I saw a lot on my little excursion on the streets leading off of Saint Germain Blvd.

This pretty sculptured flower on the side of a building.

Whatcha doing?

I hope you’re planning on sharing.

I just like this bike leaning against the building.

Lots of outdoor seating.

I love walking around the tiny, winding streets in the St Germain des Pres area. There’s so much to see.

It’s true. (Love at first sight)

Cute windows to look into.

Lovely old street lamps.

Decorating shops all over.

Hmm. Could I find someplace to wear this dress?

I recently met a new blogging friend up in the 19th arrondissement and we walked around the Buttes Chaumont park. I haven’t been there in years. The park is fascinating as it was created out of an old rock quarry, all of the hills and grottos man made, along with fences looking like wood but made of concrete. It’s a nice place to visit off of the usual tourist track.

I arrived on the metro which is above ground for part of the way. This is a nice way to see Paris. This was line 2 but line 6 is above ground the most.

Evidence of spring. There were beautiful tulips and pansies everywhere.

Isn’t this pretty?

From the top of the hill you can see Sacre Coeur which isn’t as close as this photo may make you think.

Spring’s confetti thrown by a blooming tree.

And a look at the waterfall in the grotto.

I went to the first brocante of the season, at least for me, recently. I love going to them, looking at items from the past. Our apartment is so full that I don’t need one more thing but it doesn’t stop me from looking.

This one was held near Sacre Coeur up on Montmartre below the Anvers metro stop. I joined Lisa there and we had one of those fabulous sunny days as you can see by the sky behind the cathedral.

While waiting at the metro exit for Lisa to arrive, I saw this mad crowd pawing through piles of clothing. The store has seriously inexpensive clothing but I couldn’t bring myself to look. I hate fighting crowds to look at clothing. I’d rather pay more than do that.

We saw some gorgeous mirrors for sale, most of them very expensive.

Hmmm. I wonder what part of this lamp light up when it is turned on?

Trunks for sale by a friendly, talkative Englishman. He said he bought them in Brittany.

You can always find silverware for sale along with glasses and plates. I should get some instead of buying my usual at IKEA.

I’d been hearing about the show, How To Be A Parisian In One Hour, for quite a while and finally got a chance to see it the other night with a friend. Created and performed by a Parisian, Olivier Giraud, who lived in the States for a while, you get a look at the difference between Americans and Parisians. In a nutshell, Americans are friendly and smile a lot, while Parisians are arrogant and sneer a lot.

He opened dressed like this. Excuse the blur but I didn’t want to use flash.

Then he came out dressed in, what else, black.

He showed the difference between Americans and Parisians while ordering at a cafe, hailing a taxi and talking to a taxi driver, flirting and then even went into sex differences. It’s definitely not for families or for people who are offended by bad language or sexual references although I’ve seen much worse in movies rated R. One older couple left after a short while probably shocked by what they heard. The audience, composed of people from all over the world along with French, seem to enjoy his performance but I left a little disappointed thinking it was a bit raunchy. Maybe it’s because I’ve lived here for so long but but I could have given him a lot more material-as an outsider I think I notice more-as he probably did when he returned from the States.
The show ends at the end of the year and then he is taking it on the road to both Europe and the States. I’m getting a little old and cranky and don’t enjoy movies with young male humor like The Hangover, but if you like this sort of thing, I think you will enjoy this show.

My daughter in law has sold her fabulous apartment to buy an even better place. While waiting for it to be ready to move in to she has rented a very nice apartment. I was there for dinner the other night and loved the views out the window. You don’t often get to see the roofs of buildings so I was happy when I got a look out the window.

Evening was falling as you can see.

Doesn’t this just say “Paris” to you when you see it?

Another look across the way.