It’s kind of hard to find, the boulangerie Au Panetier, but it’s well worth the search. Found near the Place des Victoires in the second arrondissement it has an unassuming exterior. It is famous for its pain au chocolat blanc and the rich financier. There’s also room to eat there if you would like a little coffee with your pastry. I especially liked the interior inspired by the Art Nouveau movement with the walls covered in wonderful tile and tiled scenes.

Would you believe I didn’t buy anything to eat there? It was hard to pass up but I’m trying to keep my calorie intake down.

One hundred years ago in January, 1910, Paris was flooded. I made it to an exhibition in the Marais to look at some photos from that time.

As you can see, the water was almost to the top of this bridge.

This is a statue at the base of the Alma bridge. People often keep an eye on it during flood season. Here it is during normal times. If the water level reaches the statues feet, the paths along side the river are closed.

And here it is in 1910. All of the streets near the river were filled with water and people used boats to get around

An interesting church near the les Halles area is St Eustache. It has a very dark interior but the outside has recently been cleaned.

A look at a section of the church. Can you see the sundial up at the top? It has several for some reason.

A view of the old Bourse (the stock market) across the way. There is also a maze of sorts there on the ground.

You can also find this giant sculpture of a head and a hand in front of the church. People like to climb up on the hand to have their photos taken.

As you can see, there has been some major grafitti done. I don’t like grafitti but the sunglasses did make me smile. I saw a bra painted on the sculpture of a female goddess once as well. I hope they can get the paint off.

Paris doesn’t get a lot of sun and this winter has been very gray and wet so there is a lot of joy when the clouds break and those golden rays rain down.

An entrance at the back of Palais Royal with the sun streaming in. There is all sorts of work going on in the front section of the Palais Royal, mostly to some conceptual art found there, and a walk around the outside is required right now to get in. I hope it is done soon.

Not grass, no leaves but the branches and the sun provide some beauty.

A man catching some rays in a rare sunny moment.

This was a funny little lady, so well dressed, walking her dog in the Palais Royal. She was trying to sweet talk her dog into leaving the park with her but the dog, as you can see, didn’t want to.

There are always pleasant surprises and lovely things to look at in the windows of shops in Paris.

Aren’t these cakes amazing? I have no idea what the flavor is, I suspect some fruit is involved. I’ve never bought one of these but I sure am tempted.

There was a full set of plates and serving dishes like this seen in a window of an antique shop. They were made in the 1800′s.

This chair wasn’t in a window but in a book store. I really like it probably because it’s sort of art deco. It looks like it could be used in a Disney movie in the part of a talking chair as the design on the end of the arms looks like hands to me.

There are many cafes and bistros in Paris with that great ambiance, full of charm and warmth that make you want to sit down with a cup of coffee and soak up the atmosphere. These are shots from one I was in recently up in Montmartre.

I love zinc bars.

An elegant ceiling.

A comfy chair to dream in.

And how about a croissant with that cup of coffee?