Friday, February 24, 2012

Of An Afternoon's Stroll In Paris . . .

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A series of twists of fate took me in to Paris yesterday, and as I'm never one to look a gift horse in the mouth and ask what it had for breakfast, I decided to make the most of it and take a short stroll before catching a late afternoon train back home, sweet home again. I had not gotten very far however before I realized that I was up to my eyeballs in alligators, and worse, they were even crawling down the walls to ambush passers by from above ! I shot a photo and ran for my life.
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I hadn't gotten very far though before I ran into this menacing looking purple bear in a party hat. Decidedly, the day was going to take some strange turns, I lost no time putting some distance between the bear and my butt, those teeth looked rather sharp.
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... and ran smack into a "Resistance" protestor firing off projectiles for unclear reasons; decidedly, a lot of tension and energy in the air.
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This gentleman seemed to want to hand me a glass of something, but he looked a bit shady in his trenchcoat, so I made tracks away from there.
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Someone had tried to set the street on fire . . .
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Things were definitely heating up, a troupe of headless belly dancers were shaking and strutting their stuff.
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Even the graffiti took on fluorescent tones, Paris was burning hot...
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Everywhere, people were dancing in the streets !
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Strange scenes from the gold mines of Paris street art...
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I couldn't help but think that if James had been here, he would have wanted to see it all reflected; a scooter was conveniently parked in front to allow the Quadrophenia cover art version for James Weekend Reflections.
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A bit further up the same street, a facade of windows was reflected in the plate glass of a shop where all these colors of powder were waiting in glass jars to unleash their colorful energy.
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Some nearly swooned at the thought of all those colors getting swirled on the breeze.
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I didn't hang around to find out what others were thinking, I feared the worst...
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Alligators, bears, dancers, colors, swooning blondes, why should a fox wearing glasses surprise me ?
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Or a monkey bearing books about death with a giraffe for company ? Isn't Paris the place where surrealism was invented ?
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So why not stop into a bar called the Pink Flamingo to try to catch one's breath and gather one's wits ?
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Before heading up a Montmartre street where pink houses can be found on the way to Sacré Coeur ?
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35 comments:

Sylvia K said...

You had quite an adventurous trip, Owen!! Glad you survived to share it with us! I do love your creative and humorous captures/reflections for the day! Hope you have more fun this weekend!

Sylvia

barbara l. hale said...

I enjoyed your trip to Paris. Loved that pic of the reflection in the scooter mirror!

English Rider said...

Whew! Your imaginary life is exhausting. Thanks for the ride.

Sar@h said...

Ah oui, j'adore celle du rétroviseur. J'en ai fait une semblable avec Jacqui, motobiker de Bristol.

Ça va ?

Pat Tillett said...

This is the kind of tour I love!
Very nice photos...
I call some of it art and some of it vandalism!

James said...

Pure genius! I really enjoyed this tour of Paris. Your photos are artistic and they tell stories.

Malyss said...

Woaw! this post is so impressive, rich, colorful! What strange views of Paris you're showing, very unusual and special!In french, I'd say "ebouriffant"!

AVY said...

I really like men in trenchcoats.


/Avy
http:// mymotherfuckedmickjagger.blogspot.com

Virginia said...

Only you dear Owen, could take that mélange (Impressed?) of photographs and weave such a tale.
BTW, I think I took one of my best photos on that street in Montmartre, the one on my business card!
Bon weekend,
V

Le Journal de Chrys said...

Ohhhh que c'est bon toutes ces couleurs Owen!!!

Un vrai régal.

Merci

Steve said...

As always Owen, your eye for colour, shape and the humour of life is astounding...

Doru Agafiţei said...

Pure genius, indeed! Thank you!

Roxana said...

ah, Paris, how i long for it...
:-)

the scooter's mirror is stunning, but those endless colourful jars left me dreaming endless colourful dreams...

Valerie said...

A wonderfully colourful, clever and entertaining post Owen. Thanks for sharing your journey. Happy weekend.

Ellie said...

What a great selection of colourful pictures - I really like the reflection in the mirror shot.

Lady Mondegreen's Secret Garden said...

Colour me mad! Yes that scooter mirror takes the cake for me too. I rather fancy myself living in that Montmatre street... Just me and my camera :-)

Unknown said...

wonderful series of pics, and great reflection you posted for the meme. For me the last pic is a true mood of a residential neighborhood of Paris!

Catherine said...

And I thought Mexico city was the surreal city of magic realism..what a parade you have here and the scooter shot is a real gem..

Genie -- Paris and Beyond said...

Owen, your playful creative approach to telling a story with a day's cache of photos is delightful. Your individual shots are wonderful (reflection!) and together they are a fabulous collage of story and scene.

Wish we had all been there together!

Bises,
Genie

Oakland Daily Photo said...

You fell into a psychedelic time warp. Definitely a trippy day.

Gine said...

La série de la couleur ! Bravo pour le cadrage dans le rétro ! Très réussi !

Pastelle said...

J'adore Paris vu par toi !
Tu mènes une vie dangereuse dis !
Mais colorée et belle...

Tatjana Parkacheva said...

Very good photos and some colorful compositions.

Regards and best wishes

AL said...

Fabulous. I am pleased I was sitting down for the excitement, adventure and thrills of your day in Paris. Great story line.

Laurie said...

I feel very dizzy, Owen. I must sit down. It was the colours what done it! Marvellous.

The Sagittarian said...

Yup, loved that scooter shot. A very colourful afternoon by the looks of it!

Gwen Buchanan said...

Owen, The way you portray Paris is like a magic circus... always something new, old, colorful and exciting, and the blend of them all makes it even more inviting... stimulation in every direction.

PeterParis said...

Amazing what one can discover in Paris ... with YOUR eyes! :-)

Céline said...

OMG! Quelle aventure !! Quelles aventures même. Je comprends que tu aies retrouvé ton home sweet home avec plaisir après tant d'émotions.
Les gros plans sur la Mazurka sont superbes;
Bonne semaine Owen !

PS : désolée pour les myrtilles, tu vas devoir patienter jusqu'à cet été...

Stickup Artist said...

Aw man, you really know how to get to me! I'm rolling around in sand and dust, scrabbling up a bunch of old boulders, and you, you are strolling the streets of Paris! Colorful, quirky, and spellbinding as only you can do it...

David said...

Great work, I enjoy seeing how you see the world.

Kate Cullen Fisher said...

What a wonderful tour you have taken, Owen...I am sure that you have left us all breathless and waiting for your next foray into the wilds! You are an inspiration, as always...

Anonymous said...

What a tour de force. Thanks for this entertaining jaunt through Paris. It really is vibrant and surreal. My favorite is the party bear.

Owen said...

I can only sit back breathless, and say simply... "thanks"... and glad you enjoyed the little trip to a lesser known side of Paris...

Nathalie said...

Now that's a Paris trip I never could have dreamed of. What an adventure! Much better than a wildlife cruise in Disneyland! Owen for your keen eye, wits and sense of fun have made my day. Thanks a million!