One of my favorite things to do, as I have done here on my blog before, is to look at old prints and paintings of Paris as it once was. The Carnavalet Museum is one of the best places to do that in my opinion.

This elaborate windmill, called a follie as in crazy and over the top, was once found near the Tuleries Garden. Don’t you wish it had been saved?

Would you believe that this is St Pierre, the tiny church up on top of Montmartre? I think I saw another old painting that showed a windmill on the top of it at one time. I need to take a closer look at the back of the church the next time I am up there. If you were looking from this angle today you would be near Sacre Coeur.

I love this one. It’s a view of the Seine with Pont Neuf in the background and the boats where women washed clothes in the water. Can you imagine taking your clothes there to get them washed? Apparantly, these washer women were a tough group of women who led the way to pick up Marie Antoinette when she was to be imprisoned.

And look at this painting of the Arch de Triumph where they are celebrating the beginning of the second Republique. Look how bare the area surrounding it was. The whole thing just fascinates me.

Provence is gearing up for summer. May is usually cool with a few very warm days here and there and there are occasional rainy days to keep everything green. The other day it rained all day without stopping but by evening it cleared up and the clouds separated letting the sun through which meant a rainbow on the other side of the sky. I was in the house doing something when I happened to glance outside and gave a little scream of excitement and rushed outside with my camera. Maurice and I even got in the car to go up the hill a bit to see if I could get a photo of the whole thing but I didn’t have my wide angled lens with me. It was so exciting to see, one of the largest and brightest that I have seen in a long time and it made you understand why there are so many stories about rainbows.

Maybe there could be a pot of gold at the end of this.

A view from up the hill a way.

I liked how it was pink inside the rainbow.

The next morning I could see raindrops hanging from plants and decided to try my luck photographing them.

There’s something magic about raindrops too-a little world magnified.

There is a new book out and you can see references to it all over the Internet. It’s called Paris, Made By Hand by Pia Jane Bijkerk and it features interesting shops all over Paris for unusual items, many made by hand. Pia is a stylist, which is someone who sets up photo shoots, the ones full of things you’d like to have in your own home or to accessorize your wardrobe. She has a really great blog as well and, lucky girl, lives in Paris and on a fabulous houseboat in Amsterdam.

The cover of the book.

This shop, written about in the book, called Galierie Vegetal is at 29 rue des Vinaigriers where I also found the cute shop that I wrote about called Rose et Chou-Fleur. Don’t you just love this door? Red and turquoise always please me.

The shop had many of the standard gardening equipment but also items which were quirky and fun such as this chair that is actually planted with grass.

A white pumpkin on some neat metal containers.

A painting sold there that I liked.
A great shop for finding unusual gardening items, even some felt flower pins to wear. Pia’s book is a fun way to explore Paris and find some areas where you’ve never been before.

There is a very interesting permanent exhibit in the Carnavalet Museum. It is a wholy intact jewelry store called Fouquet that, thank goodness, was taken apart and put back together in the museum. It’s fabulous.

This lovely lady is on the front of the store.

Of course, you must have a fireplace in a jewelry store.

A peacock behind the counter.

A decorative sculpture in front of a mirror.

An artist who also seems to like the counter.

A few photos taken here and there that don’t really fit into any theme. I usually try to put photos together that way but sometimes a few stand alone.

Ear muffs making a fashion statement of sorts.

This is the Tour St Jacques. It has been under scaffolding since I have lived in Paris and is finally in full view. It was once the tower of a church.

James at the top of the tower. I’m wondering if some day they will allow people to climb to the top.

A reflection in a puddle. I’m always looking for reflections in water or windows. I like this one because it was in the sun.

This is the name of a delightful little shop I happened upon with a friend just a street over from Canal St Martin which is a great place to meander around on a nice sunny day in Paris. The area is full of funky little shops and rue des Vinaigriers (did they make vinegar on this street once?) is lined with fun shops with windows full of beautiful things to draw you inside. One that I especially liked was Rose et Chou-fluer. Zoe D. is the createur. Her window had gorgeous little gowns to make a little girl into a Cinderella, darling little hand made clothing for babies and jewelry. Zoe was such a nice lady and she let me wander around in her work room and take photos.

This dreamy little dress was in the front window.

A view of her work station for creating everything in her shop.

Another view. Look at how neat and tidy it is. If I happened to do something like this, I’m sure there would be stuff scattered all over the place.

A dress form.

She had even made a cute cover for the light overhead.

A fun shop and worth the visit the next time you are in Paris.