Paris will always be Paris

No where to go... cultural events cancelled, restaurants and bars closed, museums and monuments not accessible, public transport not enticing, weather depressing... BUT as Maurice Chevalier sang so well,

“Paris will always be Paris!

The more we reduce our lighting,

the more we see our courage shining,

the more we see our spirit brighten,

Paris will always be Paris!”

Pretty in Pink

My friends know my signature colour is pink. My readers know my favourite Parisian monument is the Eiffel Tower. Every year on October 1st the two come together for the launching of Pink October to support breast cancer awareness month. 

The association Le Cancer du Sein, Parlons-En!, now nicknamed "Ruban Rose" (Pink Ribbon), is launching the 27th edition of Pink October in France, an informative operation to raise awareness and support the research against the disease lasting all month long. 

An evening stroll under a near full moon just made it all the more magical.

Ibiza is World Heritage

Ibiza’s claim to fame is its status as one of Europe’s most lit places to party, but there’s so much more to Ibiza Town, the Balearic Island’s capital, than raves, 24-hour clubs, and study abroad spring breakers. To start, there’s Dalt Vila, a fortified medieval old town perched on a cliff that offers sweeping views of the Mediterranean Sea atop 16th-century battlements. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Perched on a small mountain next to the sea and overlooking the town is the fortified old town of Dalt Vila which translates to "Upper Town".

Originally called Ibosim and founded by the Phoenicians, Dalt Vila has been added to by successive occupiers and was once one of the most important coastal cities in the Mediterranean. The last addition was the Renaissance defensive walls that surround it, which Kings Charles I and Philip II of Spain had constructed to defend against the French and the Ottomans.

Walking into the main square, Plaza de Vila, many restaurants, art galleries and shops are closed due to lack of tourists.

The Catalans were the first to penetrate Dalt Vila from within and by doing so, crushed Moorish rule. 

As legend has it, the brother of the Emir that controlled Ibiza was deeply jealous of his sibling and had betrayed him to the Catalan pretenders. He told them the whereabouts of a secret tunnel that came out at a small chapel, which afterwards was named in honour of San Ciriaco, the Patron Saint of Ibiza.

Inside the heart of Villa Dalt where the cost per m2 is anything between 5000 and 10'000.- Euros.

Looking down from the battlements by the Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves, allows for a  wonderful panoramic view over the city and the harbour.

Santo Domingo church, built in the 17th century, is attached to the Monastery of the same order, and it is the second largest temple in the isle, after the Cathedral.

The Cathedral of Ibiza came about after the conquest of Ibiza by Catalan troops in 1235, and it takes up the space that, until then, had been occupied by the town’s mosque.

When the Bishopric of Ibiza was created in 1762, this was only parish on the island. It became a Cathedral and was dedicated to Saint Mary of the Snows.

A reconnaissance mission

What to do when your hubby's snoring wakes you at six am on a Sunday morning and you cannot get back to sleep? You sneak into Expat Girl's room to pinch her Vélib card and head out into the deserted streets of Paris to soak in the sun rays.

After living in Paris for nine years I have finally rented a Vélib from the city's public bicycle sharing system which has defiantly risen to the challenge over the past months by providing citizens a way to get around during general transport strikes and confinement rules. Apparently during peak hours more than four Vélibs are picked up from a station every second?!

On a reconnaissance mission before the new normal sets in, I decided to enjoy Paris to myself one last time before all the governments restrictions are revoked...

A heartwarming "Welcome back" greeting from the Mayor of Paris

Palais de Chaillot bathing in the sun at 7am on a Sunday morning 

The Eiffel Tower all to myself

Majestic view onto a very calm River Seine

It's just my Vélib and I

Place de la Concorde, Paris' largest square is abandoned 

Paris' Town Hall

World-famous Café Les Deux Magots should be back in business next week

No tourists on Place St. Germain

Paris as it was in the olden days....

All of Paris' parks and gardens are opening today after three months

One of my favourite Parisian icons: 

public drinking fountains designed by Sir Richard Wallace and sculpted by Charles-Auguste Lebourg 

Not a soul in sight

Place de Fürstenberg, labeled as being one of the most picturesque squares in Paris

Rue de Rivoli has just been declared off limits for cars this month.

Biking through Paris has never felt better!

Iconic Champs Elysées deserted by tourists, cars and public transport.

It's a beauty!

Merci Paris pour cette sublime ballade un dimanche matin.

No-one in town

We are into our eighth week of self-confinement, quarantine, staying home, io resto a casa, ensemble à la maison - whatever you want to call it - and it is becoming very monotonous. BUT, I dare complain, it has been a quiet and peaceful two months in Paris. Its community once again has overcome their daily frustrations of living in a metropole and shown their unique sense of resilience and solidarity in times of a crisis. 

It seems 24% of Parisians have skipped town and the capital is emptier than during the month of August but the rest of us have been unusually friendly even chatty proving an unprecedented neighbourhood vibe where residents perch at their windows greeting each other.

Monday the country's confinement will be lifted and life will slowly reboot, however, with the mobs of tourists gone the city once again will belong to the Parisians.

Closed and abandoned

With the French capital in lockdown for nearly seven weeks due to the coronavirus, it feels like you could have the most visited sites in the world all to yourself... if only you were allowed out!

What a wonderful opportunity it would be to admire the city without noise and tourists. At the same time, however, it would no doubt be a sad sight, as if the city of lights were abandoned. 

The most spectacular images come from Human Rights Square at Trocadero looking out at the Eiffel Tower, a spot that is close to home and therefore accessible to me after 7pm, but many other places must look like the photos below which I have taken over the years...

One more week and we'll be allowed to venture out again and explore the beauty of this city without the crowds and tourbuses blocking the views. With a bit of patience and good behaviour the cafés and bistros might open up for the summer?!?

The photo above is the only one taken this past month.

Just look at the weather!

Every window has its story in Paris

Week number 6 in Paris' confinement and the sun continues to shine as if to mock us. I can't help but feel like the Earth has just sent us all to our rooms to think about what we've done!

A view onto to Argentinean Embassy in Paris

Art Deco in black & white

Closed and abandoned 

But this does not mean that the world stops: Spring is in full bloom 

24% of Parisians have left town!

Let the sun shine in

Feeling patriotic

Old but not forgotten

Chou translates into cabbage, sweetheart or cream bun?

Ever been to the Bains-Douches?

Feeling desperate!

Parked on the balcony for the past 6 weeks

Paris architecture in all its beauty

Glass stained window from the 17th century 

A sneak preview onto the next fashion collection?

RF stands for "Republique Franciase"