I'm in Paris!

[bixaorellana]

Jul 18, 2015 23:44:44 GMT htmb said:

I seem to remember Kerouac hoisting you up on his shoulders a couple of times, too.

Yes! And for those of you who have not yet met Kerouac,
here's his picture ~

[bjd]

Nice to see that you actually looked up and over your seatmates! There was a striking one on Kerouac's pics wearing some kind of helmet and face covering + sunglasses.

I guess K has been bodybuilding since I saw him last .

[bixaorellana]

Thanks, Bjd!

Anyone who has seen Kerouac's excellent thread on La Défense will have also seen my burblingly enthusiastic reactions to the place.
I had the same reactions to Htmb's recent coverage of the site, so you all can imagine what a major thrill it was for me to be taken there to see it in person.















Kerouac had something to do afterward, but Htmb provided the perfect follow-up by taking me to see the Louis Vuitton Foundation building. I only got one really decent shot of it, but again I urge you to check out their respective coverages. We also took in the excellent surrounding area ~

[cheerypeabrain]

Well this is a totally brilliant thread...how I wish I could have been there too dagnamit....

Your images are splendid, I will have to visit Pierrefonds some day Paris always looks so CLEAN too. Excellent.

[bixaorellana]

Cheery, if you had been there, that indeed would have been the cherry on the cake! Thank you for the nice comments!

Well, here I go again, padding along a path that has been beautifully covered by others, but offering up my pictures in the hopes you will enjoy the sights as much as I did.
The Promenade Plantee ~

Public housing!

Miscanthus sinensis 'Strictus' ~

[bixaorellana]

Some people did a lovely job of integrating their private outdoor areas with the adjacent planted walkway ~


Others weren't quite as successful ~

[bjd]

Nice to see others' photos of places I know.

We went all along the Promenade Plantée the last weekend of June. There was an art show going on, with artists spaced every few hundred metres, sitting in garden chairs, with a display of their work and ready to discuss (and sell I guess) with anyone who stopped. There were also a few places for kids to paint and get involved.

[htmb]

Love your colorful photos, Bixa. I'm seeing things I hadn't noticed as I walked with you.

Bjd, that must have been both fun and interesting to see. I liked the walk and will go back again someday.

[tod2]

More really terrific photos Bixa! Yes, I agree with bjd - it is so nice to see the familiar places through another lens! I did spy a person ( or a person's blankets)and a pair of shoes, on the lower level of the tiered concrete planter. The first time I walked the Promenade Plantee someone was sleeping much higher up in quite a large bed!

I am so thrilled you and Htmb made it up to La Defense. I find the place incredible.
At night it is magical. We'll do that next time you're in Paris right?
I loved your movie of the crypt at Pierrefonds . You are going to give me tips on how to put something like that together!

[mossie]

I have to agree with the others, you certainly take some excellent pictures Bixa. Puts my amateur efforts in the shade, but I won't hold it against you.

[tod2]

Mossie, ME neither! She is one hot cookie photographer...no bones about it! Just looking at that last pic of the "tunnel" on the Promenade Plantee walk. For F...-sake that is an incredible shot!

[Deleted]

I am just glad that I can give people a few ideas with my photo reports and then they can go back and take the photos properly at last.

[bixaorellana]

Oh, please! So much of what I saw on that walk was only because you directed my eyes in the right direction, plus the main reason I wanted to be there was because of your brilliant & defining thread on the subject.

Thanks, Bjd -- hope I caught a couple of your favorite spots.

And thank you, Htmb, even though you & Kerouac gave me the twitches every time I heard your cameras click. My pics are just to show the pleasure I took in that walk, but the two of you really captured some horticultural glory.

Mossie & Tod, I must demur, but have to admit my head is swelling over praise from the likes of you two. [

[bixaorellana]

It's hard to believe, but there were even more treats in store. One morning we met Kerouac for a walk and we wound up at the Opera Garnier! So, what does a man do to follow up after serving up that sensory overload of delights? Well, if he's Kerouac, he immediately springs this surprise ~











After sufficient goggling, we were led to the escalator ... and then another and another and, well anyway, we kept going up & up until there were no more escalators, only stairs. Finally we emerged onto the roof -- the very roof of the Galeries Lafayette! It's huge, of course, & covered with green "turf". There is at least one restaurant up there, but mostly there are people taking in the view, picknicking on the "grass", and generally enjoying an extraordinary space.

I had to take pictures, including a panorama.
The only thing I'll say in my defense is that I'm not making you all look at every one of them.

This is a BIG picture. If you want to see it full-size, go here.

And Kerouac showed us a spot he'd found where Sacré-Coeur could be seen!

[lagatta]

Wonderful!

[Deleted]

I keep thinking of all of things we should have done but didn't.

[anshjain97]

Just catching up on this amazing thread. Fantastic. I've never seen the Sacre Coeur at that angle!

[tod2]

Kerouac said "I keep thinking of all of things we should have done but didn't".

Well if you like I'll let you unleash them on me......Of course, in between me unleashing stuff on you!

Bixa - As always your photos are just great. So nice to see things through your eyes! Don't you think Galeries Lafayette is just the most incredible store in the world???

[bixaorellana]

Thank you, LaGatta!

Kerouac, there was no way to make that trip any better short of magically doubling the hours in a day. The fact that you think there are important things left to do means that I'll be forced to come back & throw myself on your mercy again.

Thank you, Anshjain. I've hardly ever seen anything at that lofty level!

Now, don't you be running him ragged, Tod! And yes -- GL is what other department stores aspire to, but will always fall short.

We didn't know there was still another surprise in store for us, disguised as "a walk along the river" ~



Others had the same idea ~




It was a lovely evening for a stroll ~


Picknicking ~


Games ~


And then the surprise! I'll just show a few pictures as Kerouac has written the book (okay, thread) on the event here, including a killer new video.















And then somehow the city of Paris got wind that I was using up waaay more than my quotient of fun,
and it was time for me to go. The city did have the decency to clear the streets for me ~



But the flyover and loudhailers showed that they meant business ~


Okay, Okay -- I'm going!


              

[lagatta]

Thanks bixa!

Your lovely pictures illustrate another nagging annoyance of mine. The anglophone press (mostly UK and US) portrays France as some horrible apartheid state where Black and Brown people are systematically relegated to ghettos and the shittiest of jobs.

Now, of course there is discrimination and racism, as an in most wealthy countries, the legacy of colonialism or latter-day imperialism. But I actually found Paris and other major French cities also places where people of different origins, colours, and ostensible creeds mingle happily.

[mich64]

I just went through the whole thread again as I not only love the photos but the journey you took in friendship. You three must have been sending many personal messages organizing the few days you would have together.

How fortunate for you that Kerouac showed you so many special spots that he has discovered, like that beautiful spot on the roof of Galeries Lafayette where you took the photo of Sacre-Coeur, outstanding!

I do not know if I am describing this correctly Bixa, but I see so much texture and depth in many of your photos, so many of them seem almost three dimensional.

[mickthecactus]

Sumptuous pictures Bixa and Paris really looks a lot of fun I must say.

[bjd]

Bixa, I'm glad your introduction to Paris wasn't the same as most people's: Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, but rather a view of special things actually done by locals and local tourists, even if you saw some of the standard sights.

Your pictures are great and show that you appreciated it all.

[bixaorellana]

LaGatta, since way back in forum history, Kerouac has been showing us shots of regular Paris and its regular people, so I was prepared for the ethnic mix. What I wasn't prepared for, and which totally charmed me, was how Parisian all Parisians look -- some casual, unselfconscious, & low-key confident way they hold themselves that I think must be the root of their much vaunted & quite deserved reputation for elegance, chic, call it what you will.

Mich, I suppose there were confabs and planning behind the scenes, but for me it all unfolded like a fairytale where the heroine gets her every wish before she even wishes it. Really, "fortunate" doesn't begin to cover how I feel!
As for friendship, I knew them the moment I saw them & it didn't feel new or awkward at all, as they are both so warm, natural, & welcoming.
And Mich, your comment on my pictures is deeply appreciated and treasured -- thank you!

Aww, thanks, Mick! And yes indeed -- fun it was.

Thanks, Bjd. I was thrilled to be shown the "standard" sights, as of course they weren't standard to me. Each one, viewed through my newbie eyes, was a revelation in why it is considered a great sight. That said, even though I kept pinching myself simply about being in Paris, the insider things made it all the more special. Thank you so much for picking up on my enthusiasm, as I so hope my very kind and indulgent hosts know it as well.

[Deleted]

Going through these marvellous photos again, I am confirmed once again in my observation that first time visitors see places with extraordinary eyes. It is not just a question of seeing the monuments in a different perspective, but also the details of so many little things, which Bixaorellana captured so perfectly. If ever she were to return to Paris (although I still recommend Southeast Asia to totally deaf ears), I would like to take her through endless ordinary streets where she would certainly find the most remarkable things everywhere. When I think of all of the little details of everyday Oaxaca that she has shown us, I am completely certain that we would all be stunned by the result.

[tod2]

Bixa has certainly earned a title of being a wonderful photographer. What I really admire is lugging a capable camera along ! That I'm afraid will not be for me this trip. My husband carries his trusty Canon and appropriate lens when we travel together, but it's far too heavy for me.
So these photos are special Bixa!

[bixaorellana]

Kerouac, I don't know what to say except that I am humbled by that praise from the man who invented the forum picture essay. THANK YOU, and thank you again!

Tod, thank you. However, I can't call carrying my camera "lugging", as it only weighs eight & a half ounces (240 grams). It's so light that I almost always have it with me, even when not on a trip. There's a discussion on cameras here, where I & others extol the virtues of our preferred picture-snappers.

[tod2]

Thanks for giving me that link Bixa. I am amazed by your photos considering they are "point & shoot". My husbands Canon needs a person at one end that knows what he is adjusting and why and then taking several shots to get the perfect one. All too fiddley for me except when it's virtually set up for the shot.
I am seriously going to look at some options before I leave. Thanks again!

[Deleted]

You can also pick up a new camera at FNAC in 15 minutes once you arrive in Paris (take a look at the www.fnac.com site if you want to compare prices compared to home). Of course then you would have the frustration of having to charge the battery at least 30 minutes before taking pictures.

[nycgirl]

Looks like you had a terrific time! I enjoyed living vicariously through your photos. I especially love the beautiful shots taken from the terrace of Galeries Lafayette.

Question: is this the first time that three anyporters have been together at once? I think this trio might have set a record.