The Weekend in Black and White

You are looking out to the rue de Valois from the
arcade that surrounds the Palais Royal gardens,
one of the most elegant spaces in all of Paris.

[To see more monochromes, visit Dragonstar's meme.]

ET sunset

On the one really sunny afternoon we had in Paris 
last month, we made a beeline for the rooftop terrace 
of the Galeries Lafayette to catch the sun 
setting behind the Eiffel Tower and the Grand Palais.
I think it was well worth braving the 
cold up there for this view!

[To see more Skywatch Friday posts, go here.
See more Orange You Glad It's Friday? posts here.]

Thursday Challenge—"peaceful"

A place of worship is almost always a peaceful place.  
This one is the church of St. Paul–St. Louis, in
the Marais.  When I last saw it, in 2011, the exterior
was pitch black.  It has since been given a
well-deserved cleaning and bright red doors.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, go here.]  

ABC Wednesday—U is for "umbrella"

I've done U for "umbrella" before, but this
is my 7th or 8th ABC/U post, after all.
This was taken last month in Paris, late at
night in an almost empty Place Vendôme.
(Thanks to the lovely Isabelle for
providing the perfect prop for this shot.)

[To see more ABC posts, go here.] 

Getting ready at Rock Center

Passed through Rockefeller Center recently
on my way to work.  These guys were busy setting up
the angels in the Channel Gardens while others were putting
the 30,000 lights and 550-pound Swarovski star on
the tree—which will be lit tomorrow night.
(And I will not be among the anticipated tens of
thousands who will attempt to witness it!)

[See more Ruby Tuesday posts here. To see
more of Our World Tuesday, go here.]

Les jaunes douces de lundi (monday mellow yellows)

In Paris lately, I just couldn't stop myself
 from snapping every vine I saw.  This one came
with a little bonus, and I knew I would use it here.

[To see more Monday Mellow Yellows, visit Gemma's meme.]

Les Fleurs d'Aujourd'hui

This (30 euro!) arrangement was for sale at a florist
on the market street rue Montorgeuil. The strawberries
were an unexpected addition, don't you think?

[To see more of Today's Flowers, go here.  And it's
 the 1st of the month, so I've posted to my Paris blog.]