inSPIREd Sunday

No spire here—this is the Art Nouveau
Kazinczy Street synagogue, situated in the heart
of the Jewish ghetto in Pest.  Nearby are
kosher shops and restaurants and the only 
mikve (ritual bath) in Budapest.

[To see more places of worship from
around the world, go here.] 

The Weekend in Black and White

A window in Budapest

[To see more monochromes, visit Dragonstar's meme.
Also linking up to the B+W Photography Project at PODcast.]

rush hour

This is  typical Friday afternoon traffic on
the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway—once again
I am not at all sorry to be a pedestrian.
And I'm also glad I don't have to limit my view of
 that glorious sunset to a rear-view mirror!

[Linking back to Skywatch Friday and Orange You Glad It's Friday?.]

Thursday Challenge—"leaves"

This time last year, I had just returned home
from Paris, where I took this shot of a carpet of fallen
leaves in a pretty little pocket park in the Marais.
As happy as I am to travel to Paris, today I'm grateful to 
be right here where I'll enjoy a turkey dinner with 
family and friends.  If you're celebrating Thanksgiving, 
I hope you're with the ones you love too.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, visit Dale's meme.]

ABC Wednesday—T is for "tracks"

This photo was taken by my daughter Katie,
when she was up in Alaska.  If I had
been hiking in the wilds and come upon
fresh evidence of a bear in the vicinity, I might
stop to take a picture.  Oh, who am I kidding?
Of course I'd take a picture.  But then I'd
be beating a very hasty retreat—which she did not! 

[To see more ABC Wednesday posts
for the letter T, go here.]

cute commute

Most of the time, I hate having to ride
the subway—especially at rush hour, when
I feel like the bottom fish in a can of
cranky sardines.  But there are those times
when I catch a nice, roomy ride and 
a fellow commuter just makes me smile.

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday and Our World Tuesday.]

two redheads

Last Wednesday, I showed you Szimpla Kért,
the original "ruin pub" in Budapest
(where they also have a great Sunday market).
I found both of these Hungarian beauties
there—though one of them wasn't too sure about
us.  Unlike some other places in Europe
(i.e., France, where it is strictly verboten), parents
in Budapest didn't seem the least bit bothered
if I wanted to take a photo of their child.

[Linking back to Mandarin Orange Monday.] 

Shadow Shot Sunday

This bridge traverses the lake/ice-skating pond 
(depending on the season) in Városliget (City Park), in 
Budapest—one of the first public parks in the world. 
It's a lovely spot for a stroll and a picnic on a 
sunny day, but we were there late at night.
(Thanks to the floodlights around the lake, there
were still some excellent shadows!)

[To see more Sunday shadows, go here.]

early morning

I loved this view of the Manhattan Bridge 
(looking past Dumbo from the Brooklyn Bridge),
before the East River fog had lifted.

[To see more of The Weekend in Black and White,
visit Dragonstar's meme.  Also linking
back to the B and W Photography Project at PODcast.]

égeszségünkre!

. . . which means "to our health!" in Hungarian.
This glass of rosé was enjoyed at the Ari Kupsus
Gallery, in Budapest, where I bought a (very) small 
painting by my favorite Hungarian artist, 
Maté Orr, a lovely and very talented young man.
(I was introduced to Maté by my wonderful
new friends, Jane and Lance Hattatt, who
featured him on their own blog.)

[To see more Weekend Reflections, visit James's meme.]

Thursday Challenge: "architecture"

I dug deep into the archives for this shot of the Parthenon
(I took it 26 years ago, with Kodachrome—remember that?).
As I recall, we weren't allowed to get much closer than this.
Even so, I was lucky to capture it without any people in the frame.
  Or maybe everyone else was smart enough not to be out 
in the blazing sun, on a treeless Greek hill, in July, at noon.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, visit Dale's meme.] 

ABC Wednesday—S is for "Szimpla Kért"

That's Hungarian for "simple garden"—though there's 
really nothing simple about this funky place, 
which was the first of Budapest's ruin pubs.
In 2012, Szimpla Kért was voted the 3rd-best bar 
in the world on the Lonely Planet website (1st place went
 to A38, a floating bar that's also in Budapest).

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

la porte rouge

Day before yesterday, I showed you a building on
boulevard Saint-Germain.  Well, this place is right
next door—but they've injected a bit of color.

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday and Our World Tuesday.]

downtown autumn color

Haven't been able to get out of town lately,
so I've been doing my "leaf-peeping" on the way
to work, within sight of some spectacular buildings.

[Linking back to Monday Mellow Yellows
and to Mandarin Orange Monday.]

along the boulevard

The trees cast dappled shadows across
the façade of this elegant building
on boulevard Saint-Germain.

[Linking back to Shadow Shot Sunday
and to Today's Flowers.]

arriving in Budapest

I've shown the Nyugati Railway Terminal before,
but I think it deserves another shot—this
time of Eiffel's lacy iron framework seen through
the 19th-century wavy-glass windows.

[To see more of the Weekend in Black and White,
visit Dragonstar's meme.  I'm also linking back
to the B and W Photography Project, at PODcast.]

St.-Pierre-de-Montmartre

I've shown you this church once before.
You probably have to be here at just the right
time—and on a sunny day, of course.
If you are that lucky, then you're treated not only 
to the beautiful stained-glass windows
 but to their equally beautiful reflections.

[Linking back to Weekend Reflections
and to inSPIRED Sunday.]

Share the Joy

I can usually skip dessert—especially after
a meal of several courses like the one my friends and
I enjoyed at Circonstances.  However, we couldn't
resist (sharing, of course) the chef's special concoction of bits
of meringue, crème Chantilly, and salted caramel.
I'm glad I didn't say no—it was memorable
 and for sure I'll be going back for more
the next time I'm in Paris!

[If you have joy to share too, visit Meri's meme.]

ABC Wednesday—R is for "Repetto"

It's conveniently located on rue de la Paix, around the
corner from the Opéra Garnier—home of the
Paris Opera Ballet company, the world's oldest
(it was founded in 1661 by Louis XIV).
This is where ballerinas come to get their ballet slippers
—male dancers too (Nureyev was a customer).

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Up in Montmartre

[I'm linking back to Ruby Tuesday, Our World Tuesday,
and Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday).]

Miam! = Yum!

It all starts when the big yellow truck arrives and these
two strong guys deliver the organic flour.
When I was in Paris recently, those gorgeous cakes
were strictly a "visual" feast, but we went out
of our way almost every day to come here to 
Eric Kayser and treat ourselves to one (or two)
of those baguettes—often still warm from the oven.


[Linking back to Monday Mellow Yellows and
to Mosaic Monday at Lavender Cottage.]

Hard history

Budapest's Terror Museum is housed in the
building that once was the headquarters 
of the secret police of both the Nazi and the 
Communist governments.  It's not easy to take 
in the horrors that the Hungarians experienced 
during the mid-20th-century, but I think  every (adult) 
visitor to this city should do exactly that.  
Along with the Anne Frank house, in Amsterdam, 
this is one of the most powerful places I've ever visited.

[It's Shadow Shot Sunday. To see more, go here.]

A staircase in Budapest

I've shown a Budapest staircase before.  That
one was pretty funky and it was in Pest;
this one is definitely more elegant and it's in Buda—at
the Brody House.  If you ever visit Budapest, maybe
you want to stay here in one of their interesting rooms.

[To see more monochromes, visit Dragonstar's meme.
Also linking back to The B&W Photography Project on Podcast.]

Cheers!

A big bowl o' bubbly at Le Train Bleu,
the gorgeous restaurant in the Gare de Lyon—
definitely worth a visit, even if you just
have a glass of that (domestic!) Champagne.

{BTW, you can call it Champagne—with a capital C—
only if it comes from that region in France; 
otherwise, it's champagne.  A small distinction, and yet . . .}

[To see more Weekend Reflections, visit James's meme.]

Thursday Challenge—"pink"

This is Pomona, the Roman goddess of
fruitful abundance.  This rendition, in the
Petit Palais, in Paris, is the work of the sculptor
Pierre Nicolas Beauvallet, who created her in 1812.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, visit Dale's meme.]

ABC Wednesday—Q is for 'quai"

Lots of Parisians were making the most of
an early-spring day by strolling along the Seine
and taking in this world-class view
(shot from under the Pont de la Tournelle). 

[To see more posts that feature the letter Q, go here.]

Shopping in Budapest

Meats and cheeses for sale at the Sunday Market
at Szimpla Kért (which I've shown before):
One thing that struck me as just a bit unsanitary
was that all of the food I saw for sale in various markets
was just sitting out there uncovered.  (Or maybe I've become
too accustomed to American over-packaging.)

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday and Our World Tuesday.]

complementary

Big yellow flowers in a bright blue
container—these cut blooms made me
very happy for more than a week.

[Linking back to Monday Mellow Yellows, Blue Monday,
and NatureFootstep: Catching the Light.]

inSPIREd Sunday

I'm taking the meme quite literally today.
Here's the elegant spire of Notre Dame 
cathedral peeking from between 
the buildings on either side of the narrow
rue des Chantres, on the Île de la Cité.

[To see more churches from around the world, go here.]

La Vie en Rose

. . . and also vert, bleu, jaune, violet, rouge—
and almost any hue you can imagine.  Get your
colorful pendants and light garlands
at La Case de Cousin Paul.

[It's Pink Saturday. To see more, visit Beverly's meme.
And it's the 1st of the month, so I've posted to my Paris blog.]