Paris Parfait

Take the time

Giant ancient clockface at Geraldine Michaelis's stand Une Chanson Douce at the Antiquities Brocante at Place de la Bastille, Paris.

Come With Me
To the quiet minute between two noisy minutes
It's always waiting ready to welcome us
Tucked under the wing of the day
I'll be there
Where will you be?

Poem by Naomi Shihab Nye from her book Come with Me: Poems for a Journey.

Tara Bradford is traveling. In her absence, timed posts should appear. She will post occasional updates from the road.

Blogging buddies

This past weekend Leonie and Nic came to Paris for a few days. You may know Leonie from her eclectic blog Chocolate Covered Musings. She and Nic are New Zealanders, currently living in London. What a lively, fun couple they are! Luckily, they intend to stick around London for awhile, so we shall be seeing more of each other.

More photos from Bastille

Images taken at Clement Rosenzweig's Chinez toutes les Tendances stand at the Antiquities Brocante at Place de la Bastille, Paris. The event continues daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. through May 18th. Tickets are available at the entrance. You can also visit Monsieur Rosenzweig's shop at Marche Dauphine, 132/140 rue des Rosiers at Clignacourt, St. Ouen, Paris. It is open from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

A 20th-century spiral staircase model handmade in mahogany.

Two zinc weathervanes and framed prints.

A horse's head and a zinc weathervane within a vintage frame.

Musicians in the metro

A lively band of musicians entertain passers-by at a Paris metro station. It's unusual to find such a large group of musicians performing inside a metro station - typically you might see a lone violinist or perhaps a string trio.

Brocante beauty at Bastille

An artful arrangement of urns, sculptures, busts, 18th-century books and a sculptor's model at Sophie Pretelat's Anges et Demons stand at the Antiquities Brocante at Bastille. Pretelat's eye for acquiring unusual antiques and curiosities - and her styling skills - are frequently featured in books, most recently in Secrets d'interieurs by Michele Lalande and Gilles Trillard.

A 19th-century urn filled with lovely seashells. The brocante at Place de la Bastille continues from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily through May 18.

Stone and plaster birds, an antique birdcage and candlesticks and lamps at Anges et Demons. Visit Pretalat's shop at 14 rue Notre Dame in Cunault, France.

An antique column, 19th-century frames, rolled-up tapestry and an embroidered altarcloth.

Mercury glass candlesticks, a hand-etched frosted-glass goblet, 18th-century books and a framed portrait make up this table display at Anges et Demons. Many more brocante photos to come!

Mother's Day / Fete des meres / Dia da la Madre

A vintage wooden toy truck at Geraldine Michaelis's stand Une Chanson Douce at the Antiquities Brocante at Bastille.

To my maman and all mothers and grandmothers who have tried their best to insure children have happy, healthy childhoods, then go on to lead productive lives and contribute something valuable to the world: Thank you. Merci bien. Muchas gracias. Bonne fete! Happy Mother's Day!

A brocante, a sculptor's model and pickpockets

Parts of 19th-century zinc weathervanes, along with an 18th-century wooden religious retablo, a copper figure on horseback and a 20th-century architectural model of a spiral staircase at the Chinez toutes les Tendances stand at the Antiquities Brocante at Place de la Bastille. The event continues daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. through May 18th. Tickets are available at the door. Check back Sunday for more brocante photos.

Be aware the "rakkai" or pickpockets are out in full force on the Paris metro, particularly on Lines 1, 8 and 9. Today I was returning from Bastille, carrying an antique sculptor's model. Two guys tried to grab my handbag, but I'd spotted them already and was prepared. I threatened to hit them with the pot. They grinned and said in French, something to the effect, "You'll break it!" I replied, "Et votre tete aussi (And your head too)." They laughed, but jumped off the train as the doors were closing.

Antique original sculptor's model for a piece ultimately made in silver. I found it at the inimitable Sophie Pretelat's Anges et Demons at Bastille. Thankfully, I didn't have to use it as a weapon against pickpockets on the train!

No words necessary

Pop icons at Galeries Lafayette

The Asian-themed window displays at Galeries Lafayette, Paris are filled with pop cultural icons from Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea.

Beyond this place, there be dragons...

Elaborate gold gilt dragon currently adorning a vitrine at Galeries Lafayette, Paris.

"Beyond this place, there be dragons!" These words once were found on every map, at the place where the mapmakers' known worlds stopped. These words sparked the exotic mysteries that beckoned every adventurer, every dreamer, every person curious to see past their immediate environs. It is the place that the discoverers sailed beyond and were rewarded for their bravery by finding the Americas.

I am about to embark on a journey that is different from the hundreds I have taken over the years. Yes, some of the roads will be familiar; other parts unknown and a little scary. But this journey is important, as it marks a huge passage, not only in my daughter's life - as she presents her first fashion collection to critics, including designer John Galliano - and graduates with honours from college. It also marks the culmination of a journey that Jordana and I have traveled together - just the two of us, on our own. Occasionally we had help from family and friends and when Jordana was 15, David came along as a father figure. But for the most part, it was just Jordana and me.

We navigated a long and sometimes difficult road, living in other countries, frequently traveling, adapting to changing circumstances and for Jordana, new schools - not always easy, but worth the persistent effort. I am thankful for Jordana and so very proud of the bright, talented and engaging young woman she has become, despite all the odds, some might say. Some well-meaning people once suggested I should stay in one place and suppress my dreams to insure more stability for my daughter. I didn't listen to those people; I chose my own path and by extension, Jordana's.

I always believed that as long as Jordana felt loved and safe, she would be fine. And I think she would argue that all the travel, the adventures, the ever-changing situations made her more courageous, tolerant, flexible and able to cope with any situation. I think Jordana would tell you that she's gained a multicultural world view that serves her well, wherever she goes. I think she would agree that while she may not have had as many material luxuries as her friends with two working parents, she gained invaluable experiences while living and traveling in some of the world's greatest cities, meeting many fascinating people along the way.

For Jordana, I pray her best adventures are still to come. And I will be cheering her on, along whatever path she chooses.

For me, the three-week journey that begins in Savannah also heralds major changes. Some thrilling challenges and creative opportunities are unfolding and I will see many friends, both old and new. Much excitement ahead! My laptop and camera are accompanying me, so barring technical glitches, will be posting on Paris Parfait comme d'habitude. Hope you'll come along for the ride!

Asian flair at Galeries Lafayette

Galeries Lafayette in Paris currently features window displays with an Asian influence. Designs from Japan, China, South Korea and Taiwan are presented, with many mannequins wearing bubblegum pink or cherry red cotton-candy wigs, sportswear-influenced clothing in bright colours and loads of bling-bling jewlery and accessories. The increasing influence of high-technology and digital games, as well as various sports and medals are referenced in the vitrines, a nod to this summer's Olympic games in China. Visit Paris Parfait again on Friday for more Asian-inspired photos.

I've spent much of this warm, sunny holiday (in France) at Bastille, for opening day of the Antiquites Brocante. I was happy to see some old friends and be invited to participate in an exciting new venture; meet some interesting artists (and by happenstance, a French fan of my blog) and find some very unusual things. Check back later for photos galore.

A better way

Ben Harper's A Better Way honouring Sen. Barack Obama. Even the U.S. press pundits who deliberately have spun the race - to create news where none existed - now believe Sen. Obama will be the Democratic presidential nominee. "And no one is going to dispute it." The math doesn't lie.

Spring brocante at Bastille

Early 20th-century advertising poster.

If you're in Paris over the next few days, you may enjoy attending the Antiquites Brocante at Place de la Bastille. The twice-yearly brocante offers some of the best antiques and vintage pieces in Paris, from a wide variety of vendors. Stop by Stand 514 on Boulevard Bastille and say hello to my friend, Monsieur Pettersson. He sells wonderful and unusual antiques and objects d' curiosite - and he speaks English!

The brocante begins at 11 a.m. Thursday - meet me there? - and continues daily through May 18th. Take the Paris metro lines 1, 5 or 8 to Bastille and Quai de la Rapee or bus lines 76, 86 or 91. Parking is available at Opera Bastille. Tickets are available at the door.

A rather weathered toy boat.

A vintage basket contains spools of thread and ribbon. Old tole lampshades are also on offer at a local brocante.

Check back Thursday for photos of Asian-inspired windows at Galeries Lafayette. No time to post them today!

Bohemian travel

Today I went to les grands magasins on Boulevard Hausmann, ostensibly shopping for yet another pair of black shoes. But somehow I never made it to any shoe department. I was too distracted by the bohemian windows at Printemps and the Asian-inspired displays at Galeries Lafayette (check back Thursday for photos of the latter).

Once inside the stores, my attention was diverted by exquisitely-crafted handbags; handmade jewelery; wonderful patterned and sequined scarves for friends and fabulous red crocheted gloves for Jordana's design partner (who adores gloves). And that was just the first floor of Galeries Lafayette! Before I knew it, was laden with packages and couldn't think about visiting a shoe department while keeping track of all those bags.

All this shopping is strictly necessary, after all. Next week I'll be off for three weeks to the Wild West - my first trip to the US is over two years. And one can't arrive empty-handed, when visiting friends and family - it's just not done! Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

As I'd been shopping for hours without eating, my blood sugar was plummeting. So a quick two-block walk over to Madeleine, where on a little side street lined with sex shops - and a Starbucks - there's a great little sandwich place, Cojean. It has tiny sandwiches and salads with fresh organic ingredients, juices, etc. - not cheap, but a fast energy revival before more shopping!

Check out the painted trunk and wooden horses, piled along with these brightly-patterned fabric "hobo bags" in a Printemps window. See that guy sitting on a fence? If you're sitting on a fence about something in your life, this is a reminder to get off! Make a decision; take a stand; do something! Don't just sit there!

Bohemian clothes, suzani fabric bundles and handbags tied to a purple car!

More views of the purple car, piled high with worldly possessions.

A dress in animal-print fabrics, along with fabric-tied bundles and a pedicab in my favourite aqua colour.

More aqua bundles, a wooden horse and an enamel tiffin.

A mannequin sitting on a bright pink Mini, loaded with parcels.

Red fabric-tied bundles, along with a gorgeous hand-painted chest and a Lancel handbag (er, ahem...there is one just like that at home!)

A green jungle-print chiffon ruffled dress and surreal images reflected in a Printemps window.

And if you're an American voting in the presidential election, this is both surprising and dismaying.

Mai / May / Mayo

Guillame Apollinaire's poem about May, handwritten in French at a spring exhibition at Les Passages in Boulogne-Billancourt.

Endless blue skies and an historic church set behind a town hall, currently under renovation near Le Bon Marche, Paris.

Grey skies more typical of spring in Paris. Construction continues on an underground parking garage and park in my neighbourhood. The work began in 2006 and is scheduled for completion later this year.

Bright pink hortensia softens the urban environment on Ile Saint Louis.

Pimentos - red and green - at a local supermarket.

A brass-and-enamel bed frame at a recent brocante. Remember the old Bob Dylan song, "Lay lady, lay - lay across my big brass bed?"

A vintage foosball game for sale at a brocante. An excellent antiquites brocante at Place de Bastille, Paris begins later this week.

Filling station replicas, Danish modern chairs and a mannequin.

Hats and theatre props. And speaking of props, Europeans and Americans alike are amused by Hillary Clinton's new "guns" mailing.

Plus, that little gas tax holiday stunt Clinton keeps pushing - even though economists oppose it and both she and her husband were against it in 2000 - has earned her the rebuke of a senior member of Congress. An excerpt of George Miller's statement: "“The call by Sens. Clinton and McCain to temporarily suspend the federal tax on gasoline is a short-sighted stunt that will hurt consumers and do nothing to reduce the price of gas. American consumers and our economy need a real solution to the energy crisis, not an empty trick. You can run cars on a lot of different fuels, but snake oil isn’t one of them."

Carved in stone

A tattooed rock at Le Carrefour des Cascades in the Bois de Boulogne, Paris.

Signs of love.

Natural rock formations. Notice the bird hiding at right.

Tranquility at the base of the waterfall.

A view of the waterfall's base from behind a heart-shaped rock formation.

Water cascades down the sides of the rocks.

In many parts of this world water is scarce and precious.
People sometimes have to walk a great distance
then carry heavy jugs upon their heads.

Because of our wisdom, we will travel far for love.
All movement is a sign of Thirst.
Most speaking really says, "I am hungry to know you."

Every desire of your body is holy;
every desire of your body is Holy.
Dear one, why wait until you are dying
to discover that divine Truth?

Hafiz poem from the book "The Subject Tonight is Love" translated by Daniel Ladinsky.

Bagpipes in the Bois

This afternoon while walking my usual route around Hippodrome de Longchamp, an unexpected treat: two French guys playing bagpipes! Speaking of treats, if you're an "Empire Strikes Back" fan, you may appreciate this amusing video.

White flowering trees, high grass and wildflowers are part of the natural beauty of the Bois de Boulogne on the Western edge of Paris.

A cyclist goes past a pink flowering tree opposite rugby grounds in the Bois.

Two trees with entwined branches near one of the many ponds that dot the Bois.

A big pink flowering tree near the outer perimeter of Hippodrome de Longchamp, Europe's biggest flat-racing course.

Flowering branches reflected in the water of a small canal.

Thick white blossoms accent several trees in the Bois.

A lone cypress was a gift from the State of Louisiana in 1983. The tree, located near Le Carrefour des Cascades waterfall, originated from the Gulf of Mexico.

Part of the Longchamp racecourse, viewed from Allee de Longchamp.

A tower for television cameras to record races at Longchamp.

Larking about London

Scaffolding props up the facade of a 19th-century building on Oxford Street, London. Behind the facade, construction is underway on a new space, which will retain the historical facade. In the building at left, a flag is reflected in the window's glass.

A jumble of cooking wares caught in a fisherman's net at Divertimenti in Knightsbridge, London. The Brompton Oratory is reflected in the glass.

The spring-themed window in an upscale charity shop on Brompton Road.

A giant lipstick tube - Heatherette for M.A.C. Cosmetics - in a window display at Selfridges on Oxford Street.

Banners advertising an ongoing exhibition at the Natural History Museum on Cromwell Road.

Children and their parents line up for tickets to the giant maze and butterfly house at the Natural History Museum.

Boxed plants suspended from iron railings outside buildings on Cromwell Road.

The truth about the gas tax holiday

Sen. Barack Obama tells voters the facts about the proposed gas tax "holiday." Obama says it's time to investigate oil companies for price gouging and for Congress to adopt higher fuel efficiency standards and America invest in alternative energy sources.

The gas tax holiday supported by presidential candidates Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain will be dead on arrival in the House of Representatives, Democrats said Thursday. Party leaders sided firmly with Sen. Obama, the only White House contender who opposes suspending the gas tax.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said “there’s no reason to believe that any moratorium on the gas tax would be passed on to the consumer.” She left the measure off the list of energy proposals that may be attached to the supplemental Iraq war-spending bill. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer also said suspending the gas tax would “not be a policy that I would think is particularly positive."

And talk about a sense of entitlement! Hillary Clinton's spokesman Howard Wolfson tries to backtrack about her "Rich people, God bless us," statement, to no avail.

Meanwhile, Colorado Congressman and Senatorial candidate Mark Udall has made it clear he's not buying into Clinton's campaign rhetoric about the gas tax holiday:

"Senator Clinton claimed yesterday that I either stand with her on this proposal or stand with the oil companies. To that I say: I stand with the families of Colorado, who aren't looking for bumper sticker fixes that don't fix anything, but for meaningful change that brings real relief and a new direction for our energy policy. We can't afford more Washington-style pandering while families keep getting squeezed.

"It is exactly the kind of short-sighted Washington game that keeps us from getting real results to our energy problem. Experts across the ideological spectrum agree that it will increase the deficit, drain money away from Colorado roads and bridges, and hurt the environment, all without actually making prices lower for drivers."

Light from unexpected sources

Sculptural "Cirrus" lighting designed by Celine Wright in a little shop on Ile Saint Louis, Paris.

"Quatre cocons suspendus" (four suspended cocoons), also designed by Celine Wright, whose showroom is in Montreuil, France.

A sculptural handbag from the same shop. Needless to say, it came home with me, along with some unusual jewelry. My partner-in-crime, Susan of Soozphotoz also found a few treasures here.

And this is hilarious.