17 February 2016

Evening in Paris

I'm always surprised when nighttime photos like the ones here turn out to be usable — and I'm pleased. I took them Monday night as I walked back to my hotel after dinner.


In Paris I stayed at the Hôtel des Carmes, between the Panthéon and the Place Maubert, just off the Rue des Ecoles. It's the Latin uarter, a neighborhood I worked and spent a lot of time in back in the 1970s and '80s.


The men in the photo above were working at a restaurant on the Boulevard Saint-Germain call Le Bar à Huîtres — the oyster bar. They were preparing platters of seafood for customers in the restaurant or for customers who had ordered to to take home for dinner. That's what the wring on the awning says — sales of seafood to take away.


I was standing basically in front of my hotel when I took this photo up the hill toward the Panthéon. Oh, how many good memories this all bring back... don't get me started.

20 comments:

  1. Your photos also bring back memories for Sue and I, especially looking up towards the Pantheon. It was our first trip to Paris in 2006. Stayed around the corner.

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  2. I arrived at my mother's at midnight last night (6 a.m. Paris time) after leaving the hotel in Paris at 9:00 a.m. that morning. It's basically a 24-hour trip.

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    1. and you probably woke up at 4 am....enjoy your visit...weather this week should be nice

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    2. I got to bed at 1:15 last night and slept well until 6:30 a.m. So I was happy. Tonight I'm trying to stay up until at least 9, maybe 10.

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    3. If anyone asks about a place to stay near to the Pantheon check out the Centre Culturel Irlandais

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  3. Wonderful night time photos! Ah the Pantheon (you told me about staying very near there one night ). Midnight is late, but glad you have arrived safely.

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  4. Pleasant memories for Paul and me, too. When I was staying at the Pierwige it was because the professor's apartment (her living room served as a classroom) was on rue des Carmes. If you'd been in Paris about 10 days ago, you could've run into Paul. He and another former Pierwige friend were going to have lunch and not knowing what to recommend, they just decided to meet at the Ronsard. The pull of the old neighborhood!

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    1. I've been to the Ronsard many times, but not this one. I used to stay in the Carmes fairly frequently, but this time was the first since 2009.

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  5. Wonderful photos. I'd love to try taking nighttime photos, but I'm not sure how it would work with my little point and shoot camera.

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    1. I think my camera qualifies as a point-and-shoot model, but with a long zoom and a lot of other features, many of which I've never used. You should try some night shots with yours.

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  6. We always stayed on the Left Bank, at the small but wonderful Hotel Lutece. The last 2 times we were in Paris though, we used Paris Perfect and rented an apartment , about a block from the Eiffel Tower. That was our"nightlight" in the bedroom window :)
    I miss Paris .. we were there once a year .. then we decided to move to the "Paris of South America " lol .. it was wonderful indeed but it wasn't Paris.
    I love your photos ..

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    1. That must have been the Lutèce hotel that's on the rue Berthollet. It's on the other side of the Panthéon from where I was at the Hôtel des Carmes. Nice neighborhood.

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    2. No, this Hotel Lutece is by Notre-Dame de Paris, on Île Saint-Louis .. a tiny 17th century building .. quirky staircases etc.

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  7. Glad you arrived safely and sans delays. We've rolled out some better weather for you.

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  8. Good memories from that neighborhood.

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