Paris Flâneuse

And the finale ...

Well, the dream year is over. It's been better than I could have hoped. And I'll be back!

Peter King at the Sunside Jazz Club. I've waited years to see him. This was my last jazz concert in Paris. A bit shaky, but (I wasn't drinking Perrier all night) ... what a way to end my dream year.

And my last night of looking at the Eiffel Tower ...

Paris Plages (= Paris Beaches) runs for a month in summer from mid-July - providing riverside relaxation beside the Seine. This year, because of the recession, authorities decided to spend much less and try to get sponsorship to fill the gap. It was disappointingly dull, and unfortunately it rained for nearly two weeks as well. However, many people did their best to make the most of it.

Dancing classes ...

Pétanque ...

I decided to "cheat" and include the following photos from 2006, when it was much more lively:

Flexible light sculptures for kids to play with ...

"Beach" activities in front of the Hotel de Ville as well ... (still 2006)

August full moon

Nearly midnight of the August full moon. I was walking home past Église Saint-Paul in rue Saint-Antoine. The dark clouds prowling around the full moon made for a sequence of rather special photos.

Chocolate Heaven

The Jacques Genin cholocatier in rue de Turenne - true elegance and respect for fine chocolates.

And you can have a yummy cake and tea while you wait for your box of chocs to be packed.

La Grande Mosquée de Paris

The biggest mosque in Paris - just beside the Jardin des Plantes. Perhaps it's significant that in this year which has presented so many challenges regarding integration of Muslims in French society, this is the last visit on my 'tourist' agenda before I leave, at the end of my dream year in Paris.