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:

  1. 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

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

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

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

    Ça va ?

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

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

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  7. 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"!

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  8. 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

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

    Un vrai régal.

    Merci

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

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

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

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

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

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  14. 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 :-)

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  15. 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!

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  16. 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..

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  17. 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

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

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

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

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  21. Very good photos and some colorful compositions.

    Regards and best wishes

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

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

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

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  25. 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.

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

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  27. 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...

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  28. 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...

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

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  30. 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...

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

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

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  33. 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!

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Don't hold back ;-D