Streets of Paris

When I upload my photos I 'tag' them according to the subject, location or whatever. A bunch just get tagged 'rue' (street) because they aren't of anything in particular-just some street. So I looked through all the street shots and selected a few to combine here on one page. About all these have in common is they are streets in Paris.

This is the corner closest to our building. The street going across is Boulevard Voltaire. There is a crossing guard to help children cross during school hours. There's a pharmacy on the corner. The building straight ahead is very typical of Parisian buildings built around 1900.

Boulevard Voltaire again on the way to the bus stop. Cameras do funny things with sunny days. In order to average out the exposure they always make the shady areas too dark. So all the sunny pictures look darker than the cloudy ones.

A little street between here and the Place des Vosges. You see here one version of the gentle reminder that parking on these sidewalks is not encouraged.

Every shop that sells produce (there are about 2 per block) has the produce displayed outside. This is a rather large produce shop on Rue St. Antoine. The large building across the street is the Hôtel Sully or Sully mansion.

An intersection in the Marais. That building was about to be torn down, when the owner decided instead to restore it and its Gothic corner tower.

A fountain at the end of a small street once provided water for residents of the area. Turning left here you come to a series of courtyards full of antique stores.

Another typical street in the Marais district. Up at the end you see what happens if there are no posts to remind drivers of the no-parking policy.

And then suddenly you come out onto this modern square, near the Pompidou center and les Halles.

The Pied de Cochon (Pig's foot) restaurant across from St Eustache church near les Halles.

Intersection of rues Réamur and Sébastopol. Monoprix is a chain of stores that I would compare to Target. The one near us has a very nice grocery store in it. I'm not sure if they all do. That woman is riding one of some 10,000 free bicycles in Paris. They are called Vélib-short for Vélo-libres.

Paris has a few hills. This street is on the hill called Mont Martre.

The 'pink house' restaurant, again on Mont Martre.

This is the rue des Deux Ponts (or street of two bridges). It crosses the small island Ile St. Louis connecting it with both the right and left banks of the Seine. The sign showing a house on a bridge is for the Auberge des Deux Ponts (Inn of the 2 bridges).  We had lunch there in March.

La place Dauphine on the Ile de la Cité. A better way to show the sunshine is to not photograph the shady side of the street.

A street on the left bank, and another version of the no parking reminders.

Place St André-des-Arts again on the left bank.

A narrow street on the left bank leading up to the Seine. In Medieval times this street went down to the river, but the banks of the river have been built up so much that now streets leading to the river in this area go up. The old 'deux-chevaux' on the left is a rare sight these days.

A well-refurbished old street near St. Séverin on the left bank. This street and others around it are popular with tourists.

Another old street on the left bank. On the left the Café Procope, the oldest coffee shop in Paris, having been founded in 1686, is now a restaurant. Former patrons included Voltaire, Balzac, Napoleon and even Benjamin Franklin.

The same street looking in the other direction.

Well maybe this gives you some idea why I enjoy walking around Paris and it doesn't much matter where I go or if I have a destination or not.