Boqueria
BCN

" La Boqueria "

a trip to Barcelona isn't complete without spending a few minutes at La Boqueria.



The place, which is Mercat de Sant Josep, located along Las Ramblas,
spells a plethora of fresh foods from Iberico Jamon, cocoas, candies, heavenly wild mushrooms and more.



During weekends, the market is not only filled with curious tourists but local Catalans as well.





here's a historical photo of how it looked ages ago.


I mean, really, it's literally a dizzying array of food stalls and tempting delicacies.



if you walk further, there's a small outdoor market as well.


I was looking up for more interesting sights and was startled when this guy
was looking at my lens directly. yikes! ^0^
But i love the view from up there,
a nice balcony too.



but wait! there's more on my next post.
sit tight okay?!

* where was this *
Mercat de San Josep
Carrer de la Boqueria
BCN

" Tabac "

your one stop shop for transportation and lottery tickets, phone cards, postage stamps, cigarettes and what not.
the closest one I got was at the Notre Dame Cathedral.



* where was this *
rue lagrange - Paris

" the signs of time "

Le Metro dans Paris,
The M signs are everywhere!
Some are Art Nouveau inspired, while others wear the classic type.





yOu are herE

" Saviez-vous ? "

We just had a sumptuous lunch @ a resto called Chez Jaafar and
what a coincidence that outside are these Velib' Bikes parked on the side.

I took a foto of it, seemed nice for a macro shot
but didn't notice what the flyer meant,
Apparently, it was an awareness campaign.

It said:
In France, there are 95000 resto but only 1300 are authentic and serves
fresh dishes, the others, are either deep frozen food or pre-packed dishes bought elsewhere,
in short, purely microwave.

There's actually a documentary about this by Envoyé Special from TV5.

* where was this *
5th arrondissement
22 rue de sommerard- Paris

" Chez Jaafar "

It was a long and tiring walk in Paris that foggy tuesday afternoon,
I remember that day because we were looking forward to see the Unicorn tapestry,
inside Musée de Cluny,
but in a hurry, forgot to check about its closing hours.

Anyway, we decided to walk around its environs.
When it was around 2pm or thereabout,
having just a piece of bread and a cup of Instant noddles for breakfast,
we finally felt our stomach grumbling. ^0^
This street called Rue de Sommerard was our stop,
lined with restos and cafes.

We chose Chez Jaafar instead,
the menu outside matched our taste,
plus we love anything couscous. ^0^



The interiors are inviting,
the ambiance, très cozy,
and the owner, who is I think of Tunisian descent welcomed us
with a smile.



I can't stop looking at those lamps,
although, not real, they looked very antique.
I also like the quaint bric-a-brac displays, that makes one feel homey. ^0^



when we got there, the seats are almost empty except for two Japanese tourist
sitting on the other table.
after a few minutes though,
the seats were almost full, there were a group of tourist, some local Parisians too.
and I thought, we were too late for lunch! ^0^



for 12 euros,
the price was already affordable,
the food was served hot and delicious, simply said.
you choice between:

1 appetizer + 1 plat du jour (main meal)
( Chorba ) and (couscous poulet)
( soup ) (couscous chicken)
or

1 plat du jour(main meal) + 1 dessert
( couscous merguez ) and (pattiserie orientale)
(couscous african sausage)

we clearly got confused at first,
we thought we were having all 3.
and drinks not included btw,
so, we had a glass of table wine instead for 3 euros.

total cost:
around 27 euros.

Parisians, like Catalans, take their food seriously,
they dine slowly, while chatting away,
unfortunately, for these two young females,
time is of essence, so in less than hour,
we were wandering the side streets of Paris again. ^0^

* where was this *
Rue de Sommerard- Paris

" Graffiti "

Graffitis are one of the coolest thing here,
and on the Latin Quarter side, there's plenty of them!
either purposely or discreetly placed.
too bad though, I wasn't able to find any info of the artist.

the phrase said:
on devrait pas laisser le pouvoir aux cochons

literally:
we should not leave the power to pigs

did I get it right?! ^0^

* where was this *
5th arrondissement
somewhere dans la rue de Paris