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!

It’s not as if I wasn’t wearing my contact lenses or anything. Each time I pass by this café, I keep on (mis)thinking its name is Café du Rétro instead of Café du Métro. Perhaps it’s the style of the sign. It is probably a version of the original from all the way back in 1920, when it was first opened. I gathered that it’s still a family run business till this day.

Well, this café will soon be in my “neighbourhood”. I have just co-signed a lease this evening and will be moving out from Cité U in a couple of weeks. This is an exciting step into a new phase of my fabulous life in Paris. As with anything new and unknown, there’s certain anxiety that tags along with this move, but it’s the good kind, you know. It’ll give me an excuse to check out this café properly too. ;)

Walking around Paris can bring you to unexpected local areas. I discover this view of Montmartre purely by chance when Alex and I yesteday walked too far along rue St Anne following our late lunch while en route to Jacques Genin. Introducing rue Lafitte in the 9th arrondissement and view number 3 of 36 views of Montmartre.

In the foreground, if you look carefully, you’ll see the Notre Dame de Lorette. Its style is a tad like the Madeline, in neoclassical form. I have yet to visit the interior though. Yesterday’s weather was simply too nice to be suck indoor. We were walking randomly to get acquainted so I now have more ideas of where I can bring my camera to in the next few weeks for photo of the day ;)

Glorious flags lining the avenue. I should have come over to the Champs-Élysées yesterday. I didn’t know there would be a large scale celebration, but I should really have thought of it. Afterall, for whom is it that the flame beneath the Arc de Triomphe but of fallen soldiers in performing their duties to protect their country during the wars.

This photo constitutes yet another image and viewpoint from Place de la Concorde. You’ve previously been shown the peeking Eiffel Tower and fountains of the place, along with Madeleine. Today, what you see also stretches beyond the arc to reveal the financial hub that is La Défense. The traffic is always a bit crazy here, so don’t go crossing the road randomly! Only at the lights, please.

Yet another long weekend in Paris (it’s a public holiday today in commemoration of Armistice Day) and coincidentally it’s a binary day today (of 11.11.11). I had every good intention of wanting to go out and grab a photo at 11.11am but the continuous drizzle through the day hasn’t been particularly helpful. And I slept badly last night too, so that’s my sleep-in plan ruined.

I took myself up to Montmartre for a little bit of wandering about when I came across this small art gallery not too far away from Abbesses. Nude still lives. I think it’s rather brave for someone to bare it all like this to be painted. Art classes aplenty has such programme. Once upon many moons ago when I was in my “I’d like to do random stuff” phase, I did consider modelling for an art class, when decided that will be too risqué, not to mention, very much out of my comfort zone.

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.

How often do you buy pick-n-mix? And where do you buy them? Cinema? Shopping mall? By the street outside the cinema? That’s where you can find this little candy stall. At St-Germain, by an exit of Odéon métro station, at the intersection between a number of cinemas. Handy, eh?

This is time for a little disclaimer though – I don’t buy pick-n-mix when I go to the movies. In fact, nowadays, I don’t even get popcorns. Gone are my movie snacking days. I think I may have been weaned off popcorns because those I can find in Dublin are salty. They’re not like the buttery and sweet popcorn I used to get while I was growing up. I am not sure if there is such popcorn in Paris. Perhaps I should check.

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 blog is starting to look a tad more somber that I’d like it to be, what with all the night (and not particularly interesting) shots. And tonight’s shot is even starting to somewhat reflect my mood. It has been a long day, and my arrival back from Dublin late last night is not helping at all. At this point, I just want to be back in my apartment, sit down, and do nothing at all.

But I can’t do that. See, amusingly (to me, at least), while it was the colour contrasts of the leaves that caught my attention in the first place, my head keeps pinging back to waraqat sajara (i.e. tree leaves) that I’ve been learning in Arabic classes. What a timely reminder that I have revision to do before tomorrow’s class. There is simply no rest for the greedy?