On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Paris in the daylight, After Dark. Sweet! Loving all these different views of Paris. ~WaterGirl
Lapassionara
Hello. I am loving the photos of Paris, after dark, in the day, or whenever. We had to cancel our fall trip to Paris this year, so these on the road photos have lifted my spirits.
This photo was taken at the Place Maubert market. On Saturday Mornings, shoppers are joined by buskers. These are two of my favorites.
About the Place Maubert, it was one of the first places for executing prisoners in Paris. Now, it is a simple square paved with asphalt, across which pedestrians cross when leaving the metro stop. There is an escalator that brings people to the square from the Metro, if they know which exit to choose. It is a perfect Paris place, anchored on one end by a simple cafe and on the other by a green grocery. In between, there is everything a person needs to put together a reasonable meal. A fish monger (poisonnerie), a butcher (bucherie), a delicatessen (charcuterie), a cheese seller (fromagerie), a wine merchant, and a bakery (boulangerie). Some of these establishments have won prizes, and are now, for a year, the purveyors of the “best” croissant in Paris, or the “best” cheese in Paris.
The first time I saw this square, there was a market, and at one of the booths, a guy would dispatch a duck, in front of the purchaser, and dress it, including using a blow torch to render the barbs of its wings harmless. What a sight.
This was taken at the gardens of Les Invalides.
This is Notre Dame in the morning light, as I am walking toward the taxi stand with my luggage to head for the airport, alas.
The photo of Notre Dame is a particular favorite, as it is unusual for me to see it in the early morning light. This was January, 2017, before Trump was inaugurated. There was still some people who thought he might grow into the job, still some uncertainty about how he would govern.
This a photo of one of my favorite squares in Paris, behind a church on the right bank, very near the river.
This was taken at the flower vendors booth at the market. A feast for the eyes.
MissWimsey
Oooh that square is gorgeous! I feel like I didn’t explore the right bank at all during the five days I spent in Paris last August. The few times I ventured there were to visit Montmartre and a shopping day at Galeries Lafayette. Both those places were so crowded with tourists (especially the Galeries Lafayette) that I high-tailed it back to the Latin Quarter as soon as I could. I was warned about visiting in August. There’s always next time (NOT in August; I’ve learned my lesson)
Auntie Anne
Thank you so much for these! ❤️ your favorite square, and the flower vendors booth.
Lapassionara
Alas, I did not understand the process for sending photos to WG, or I would have written more about each photo. The one of Notre Dame is a particular favorite, as it is unusual for me to see it in the early morning light. This was January, 2017, before Trump was inaugurated. There was still some people who thought he might grow into the job, still some uncertainty about how he would govern.
Now, that has been replaced by ice cold certainty, We now know the truth about his character and his goals. We now know for sure what his second term would be like, if he wins the election in November. FSM help us, if that happens.
Lapassionara
@MissWimsey: this is very close to the river, so it has some of a left bank flavor. Our first trip to Paris was in August, and we stayed in a small hotel in the Marais, on the right bank. I was completely prepared to check it off my list, but I found that I loved being there and just observing the people. We have returned many times since.
WaterGirl
@Lapassionara: It’s not too late!
If you want to send me text for any of the photos, you still can and I’ll pop it in.
I did add the text of your comment to the Notre Dame photo. You have to pick a day as well as month and year, so I picked Jan 10, but that can be changed, also.
Lapassionara
@WaterGirl: thank you. You are the best!
Omnes Omnibus
@Lapassionara: She’ll send you a bill. Make sure you pay promptly or she’ll sic Subaru Diane on you.
WaterGirl
@Omnes Omnibus: Speaking of which, you haven’t paid your bill yet!
Omnes Omnibus
@WaterGirl: How do you think I know about the SD thing?
Wag
@Omnes Omnibus:
@WaterGirl:
@Omnes Omnibus:
so am I going to get a bill, too, after my duplicate post? I’ll gladly pay you tomorrow for a necessary correction today!
And what great photos! Thanks!
Lapassionara
information moved up top.
WaterGirl
@Omnes Omnibus: Wow, she’s good. I hadn’t even sent that one to her yet.
WaterGirl
@Wag: ha!
Lapassionara
@Omnes Omnibus: oh no, not that!
WaterGirl
@Lapassionara: Wondering if there are any more additions headed my way, or is that it for the changes?
Lapassionara
@WaterGirl: That’s it. thank you, a thousand thank you’s. Next time I will know how the form works.
WaterGirl
@Lapassionara: Yep, that’s always the way of things.
If we ever pay for a set of changes or revisions to the new site, I would definitely add getting a preview of the post before you press SUBMIT.
edit: You are most welcome!
HeleninEire
I remember the first time I went to Paris. 26 years ago. As a young(ish) snobby New Yorker I thought “How great can it be?” OMG. My bad. I fell in love with it. And I even fell in love with the French people. Don’t let anyone tell you they are snobs. They are fantastic.
BigJimSlade
@Lapassionara: I hadn’t heard of Place Maubert, but now I want to go there!
Comrade Colette Collaboratrice
There’s a bar just off Place Maubert where M. Colette and I went for five days in a row to watch Wimbledon (which was only on pay-per-view in France) and ultimately saw Ivanišević beat Rafter in the 2001 Wimbledon final – the crazy Monday match with the raucous first-come crowd. Most of the other fans in the bar were Aussies but they were good-natured about it. It’s a bit sobering how many of my Paris memories involve bars. Especially since I couldn’t drink for a lot of our 4+ years there.
J R in WV
@Comrade Colette Collaboratrice:
Perhaps we could arrange a semi-associated B J get together in Europe some day, spend time with our old hands showing those of us less experienced their favorite places in Paris!
Many years ago we visited the big island in Hawaii, where I have a cousin on one side in Kona, and a rock hound buddy in Hilo. While at the Volcano park HQ I was shopping for books about the Volcanos and heard someone call my name… yet other WV friends were there, unbeknownst to us!
It was a splendid surprise!
Thanks for the photos and the bit of Paris they bring us tonight in the wee hours!
randy khan
@HeleninEire: .
Paris has a way of drawing you in. I suspect that all of the great cities are that way.
Which reminds me – if WG ever runs out of people sending Paris photos, what city should we do next?
WaterGirl
@randy khan: Just to let you and others know in advance – It’s looking like next week will be our last week in Paris.
randy khan
@WaterGirl:
So what city is next? (j/k – I realize that the much-longer-than-planned Paris series is doubling your OTR workload.)
opiejeanne
These are beautiful photos. The one of the square really captures the feeling of Paris, makes me feel like I’m there again.
Mo MacArbie
Just this morning I was remembering a block in Oakland with all of those food shops like you’ve described in Place Maubert, along with a take-out burrito joint. Haven’t been there in twenty-odd years, and I wonder what has changed. I know that the jazz record shop across the street is something else now. Looks like the butcher and greengrocer are still there, but the rest have gone, alas.
WaterGirl
@randy khan: I’m gonna open that up for discussion toward the end of next week.
So people can be thinking about that ahead of time.
Lapassionara
@opiejeanne: Thank you, Opiejeanne, and thank you WaterGirl.