White Wagtail (motacilla alba)

I love seeing this bergeronnette grise

hop around in the grass at La Coutairie.

La Vallée du Loir

Le LoirEglise de la Trinité, Vendôme

La Courtairie is situated 15 kms from Vendôme, on the Loir river. The Loir is a tributary of the Loire, not to be confused with the latter which is one of the five large rivers of France. The countryside is lushly green, the small villages picturesque. This is not only "another place", but seems like another time.

On the Way to La Courtairie

The shield of Prunay-Cassereau

Today I travel by train, to the Paris suburb of Bourg La Reine to meet cousin MD. I will ride with her by car to her restored farm house at La Courtairie, near Prunay-Cassereau.

Musée du Quai Branly, Paris

Musée du Quai Branly

Today we visited this museum which features indigenous art, cultures and civilizations from Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. Former President Jacques Chirac was an influential supporter of the project. The Museum opened in June, 2006. The Oceania collection was of particular interest to me, and had many familiar objects.

This prickly little guy from the Congo, Nkisi Nkondi, may be able to solve your problems. An object believed to have magical powers, it probably needs to be handled with care, in more ways than one.

Le Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Discover the Musée d'Orsay.

Montparnasse is in the background to the left.

We visited the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collection at length and left saturated with images. There were a number of artists and paintings that we did not know. We finished up with a Soupe à l'Oignon and salad at a nearby Brasserie. Perfect for a cool day.

Two works (among many) that I particularly liked because of technique and detail:

Caillebot - Raboteurs de Parquet (The Floor Scrapers)

Monet - Déchargeurs de Carbon (Unloading Coal)

And I loved Henri-Edmond Cross whom I did not know.

La Foire de Paris 2009

Strolling the Champs Elysées

Le Break Dance Parisien

The Champs Elysées: A babel of tongues.

Starbucks on the Champs Elysées.

Sephora, the place for me. An orgy of French perfumes,
arranged in alphabetical order by parfumeur.

Quartier de la Défense, Paris

We visited A. and M. of Papara, Tahiti, who spend time every year in their Paris condo. A. fixed us a delicious ma'a tinito for lunch. A mini trip back to Polynesia.

Perambulating in Paris

Pontoise

Le jardin de Pontoise by Camille Pissarro

Today I visited cousins at Pontoise, just to the north of Paris. We had not seen each other for many years. It was a real pleasure. The RER train leaves two blocks from G's for a one hour ride each way.

About Pontoise.