Friday, October 29, 2021

Neighborhood Halloween Displays

We'll briefly interrupt our blog on Paris for a timely seasonal note.  Our new neighborhood in the Dallas area has a lot of great Halloween decorations in people's yards and houses and here are a few that we see walking around.



Less scary in daylight, other yard displays are still delightful.






And, some go for the minimalist approach with pumpkins.



It'll be interesting to see the decorations for the other upcoming holidays!

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Walking up to Montmartre

We walk from our hotel near the Louvre up to Montmartre, winding our way through the narrow streets that approach the area.  As we pass the grands magazins (Printemps, Galeries Lafayette), we admire the window displays of later summer/early fall attire.


Window shopping

The streets leading up to Montmartre offer views of Sacré-Cœur as we wind our way toward the area.  Montmarte is located in the 13th arrondissement, standing 130 meters (430 feet) above the city, with great views of Paris, a historic district known for its artistic history, the Sacré-Cœur Basilica (located on the summit, the highest point in Paris), and a nightclub district.

Working our way toward Montmarte

On our way up the hill, we wander into the Jehan Rictus garden square, featuring the Wall of Love, with the phrase "I Love You" 311 times in 250 languages.

Wall of Love

As we enter Montmartre's main square, Place du Tertre, we pass Patrick Rubenstein's I Love Montmartre artwork and enter the square filled with restaurants and artists at work.

I Love Montmartre

Cafes and restaurants


Artists at work

The side streets off Place du Tertre are lined with shops selling art, crafts, and souvenirs.  A block down the street we get a fabulous view of north Paris, down the steps past Montmartre.

Streets and shops touristic

Steps to north Paris

Back in Place du Tertre, old cars offer tours of the area, while we settle into a restaurant to have a Croque Monsieur and a glass or wine for lunch, watching the crowds go by.

Tours

Lunch

We wander around to the front of Sacré-Cœur, a block away, and head down the steps back toward the Seine.

Sacré-Cœur

Love locks in front of Sacré-Cœur

Views of Paris from Sacré-Cœur

We descend and back into the city and continue our exploration

Friday, October 22, 2021

Strolling Through the Carnival and Down the Champs-Élysées

 As we enter the Jardin du Tuileries from Place de la Concorde, we pass through the carnival that we saw when we arrived.  Everyone is having fun!

Entering the carnival

As we enter, we see the Musée d'Orsay across the Seine and people out and about enjoying the day in the Tuileries.

In the Tuileries

At the entrance to the carnival (Féte des Tuileries), we are cautioned with a sign of the times.

Sign of the times

We enter and walk along watching the sights of people out and and enjoying themselves in the late summer/early fall weather.









Féte des Tuileries

After dinner (we'll get to our spectacular dinners in a blog or two), we stroll down Avenue des Champs-Élysées, playing tourist and watching all the illuminated monuments and store fronts.



Along Avenue de Champs-Élysées

And, at the other end of the Champs-Élysées, back at the Tuileries, the fair is continuing through the night.

Back at the Féte des Tuileries