Sunset in Paris.

A meal that is perhaps just as an excuse to drink some more wine.

Full of golden, shiny things.

This was the only pastry I’d eaten during my stay in France.

The big scruffy dog that got everyone’s attention. I wonder which breed this is.

Chanced upon this store on our way to Deyrolle and I walked out with some unexpected buys !

A glint of sunlight.

Because I couldn’t take a taxidermied souvenir home, I settled for a notebook instead. I love the hauntingly beautiful store.

I am falling in love with Paris just because essentials for making your own Virgin Mary are provided each time you order tomato juice. The way it should be.

Architectural cubes.

Up the stairs to B’s apartment.

Some snacks, beer and conversations for the lazy afternoon.

View from the balcony.

Don’t these resemble mistletoe ?

Parkside.

Ah, memories. The best part is in how they layer up over the years.

Last meal in Paris, at the airport brasserie. Bisous France, you have been good to me this time.

I felt a little ill and slept in. A late lunch with Mommy D before I set out to the Musée du Quai Branly. I’d wanted to head to the Catacombes but they were closed.

Wavy tiled walls.

Fascinated with this lovely Bedouin coin face veil that must not have been as lovely for the wearer.

Comical-looking mourner’s mask made of feathers and human hair.

Pucker up !

Back in Belleville. The Perrier sour plum/lime was quite like nothing I had tasted before. Been searching for it in Vietnamese restaurants ever since.

Where’s your cocotte ?

A library of impressive scale.

White dots and lines to prevent slips.

Pigeon-hole apartments livened up with some green I wouldn’t mind staying in.

A quick snap as we crossed the road.

Pho again, I know. Best version yet.

Can’t get enough of the metro stations in Paris.

A little deer !

Gladiatorial combats no more. Today people head to the arena to play football and Pétanque.

Joan of Arc and King Saint Louis IX against the afternoon blue.

I’d never known the Tour Eiffel would get all twinkly sparkly for five minutes every hour at night. We watched it from the balcony of our friends’ apartment, it was pretty.

A simple but delicious lunch at home.

Mommy and her two boys, framed.

Found an old ID photo.

Someone played tour guide for a day.

Formal vs. casual. My sneakers are not dirty ok, contrary to popular belief.

Ah, touristy sights here we come.

I was not at the Musée du Louvre.

The good: An old-fashioned photo booth. The bad: A never-ending queue.

The Palais de Tokyo was showing two exhibitions, one on the moon landing and another called Spy Numbers. Guess which one I went to in the end.

Tiles that match the color of an accidental cigarette butt.

The perfect shade of Autumn.

On my way to find Mona Lisa. These reminded me of the paintings I had studied in art class.

A blink, just to check if you were paying attention !

I’ve always been intrigued by these half bearded man half winged bull creatures. (Your eyes are not playing tricks, the man was indeed pushing his own wheelchair around the museum.)

Got lost and couldn’t find the Egyptian antiquities section for a long while. Took a break and pleasantly stumbled upon Leda and the Swan. Very sneaky of the museum to place the entrance within the Medieval Louvre section !

Amazing to see how relevant these jewelry still are today. Admired them for a bit.

The label doesn’t tell me much what this exactly is but it is so very captivating. I love it – the balance, the poise, the celebration of the feminine form and the duck.

Yellow ochre for females and red ochre for males. Pet Conspiracy has a promo picture that reminds me of Betchou and his family.

A late night soupy snack after the museum because I was hungry after all that art.