" Au coin du la rue "

At the heart of St. Germain blvd is this tiny passageway called
Rue St. André-des-Arts,
a busy cobblestone street lined with crepe stands, gifts shops.
a few greek restos and art house cinema.




This nice passage has been here since 1776.



It is also where you'd find the oldest café in town called Le Procope,



This narrow alley would've skipped our sight if it weren't for Peter {Peter's Paris},
who showed us around the area and gave us a bit of its history.



My night photos weren't that telling though,
and regret that I only took a few night shots.



If you want to know more,
you can also check this out,
the only two links which I found to be very helpful. ^0^

* from Peter's Paris post.

* from Soundlandscapes , which shares an audio clip of its environs.

* where was this *
Rue st. andré-des-arts
St. Germain
6th arrondissement
Paris

" Les Invalides "

this is the closest one I have so far of Les Invalides.
Not a good one, as I was seating on a bus while I took this foto,
but even from afar, the gilded dome was as stunning as ever.

ps: this is where Napoleon's tomb is located.
would've love to visit inside if only we weren't press for time.

* where was this *
7th arrondissement
Paris.

" Boucherie - Volailles "

a butchery and poultry shop,
beside a tibetan inspired resto called Lhassa,
right at the heart of 5th arrondissement.




* where was this *
5th arrondissement
rue de la Montagne
Ste. Geneviève- Paris

" Le ciel est à tout le monde "

Remember that inspring phrase ' Le ciel est a tout le monde '
I posted awhile back?



Apparently, this is the name of a store here in Paris,
which I accidentally click on to as I was having a hard time refreshing my blogsite,
due to my err.. slow internet speed.



what a unique name for a store,
It sells cute dishware (lunch bags, stationery, tableware, bags) for children.
I mean, who wouldn't take a second look at its window display.
If you're familiar with the french cartoon Oui Oui, cartoonish Astérix,
or the famous Le Petit Prince,
They're just some of its display.



you can check their website here.

Luckily, it's early in the morning,
when we decided to go out for a walk,
so noone's around to shoo us away for no picture taking. ^0^

* where was this *
Jardin du Luxembourg
10 rue Gay Lussac, 75005
5th arrondissement
Paris

" Gare St. Lazare "

the shady facade of St. Lazare at night, during rush hour.
this was taken after our visit to Le Bal ( moulin rouge ).



* where was this *
8th arrondissement
Gare St. Lazare - Paris

" call of nature "

« Ou sont les toilettes » is probably one of the few phrases one needs to remember
when the call of nature is badly needed. ^0^

But is it that hard to find a decent restroom in Paris that is free-of-charge?
erm... in most touristy area, I should say it's not that difficult,
you can always head to any fast food chains or giant stores like the Printemps or Haussman.
and in almost every arrondissement,
Paris has installed these sanitized public toilets which can come in handy.

But based from my experience though,
I find it very troublesome.

1st: the waiting game,
lucky if you can get inside without waiting for one's turn.
I did wait in line like the rest,
while people walking on the street would glance at your direction from time to time.
a bit annoying, I gave up after 5 minutes, couldn't stand it.

2nd: because it's machine operated,
everything's in sequence,
from the flushing, to the cleaning, to even disinfecting.
so, if you didn't get the chance to wash your hands for the first time,
you'd have to wait for
the whole 'cycle' to finish
then start it all over again.



or if you prefer, you can always pay for a small fee, like this one we found along Tuileries Garden.



* where was this *
streets along Paris

" The Art of Ventilation "

Outside Centre Pompidou are these cool ventilation ducts which has
got to be my favorite!



Here's a couple of shots that I did...










last December, it featured the works of norweigian painter Edvard Munch
who was known for his famous work " The Scream ".



* where was this *
metro- Rambuteau or Hotel de Ville
4th arrondissement- Paris

" Un Vélo "

there are sights to see and sweet treats to try in Paris,
but there are also bikes like this, dilapidated, unwanted and
oh! missing a tire that's for sure! ^0^

* where was this *
somewhere in the streets of Paris

" Bouquinistes "

In Paris, if you see these monotonous green roofs along La Seine,
then, they're your usual booksellers or bouquinistes,
they mostly sell old books,
but sometimes have vintage stamps, postcards, posters and more,
maybe you'd find something interesting the next time you're there. ^0^

* where was this *
4th arrondissement
somewhere near Notre Dame Cathedral - Paris

" Pompidou Center "

Pompidou needs no grand introduction, but still,
with its controversial architecture,
one needs to see, just how innovative were the minds of Renzo Piano, Gianranco Francini and Richard Roger.








Its modern structure then (1977), created quite a stir during its time.
Its bold colors, color-coded electrical tubes, pipes and ventilation ducts,
and seemingly, unending escalators,
were just one of the highlights of this museum.




The uneven cobblestone square are favorite hangouts for students, artists,
erm... sketch artists, so and so.



Inside though, it houses modern exhibition and paintings.
Be warned though, the long queue might discourage your feet from waiting.




and so, we did what common travelers would,
take loads of picture outside instead.
It was afterwards, I read in some travel book, that to avoid lines,
one can try the red elevator that goes right into the 5th floor,
which is Georges resto.
From there, one can catch a sort of bird's eye view of the city,
or even try eating at this chic resto.



* where was this *
metro- Rambuteau or Hotel de Ville
4th arrondissement
Paris

" Beaubourg and its environs "

Beaubourg is a neighborhood too close to Le Marais and almost near Les Halles,
But don't get confused by them, each of this area is different from the other.
Le Mararis can be chic and Les Halles, where you'd find things cheap.
Beaubourg on the other hand, will always be known for its colorful Pompidou Center.

But little did we know that before 1970, this quarter was dominated by a church that
has a history that dates back 16th century,
It is the Eglise St. Merri, or « Paroisse Saint Merri » as they call it.





Not much information could be found in the internet though.
Although small in its size, it has this flamboyant inspired Gothic architecture and
holds the oldest church bell in Paris, too bad I wasn't able to capture its exteriors though.



Unlike most churches in Paris,
this is a bit rundown and constantly under renovation,
its exteriors were way more darker than most churches i've visited,
or maybe it's already night time when we were there.


( vaulted ceiling )





For the love of me, I couldn't remember how we got here,
but that's the beauty of wandering,
you suddenly stumbled something interesting.
It is located on the corner of Rue de la Verrerie and Rue St, Martin.



It's also beside the famous fontaine Stravinsky and a few walks from Pompidou.
we were there during the christmas holidays and saw this absorbing photo exhibition
on the right wing.
some of those mind blowing photos:





and a few close ups:








( the Manger Display )

This one has got to be my favorite,
it reminds me simply of Hongkong ( a city I miss badly ).




If you're planning to take a visit,
it's best to do it during the day, and there are quite a few shops that sells trinkets and souvenirs
around the area.

* where was this *
Paroisse Saint Merri
Rue St. Martin.
4th arrondissment
Paris

" Immobilière "

I'm always curious at the cost of living in one's country.
at a random real estate agency ( immobilière),
I saw these potential spaces for sale.





et alors, que pensez-vous? ( what do you think? )

* where was this *
random street find

" an Apple a day "

At first glance, it was just a typical display sans inscriptions in it,
or maybe it was too dark then,
I thought what's special about this one ?
I was going to skip this and head towards Moulin Rouge,
because that's where our main agenda was.
But Pepperoni said,
why not take a foto of it instead.
you never know what you might've missed right?



Coincidentally,
I've been browsing through Paris daily foto's
archive and voila!
had instant info at this silvery apple.
It was designed by a sculptor name Frank Scurti,
and is dedicated to Mr. Charles FOurier, who was a french philosopher back in 1772.



* tnx to Paris daily foto,
Pls. do click at this link if you wish to know more.
text is in french though.

* where was this *
Place de clichy - Paris
18th arrondissement

" R.E.R "

The Réseau Express Régional or simply RER in french, is a transit system
that goes from suburb to the city of Paris and vice versa.
It is one of the many transportations that is affordable and efficient.

Yet, to a season traveller with a luggage that's pretty heavy,
It can be quite cumbersome.
Imagine, having to carry it in and out of the door,
managing the stairs, (escalator if you're lucky)
exiting the turnstile, which can only fit one person at a time and
more uneasy situations inside the metro.

Here's what I've learned so far,
a few tips to live by:

In Paris:

1) To alight at the next stop, you have to press a push-button or otherwise,
the door won't open.
It's not the same thing as it's in Asia, where it's automated.

2) For women travelling alone,
always head for the front row seat of the train,
(nearest to the conductor) and never at the back.
A bit unsafe especially at night.

We randomly hopped on the back seat of the train on the way to Luxembourg station,
without knowing that's it's mostly where thieves hang out.
Don't stand near the entrance door either,
pickpockets happen in a matter of seconds.

3) Be on guard in stations like Les Halles and Chatelet les Halles.

Here's a glimpse of the station:

Our trip to Paris wouldn't be complete if it weren't for some unforeseen events.
Aboard the EasyJet plane,





we assumed (like always) that we would have a
fixed seating designated for us.
But lo and behold, because it's a low-cost, no frills plane,
the seat selection is on a first-come, first-served basis.
which we didn't know till we got inside,
blame it on bad research. ^0^



It was a small aircraft btw,
at first, we were quite lost and panicking for good seats
but finally, we settled along the aisle area.
After a minute or two,
My mind was drifting, as I can't wait to see Paris already.
Indeed, like we always say, there's a first in everything. ^0^



We were ecstatic when the plane finally landed at
Terminal 2-CDG (charles de gaulle) aeroport.
It looks different from the way I had imagined.
It's a bit dated and full of passengers going in and out.
While we patiently wait for our luggage to arrive
that took about 15mts or so.



Since we opted to take the RER-Metro, all the way to Luxembourg station.



We bought tickets at the tourism office at 9euros each for a one way ticket.





There are two options for train departure, both heading to the city.
We chose the left side, I think it was Saint Remy-...something.
Its interior reminds me, more or less of Singapore's metro terminal.



then, we took a couple of shots here and there.





Then, the trouble,
I was the first to step inside the train,
while carrying my oof! heavy luggage,
and Pepperoni ( my sister) was just behind me,
when the train doors, without warning or a buzzing sound
suddenly closed and left dear Pepperoni outside.
Since most trains in Asia are already in automatic mode and has a motion sensor.
It never occurred to me that I still have to press a "push-button" if I wish
to have it re-opened.
A nice gentleman helped me by pressing the button several times,
but nothing happened.
by now, I think I was starting to sweat profusely.
Between the glass door of the train,
Pepperoni shouted that we meet at the next stop instead,
which we're not even familiar with. ^0^
While waiting at the next stop for Sis, in what like seem forever,
It finally arrived. ^0^



We happily board the next train, all the way to our destination.