the daily life of a Parisian

Queuing for Bread

Waiting for customers

Newspaper Kiosk (1)

Newspaper kiosk (2)

The iconic newspaper kiosks were designed by French architect Gabriel Davioud in 1857.

Gendarmes off to work

Eating Breakfast

Waiting

All the above images have been edited using a sketch tool ‘pen and ink‘ in grey tones.

Lens-Artists | Everyday Moments

CGN: Savoie

The Savoie (1914) is famous for its elegance and rightly considered to be one of the jewels in the Belle Epoque fleet which have been plying the lake’s deep-blue waters for 100 years. It was entirely renovated in 2006, retaining its original steam engine, but fitted with a new, particularly cost-efficient  boiler. I was fortunate to get a ride on this beautiful boat back to Geneva after my visit to Yvoire, a medieval town on the French side of the lake.

A beautiful old boat full of curves: its wooden ceilings painted white, smooth worn wooden decks, the colour of steel where the varnish has been worn away by the constant passage of thousands of feet. 1st class tickets only are allowed on the upper deck where royal blue deckchairs face the mountain views. Benches here have plump foam cushions to make them more comfortable.

Tables in the restaurant are set with white cloths and linen, silver cutlery and sparkling glasses, anthuriums (flamingo flower) with red spathes is the flower of choice. I presume this is for the evening dinner cruise ‘The Chef’s Table’ and I am almost tempted to stay.

Tall feathery palms stand guard by the curved banister of the stairway sweeping up to the upper deck

where its glitzy bar is just waiting for the cocktail hour to begin.

What a beauty! A truly wonderful and nostalgic way to end to my day.

~wander.essence~ Photography

Ford Falcon Station-Wagon

I spotted this car in a car park near Newquay last month and just had to take a few photos of it for my blogging pal, Sue Judd, who loves classic cars. I don’t know how much of a classic this is, but it is certainly nearly as old as me.

Just look at all that chrome to polish. And the detail around the lights.

This probably belongs to someone who loves to surf as there is room inside for a surfboard.

Maybe the bodywork needs a little TLC. But just look at that amazing steering wheel! I have no idea of the date, but it has the look of those 1960s American cars

Hope you like it Sue!

postcard from america

Visiting Hearst Castle is a must if you happen to travel down the Pacific Highway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Sadly on my trip the weather was foul with thick cloud and bouncing rain and we had absolutely no views of the surrounding coast or countryside from its towering location. The next day, however, there it stood, like a fairy-tale castle in the sky.