A Photographer in Paris

This woman in the Thar desert covers her face when she sees us. But you can tell she is giving one of her beautiful smiles.

One of the pleasures of Rajasthani life is spending time in villages and meeting the women. They are all so elegant in their colorful saris and their anklets and bangles.

A photographer in Paris has  been traveling in India this January. Photos from Paris will return soon in February.

In the meantime, enjoy some photos from India.

Watching sunset from roof top is an activity that I also learned to enjoy.

Mustards fields are in bloom.

A typical rural scene with baby getting a bath.

This guy in Jaisalmer is supposed to have the longest moustache in India…

Proud hotel employee in Bikaner. Rajasthan does turbans in hundreds of ways.

Men discussing in Khuri (desert near Jaisalmer).

Market scene in Jaipur.

Bangles are a very important part of a Rajasthani outfit.

My favorite photo today: anklets on a baby girl in her father’s arms.

For more photos of India look under India in the categories section of my blog.

Or go to A photographer abroad old blog.

Today was the first mild or dry day in the month and I took advantage of it to take a walk and some photos (sorry, no tripod!).

Lights on Champs Elysees are supposedly more economical than previous years as Paris is trying to save 80% of the electrical bill this year.

On Avenue Montaigne, lights are red and more Xmasy looking.

The most interesting thing IMO is the Ferris wheel that has been there since the Rugby cup or ealier than other years.

While walking in Paris, I am always looking for different angles to create new images. It is a good exercise to look up, down, from a cat’s eye level etc.

Today was a “looking up” day.

And this is how it is sometimes done!

When I am in Chartier’s neighborhood, often after a walk in the Passages of the right bank, I like to stop for a bite.

Chartier is one of the surviving “Bouillon” where food was served at cheap prices to working class people. Bouillon Racine on rue Racine is an other example of a surviving Bouillon (I am not aware of any other one in central Paris).

This was very late (2:45 or so) and there were just a few customers finishing their meal. I like this place for its authentic 1900s decor.

Food at Chartier is among the cheapest in Paris and of the most predictable kind. It ressembles cafetaria food or a home cooked meal on a low inspiration day.

I order the same type of food every time: assiette de crudites, or pate and crudites or a salad, or an oeuf dur appetizer with some wine, bread, cheese and a slice of their tarte/pie du jour. I have never tasted any main course but I have seen people happy with roasted chicken and fries. Waiters wear the tradional Parisian outfit and like to act rushed and unfriendly which of course they are not.

Every time I go to Montmartre, I try to photograph empty stairs. A test of patience!

Visiting them at different times of year will bring different images.

Madeleine is a church in Paris that looks like a Greek temple. You can google it, read the history related to it  and at the same time discover a lot of facts about that area/arrondissement. 8th arrondissement or huitième arrondissement, bordering the 9th and the 2nd. My neighborhood.

Madeleine is a “gourmet” area. Fauchon, Hediard, Maille, Maison de la Truffe, Caviar Kaspia, Marquise de Sévigné chocolates are there.

Madeleine is an old fashion biscuit that has  not gone out of style.  Les Madeleines de Marcel Proust are famous in French literature.

Madeleine is a song by Jacques Brel. A classic.

Madeleine is also a California girl I met last summer.  We walked and cooked together.

Here she is after pitting a bowl of cherries to make clafoutis aux cerises. Madeleine loves to cook and is quite talented at it. We made crepes and she commented “these are very similar to the quesadillas I make at home”!. We also made ratatouille in honour of the movie.

Here are some of the vegetables we bought at the market to make our ratatouille. Madeleine and I had a good fun day and I am very pleased to have added a new dimension to the name “Madeleine”.

One of the most challenging monuments to photograph in Paris is the Eiffel Tower. I have tried it from many angles and places. Here are two of my favorites.

 This is the photo I take every time I go to the Market at Avenue du President Wilson. It is on the back of crepe vendor.

If you end your market walk at metro Alma-Marceau, you can see the replica of Statue of liberty flame.

This is probably what I miss the most when I am traveling: a good hot strong creamy coffee…

The first café I see when I arrive in Paris after a trip is Café de la Paix by the Opera House (Palais Garnier). I always take the Roissy bus from Airport to center of town and that’s pretty  much where bus drops me off.

Sometimes there are surprises on the street like this old bus that I had not seen in a few years. Today it is used for special functions and events.

It has been a busy Fall for me with trips to India, Nepal and Morocco. I will post later about my trips.

While flying from country to country and city to city (Boston-Paris-Delhi-Kathmandu-Pokhara-Delhi-Brussels-Casablanca-Paris-Boston-Paris…), I often thought about food.  Airplane food is a good trigger for that.

I flew Air France from Paris to Delhi and was however served this delicious appetizer made of goat cheese, sundried tomatoes and other vegetables.  Needless to say, I had a business class upgrade for that trip and the best seat I ever had on an airplane. Seat was by the window and nobody sat next to me in that strange space (only one row of seats).

Food in India is mostly vegetarian and full of flavors. Lots of spices are used.

This is a tray we used at one of the cooking classes I took.

A delicious vegetarian lunch with garlic naan and all kinds of vegetables and pickles. Dish in sauce was a variety of kefta made with grain, herbs and spices. Delicious!

Parathas for breakfast are an acquired taste. “Bread” is stuffed with potatoes and of course herbs and spices and served with curd (yogurt), vegetables and pickles. With that,  you drink black tea or chai that I became very fond of. I  now make my own with fresh ginger, cardamon pods and cinnamon.

Morocco is also very much a vegetarian country (the meat I see at market does not tempt me that much mostly because of the way it is “refrigerated”).

Below is a sample of Moroccan salads. They are often served before your main course and very good with a rainbow of different flavors.

After several weeks of those however delicious vegetarian dishes I was starting to dream of food at home, baguette, crepes, cheese, and most of all expresso. So guess what I did after landing in Paris ?