Rue Caulaincourt - on tourists and the legendary rudeness of Parisians

The other day an American woman stopped me on the street and asked me a question - just launched straight into it, no hello or bonjour, whatever the language, no excuse me, nothing - just "where did you get that?" (I was holding a lush looking and smelling sandwich...). Now by French standards that is INCREDIBLY rude, and most people would react negatively to being approached that way - thereby sending the lady back to the US complaining about how nasty the locals are, nobody would answer a simple question, etc etc... Pffft.

Cour Carrée, Louvre

Rue Biot

Rue Caulaincourt, food...

Rue Caulaincourt, vide grenier

Rue de Douai

rue Jonas and rue des Cinq Diamants

Rue Ganneron

Rue des Cinq Diamants

Rue de la Butte aux Cailles

Rue Daubenton

Place de Clichy

On the Metro on my way home from work, I sit across from two young men. They're moving a small café type table with cast iron legs and there is enough room on the train for them to have it in from of them, and they're leaning elbows on it and talking earnestly as if in a café. One is white, the other black, and both are so handsome, but in a such a natural and unsophisticated way, that I feel like whipping my camera out and taking their picture.

We get off at the same station, and at the Place people are handing out Ségolène Royal flyers and boisterously exhorting passers by to remember to vote on Sunday. The 18th is traditionally à gauche, so they're probably preaching to the choir, but one particularly exhuberant young woman is calling out,

-Who's the most beautiful ?! Ségolène !!

The guys are behind me now and one of them says,

- She's not that beautiful - well, compared to her competition, like Voynet, perhaps, but not really.

His friend chuckles, and I can't resist commenting,

- Even if she were the most beautiful, it's hardly a reason to vote for her, is it.
- No, but there are other good reasons to vote for her.
- I agree - but looks have nothing to do with it.

We share a smile, and it's such a nice moment. It's a crowded, bustly, noisy intersection, but at times like these it feels like a village.

Rue du Port - Clermont-Ferrand, not Paris...

rue de Tolbiac

A Eurostar ad that's been all over Paris lately.

rue Saint Antoine

Popped out of the Metro at Saint Paul one Sunday morning and realized the semi-marathon was on.

Opéra Garnier

 

Musée du Lovre, extérieur nuit

 

Skating rink at Hôtel de Ville

Avenue George V

No, there's nothing wrong with my camera. This building is being renovated and the scaffolding is covered with big trompe l'oeil panels of typical Haussmanian architecture, but distorted...

Place de l'Hotel de Ville