Step by Step

Today I'm taking you along on a walk through sunny Paris, where you can see what catches my eye during typically aimless wanders.  These awnings high overhead on rue Saint-Sulpice look like little sails.

Across the street the clean and unscaffolded towers of the church of St-Sulpice are still a wonder to my eye after long years of not seeing them and  for the first time I noticed the statues at the corners of the north tower.  You know that the two towers are not identical and were built at different times, right?

The masses of mauve tulips in the flower beds of the Luxembourg gardens are stunning, but these iron flowers in front of the Faculté du Droit (law school) at the Place du Panthéon are even more powerful, in several senses of the word.

The Panthéon across the street offers a broad surface for the sun to play shadow games against.

And a little fowl drama played out between the Faculté du Droit and the Panthéon.

A pair of ducks, yes ducks, settled down on one side of the street decided to waddle over to the other.

A couple of abortive attempts later, ("those cars just keep coming François, look out!")

 they made it safely to the shelter of the Panthéon forecourt.

It was time for a snack in the sun.

Paris is a gray city as a whole but shots of color are everywhere, like this blossoming tree behind the "French blue" fence,

the spiral graffiti on the ancient wall,

the café furniture near the Medici Fountain in the Luxembourg,

the Diablo Menthe sodas on the café table,

or the café table itself.

Even these classic Citroen deux chevaux have been brightened up to use as tour cars, more fun than a bus, right?

And finally, as a reminder that the Presidential elections in France (yes, they're having them too, and lucky them, they have a MUCH shorter campaign season) are this month, someone has already renamed this street for the "previous President" Sarkozy.  It's not an accident that its been named an "Impasse" or dead end street.  No question where this prankster's political sympathies lie.