Another Pair of Shoes in Paris

My favorite shoes were on this mannequin.. It was in a display window in one of the passage galleries near my hotel. I love these shoes but wouldn't wear them. If I owned them they would be displayed on a shelf as art or on a mannequin dressed like this one..


This is the whole mannequin in the window and I liked her attitude.


This photo is my favorite. I like the ghostly image and the reflections in the glass.

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes, and More Shoes!!

I was talking to one of my daughter-in-laws earlier and she loves shoes. The shoes in Paris were colorful, different and so much fun. I've posted these for her to enjoy and drool over.. Hope you like them, too.

Thanks to Alice, I now know the designer of the "Paris" shoes.. He is Christian Louboutin and now I remember Oprah doing a show on him and his shoes and showing off the red soles..

My Birthday Dinner at Epcot

Last Monday was my birthday and my inherited daughter, Vanessa, took me to Epcot Center at Disney World for the day. The weather was perfect and we spent the day walking around the two sections. Lots to do and see. We entered by the back entrance from the boat ramp and this is the lovely view as we walked towards England. France is to the right over the bridge. The tower to the right is in Italy. Nice to walk around the world in one day.

Dinner was a treat at Les Chefs de France.

This is Sylvain, our waiter who was from Nice, and he was very very nice..

All of the servers came to the table when my dessert arrived to sing to me. What a treat.. and it was delicious.

And to end the meal, Vanessa and I had our Cafe Cremes.

Dinner was finished in time to watch the nightly fireworks show.
It was the best ending to a delightful day.

Animals of Paris

There were many animals in Paris. Here are just a few that I photographed.

Here is a little sparrow who was mooching for some of my lunch in the Jardin des Tuilleries .


This dog saw my camera and struck a pose.


This calico cat belonged to a cafe and was very comfortable walking on the tables and just going wherever it wanted.


A different calico cat in Montmartre who was stalking a pigeon.

To Flock or not to Flock? Is that the question?

Eric's Paris Daily Photo posted a photo of a forlorn little bright orange flocked Christmas tree being sent off to be disposed of. Most of the comments on this post were not complementary to the poor little tree.

When I was there the little flocked trees were everywhere and in every color. I had never seen trees like these and I'm still not sure how I feel about them. But here are a few photos I took. The last one may well be the tree that Eric saw being disposed of. It was at the Cafe next to the Comedie Francais.

Store Windows

The window displays in Paris fascinated me. So many unique designs and ways to display the merchandise. I took many photos. These two were not fancy window displays but unusual chairs.
The first, the rose chair is obviously a chair. The second one was black and round with a puffy green center with a stem on it. We all wondered how to sit in it but none of us could figure it out. Someone suggested it might not be a chair at all but an ottoman to put your feet on but I don't think so.




The price tags were astonishingly high. Thousands of euros needed to purchase these. Much more fun to just look at them. Anyone wanting to add them to their decor can find the store on the tiny little Rue de Valois, next to the Palais Royal.

Onion Soup and More

I was asked about the food in Paris and it would be difficult to choose what I liked best but one of my favorites was the Onion Soup. This is a photo of my first Paris bowl that held onion soup. I didn't think to take the picture until it was gone. It was delicious.



I have been wanting to try making it at home and since the weather here is cooling down a bit, I put up a good sized pot of it yesterday. I did the toasted French baquette slices and topped the bowl with cheese and broiled it until it was golden brown. Here's a photo of it before it was gone. The only thing I forgot was the wine.



Today, the cold front started to move this way and brought some much needed rain and predictions of much colder weather. I like cold weather because I can put up pots of soups and sauces and let them simmer. Yesterday afternoon with the onion soup simmering, I bought a chicken and started a pot of chicken soup. Today I cleaned the cooked chicken and added the white meat to the broth with carrots, celery, onion, and parsnips. A little seasoning, a pot of thin egg noodles and it's ready to be eaten tonight for dinner along with some French bread.



The outside cats are enjoying the carcass and scraps and the house smells delightful. Wish there was a way to add smell and taste to the blog.

Temptation!


Yummy


Tempting



Somehow I spent 20 days in Paris and did not eat any of these luscious pastries. I kept telling myself to wait until the last days so I could savor just one of them. Time flew and the last day passed and I never did get to eat one. Now I really have to schedule another trip.

Confession: I did have some macaroons from a booth in the Latin Quarter and a citron crepe on the Eiffel Tower so it wasn't total denial.

The view from my hotel window.
All those trucks at the end of the street near the Louvre were following six police cars with sirens blazing. I have no idea why.


They seem to like Barack Obama in France.
You can see this kiosk in the first photo. It's at the end of my street. Almost dead center.



The Hotel du Louvre lit up at night.
This is such a pretty hotel at night and it is surrounded by cafes and stores.

I wrote about this on January 3rd from Paris and here is a bit more information about the church and the monastery.

We were fortunate to walk into this church on the night of January 3rd and were happily surprised to find a mass in honour of Ste Geneviève, patroness of Paris, in progress.

There were the nuns in blue with white wool hooded capes and monks in black with the white capes and they were singing and reading from their missals. The church was St-Gervais-et-St-Protais.

My friend Peter, whose Paris Photo blog sweeps you to parts of Paris usually not seen by the average tourist, researched and found that they are a part of the
Monastic Jerusalem Communities, a project offering a new form of monastic life in the heart of the city.

The lovely voices singing a cappella followed by dramatic organ music was something I think I'll always remember. It was beautiful to hear and to watch. I'm not religious but the muusic touched my soul.

The singing nuns:


The beautiful church at night.

Home

I'm physically home but can't get my mind to realize that I'm not still in Paris. It is nice to be in my own big soft bed and have my furry little Shadow happy to see me. The weather is nicer.
But somehow I'm feeling like a stranger in a familiar land. I walk outside and there are no busy streets, no museums on every corner, no cafes every 10 feet, no sirens, no lovely old buildings covered with decorations and statues, and no one is speaking French. I'm feeling like Alice wandering around wondering where I am.

The necessity of unpacking, laundry, mail and e-mail, friends calling and visiting has an unreal feeling but I'm moving through the days trying to get things done and I'm sure in a few days things will return to normal. But I think that's my biggest fear. I felt an emotional shift while I was in Paris and want it to remain with me and provide an impetus to improve my life.

This photo is my last view of Paris.

Paris!
This is my next to last night in Paris and it is cold and clear outside. Just returned from a day of walking on the left bank to the Ile Saint Louis and over and around the bridges in the area. Our last stop was a beautiful church or cathedral and there was a service in progress.

Lovely French nuns in their blue dresses with white hooded cloaks and monks in black with the white hooded cloaks were singing acapella and reading from their prayer books. The organ played in between and it was so surreal and beautiful. I snuck a photo or two so that I don't forget how special it was.

Tomorrow is my last full day and I will head to the Eiffel Tower and stand in a long line to get to the first or second level and then stand in another to go to the top.
A sunny and clear day would be nice but not necessary.