It’s not often that I venture around town in the middle of a work day but since I was on my way to meet the agent of our new apartment, why not grab a sunny day shot instead of worrying what I can photograph later in the day when it’s rather late and all dark outside, right?

Seems like the city council of the 5th arrondissement is also trying its best to decorate the neighbourhood up a little. In front of the Panthéon tens of Christmas tree prettied up using red and yellow ribbons, while just across the street, the city hall itself has silver tinsels streaming along the height of the building. Rather impressive, I must say.

Often, streets in Paris are named after who’s who in history, or famous landmarks adjacent to the streets, and the likes. Occasionally you do get whimsical names, like this one, a teeny small street off Quai St Michel – literally translated the street of the cat which fishes. While narrow, it is not quite Mårten Trotzigs gränd (in Stockholm) where I could walk along with my hands touching both walls of the street. Someone tall (over 1.8m) could manage this feat though.

I must have passed this street hundreds of time before I finally noticed it. With the souvenir shops lining the entrance to the street, it’s easy enough to ignore it. What amuses me is this mural of the infamous fishing cat! Granted, this piece of street art has since been defaced by addition of other elements, including this half-man with an umbrella (protecting the kitty?), breaking of the fishing rod and as far as I can see, no fish in sight. The kitty cat would have a long wait if it wants to be fed… ;)

Ps: talking of arts imitating name, here’s an interesting series of photographs depicting names of Paris metro stations by Janol Apin.

Brrr it is very cold today.

Well, the cold front started (for me anyway) yesterday and today, as the day went by, it got progressively colder. I was still caught by surprised (a teeny wee bit) at this change, for over the weekend, it was warm enough for me to walk around sans coat or jacket but a mere cardigan. I do always carry scarf and mittens in the winter, so it’s not too bad I guess.

However, you certainly want to be moving about at this temperature to keep the body warmth going. Sitting out at a terrace is no longer something fun when you could end up freezing to death outside. Or milder events of cold and flu. I’m not even sure if drinking hot beverages would make much difference. The point is though, time to wrap up well when out and about, and thou shall continue people watching from inside of a cafe/restaurant instead.

At around and off rue de la Huchette lie tons of Greek restaurants/eateries. However, since I have not eaten there personally, I couldn’t tell you if they are any good or mere tourist traps, given it’s location between St Michel and Notre Dame with plenty of foreign foot passengers daily. Invariably, every 3-4 doors down along the streets, you’ll be treated to a view of kebab/gyros in preparation.

I quite like this shot, which is a completely lucky shot. I was photographing the street initially, until this man came along and started chatting with the vendor. In a split second decision, I aimed my camera over and “click”. Not exactly the wisest move under dim condition, but I think this hasn’t come out too badly. I was worried it would be blurry, but no, it seems photography god is on my side today. Hurrah!

Rue St Jacques is one fairly long street at 1.55 km – although not quite as long as rue de Vaugirard, which stretches across 4.36 km in the southside of the city – and along it, some interesting architecture features from different periods of time, right from the medieval to the contemporary, can be found.

Of course, innovative restauranteur could also go one up, like this front façade of an Indian restaurant that has been elaborately decorated in the orient style. From what I gather, the theme is carried through the interior of the restaurant too. A colleague mentioned that their food is quite good, so perhaps I should give that a go sometimes soon.

There is something about bars and pubs in winter – they somehow manage to look very cosy and inviting, especially when it’s cold cold outside baby. I suspect this association could also well be forged from years of living in Ireland where I spent the evening every now and then with my friends at our locals (or elsewhere when mood struck us). Try as they may, they haven’t manage to make an Irish girl out of me yet. (I can mentally picture Dave’s tut-tutting at me for ordering only 7-up in Kennedy’s!)

Nonetheless, it didn’t stop us from having a good evening out, chatting and snacking while forgetting just how chilly it could get outside. Something I miss much is pub quiz sessions, where often the rounds would start well but as the quiz progresses, the results may also deteriorate, pending on the number of pints the quiz-goers have imbibed. They are always good laughs though, could get a tad competitive, but still remain in good humour.

This piece of street art is very intriguing. When I last walked past the junction between rue des Feuillantines and rue Pierre Nicole, it was in the summer. I didn’t see this collage then. But it was there this evening. Its creator goes by the name of Tristan des Limbes.

I can’t quite make out who is making this cry of help, nor the reason why. Is this a representation of mother earth crying out for help, or someone’s buried conscience, or something else? But I guess that’s makes art beautiful in its own right. It can have multiple interpretations, each to its observer, and still there is no need for just one answer. It may be A, it may be B. It may even be Z.

The quest for international food hunt continues. Granted, I have already went to a Peruvian restaurant to make it for the “P” entry, but since I have not yet tried Polish food in this city, well, there is no good reason to not go. Besides, it’s food. And this place serves barszcz, and I was hankering for some delicious beetroot-based goodness. Off to Cracovia on rue Moufftard so.

Pierogi, considered Polish national dish, are essentially dumplings. As Cracovia serves pierogi with a number of different types of filing, and I had difficulty choosing one over the others, I went for the easy option – pierogi mixtes. I was given pierogi with groud meat, cabbage and mushroom, and white cheese and potatoes. Of the three, the dumplings containing ground meat were the ones I liked best. You should try it sometimes if you could. Just ask for pierogi z miesem.

Whenever I get invited over to a friend’s for dinner, I’m very likely to show up just after specified time (5-10 minutes leeway – I’m learning that it is polite around here not to show up on the dot), with a wee gift in the form of either cake, chocolate, or wine. Finding and sharing cakes or chocolates are more my forté; wine, not so much. I’d rely on recommendations, either from friends or vendors. Otherwise, it’s going to be a hit or miss.

That’s why it’s quite nice to have a wine shop that pre-empt my senseless questions, by giving some basic descriptions and information about the wines to get me started. Plus, let’s admit it, my fleuncy in French is just not there for me to really grasp wine jargon conversationally. At least in reading something in writing, I could reflect, think and ponder, and in the end, pray I haven’t misunderstood something. Yes, it happens more than I’d like, but often to a humourous end. ;)

I’ve previously blogged about a couple of cultural métro stations, and I think it’s not a bad series of sub-category to write about when it comes to things related to Paris. If I recall correctly from an article I read a while ago, there are some 50 such stations in the network. It would be fun to uncover them as I go along ;)

This work of mosaic on the ceiling of Cluny la Sorbonne was created by Jean Bazaine. Entitled Ailes et Flammes (Wings and Flames), some 60,000 handcut tiles were used to complete the piece that also includes forty-six (mosaic) signatures of Kings of France, politicians, architects, physicians, scientists, philosphers, poets, painters and writers. If you ever travel Line 10 and passing this station, keep your eyes peeled.