I think it was mentioned in an earlier metlinks but the banks of the river Seine will be seeing some changes until 2012. In the mean time, strolling along under blue skies is lovely. Some seem to fall head over heels in romance and scar the poor trees along the banks…

Lovely doggy bag, isn’t it? I guess I’ll never understand fashion…

Doesn’t this concept seem odd? I’ve always knows people riding bikes as having to follow the regular “code de la route“. Which meant, among other things: riding only one way on one-way streets and no riding on sidewalks. This could be very frustrating for those rinding on bicyles as it would mean a number of detours instead of taking the shortest route. (Not all were deterred though and I’ve often seen both people riding their bycicle in the wrong way on one-way streets and people riding their bycicle on the sidewalk… Some even assuming they should have priority on the pedestrians!)

Anyhow, it seems that, in order to favor bycicle use in Paris, one-way streets will become two-way by bicycles, thanks to an extra bicycle lane! All the info can be found here, where there is even an animation to illustrate how cars and bicycles will be moving along with these new paths. I’m sligthly worried about people not thinking to check BOTH WAYS before crossing such streets… But apparently, these lanes have already been in place in a few areas and things have been going well, with cars riding more slowly for example.

By the end of this year, almost all one-way streets where speed is limited to 30 kph should be equiped with the extra bicycle lane. I feel this could make quite a change for those using bicycles and encourage some who didn’t use bicycles before…

Street art: Jef Aerosol left his mark just off Rue Mouffetard, 5th arrodissement.

Dimanche, je marchais dans le jardin du Luxembourg et voilà que ma route est coupée : des cordons de sécurité bloquent l’accès à la partie centrale du jardin (toute la partie basse autour du grand bassin)…

La vue est originale : le centre est totalement désert, un fait rarissime, mais on peut voir les passants à droite dans la zone qui reste ouverte…

Je n’ai pas encore réussi à déterminer pourquoi cette zone était fermée, l’enquête est en cours.

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Part of the Luxembourg gardens was closed on Sunday, a mystery but also a rare moment of quiet.

Here are the two weirdest decorations I’ve seen in the streets of Paris. They both happen to be quite near the rue d’Ulm, known for its occasional odd activities indeed, but I’ve spotted the one late last week and the other yesterday…

Here is the bear-can xmas tree? A lot of effort really went into this as 3 trees / bushes were decorated, almost every single branch having its bear can on top of it… Quite impressive if unfortunately not eco-friendly…

I would have thought the cable between the buildings to be meant for xmas decorations but when I looked up, I only saw that pair of shoes… I really wonder why / how they ended up there…

There are so much that we want to share and to tell you, but work is keeping us away from this blog. I certainly wish for some normalcy back in my life, but until that happens, I can hope for the best.

Now, here’s something you shouldn’t miss. And frankly, there’s no excuse to miss it either – you’ll see later what I mean by this. I know we have talked a good bit of the famous Parisian tower in recent months, but it is just such a significant landmark for celebratory events that we couldn’t help ourselves.

Tonight, a new fête begins.

Eiffel Group and its party/commercial partner Citroën are bringing 10 weeks of spectacular light show on the Trocadéro façade by using state-of-the-art LED spotlights. The colours will change and shimmer and do all the pretty little things in between. Against the dark night sky, it’s going to be fa-bu-lous.

For the opening night (i.e this evening!) the shows are running at 9pm, 9.30pm, 10pm, 10.30pm and 11pm. That’s every half-hourly between 9pm and 11pm. For 12 minutes (each representing 10 years of Eiffel Tower’s existence) of colour fest, it’s worth taking a pause to take in this eye-candy.

If you’re not in Paris (or whatever reason can’t make it all the way to Trocadéro), then login to Citroën Opération Tour Eiffel which will be streaming the show from 10 key viewpoints nearby. See, told you there’s no excuse to miss it. ;)

After tonight, there’s still plenty of time for you to catch the show in person. Until the 31st December, the light performance will be taking place on the hour between 8pm and 11pm, on a daily basis. And if you wonder what will happen to the bright sparkles, good news – they’re going to sparkle as usual for the first five minutes.

Now, that’s what I call double the merriment, double the joy, double the fun! Ah yes, and the Iron Lady will bask in full blown glory. :D

Ps: for more info, here’s the linky to Eiffel’s website.

There are eyes and then there are eyes. In Paris, these eyes are the windows to the souls of tens of women from all over the world.

Eyes on Ile St Louis by JR

JR‘s outdoor instalment of Women are Heroes is nothing but inspirational, as they tell not only by image but also through stories narrated by the women behind the scene themselves (with a little help of a local-rate-call audioguide).

The outdoor exhibit (from 3rd October to 2nd November) around Ile St Louis is complemented with a secondary exhibit at the Pavillon de l’Arsenal at 21 boulevard Morland (4ème) (from 3rd October to 23rd October) which showcases JR’s stint for the Women series in Rio earlier this year.

Both exhibits are free.

Ps: I wonder what project he’ll be working on next. His works are story-telling of life and emotions. They move me. I would love to get involved.

“Le square de la Tour Saint-Jacques rouvre au public samedi 18 avril après une cure complète de rajeunissement. Entièrement replanté, modernisé, ce square constitue une oasis et un lieu de détente au milieu de la circulation urbaine. Il forme un écrin de verdure autour de la Tour Saint-Jacques elle aussi entièrement rénovée.” -> tout l’article

Les petits glaciers ambulants à l’entrée du Luxembourg (côté station RER) sont de retour pour cet été ! Avec leurs parfums qui mettent l’eau à la bouche et nous font le choix difficile !

Mon parfum préféré je crois bien c’est “fraise feuille de menthe” Mmmmmmmmm. Et vous ?