Galeries Lafayette in Paris has more dummies than you can poke a stick at. I liked these ones, made out of something like polypropylene sheeting snapped together. Maybe you could make interesting puppets with this construction?
paris
Green walls
The lovely plant wall outside Musee du quai Branly in Paris. Wouldn’t you like growing and green walls at your place? At least some of the plants were growing in little pockets of kapok or something similar attached to the wall:
Wandering
I’m lucky to be in Paris for a month, over half gone now. We are living a 15 minute train ride out of the city, and I love my Carte Orange transport card. Once paid it has basically given me free range across the whole city by whichever public transport suits best. It is really efficient for me, except when there are rail strikes. I gather this is relatively often – there was one day this week when the trains weren’t running.
I’ve been doing a lot of wandering on foot, too – through various districts like the M’s – Montmartre, Montparnasse, and the Marais – and others. The other day I walked from the Arc de Triomphe back into the centre down the Champs-Elysee, through Place de la Concorde, and Jardin des Tuileries.
Today I satisfied my curiosity about La Defense, the modern financial district, spending the afternoon there, looking at all the amazing architecture, glass reflections and contemporary sculptures that are dotted all the way through the buildings and walkways there.
The bride
This was the most intriguing sculpture I saw in the Centre Pompidou the other day, La mariee, by Niki de Saint Phalle.
Rhinos
Two very different rhinos! The shiny red one is by Xavier Veilhan, and is presently in the Centre Pompidou. The other is outside the Musee d’Orsay.
Cafe interior
Interior and looking out from a cafe in Montparnasse.
Painters
Painters finishing off a new coat of paint on a shop facade near the Raspail metro station. The avenue of trees in the background lines the front of Cimetiere du Montparnasse.
Chimneys
Quite a lot of buildings have different stonework up the sides like this. We guess there is a difference in heat resistance because the dark bricks always lead to the chimneys, and often in interesting patterns. I love the seeing all the chimneys when you look up or out across the city skyline. Places listed on the local real estate shop, simetimes give the number of chimneys.
Underpass
This is the local RER underpass in Bourg-la-Reine. It is getting very familiar, as we walk it numerous times a day! It interests me that the stones, while still irregular, can all be made to look five-sided.
