Paris, Street Photography (9e-2e)

On an overcast bright afternoon, I tried using only a 35mm lens to capture activity on a few streets.  My walk began at one of the métro stops for République and continued into the 2e arrondissement.  Because some colours were washed out by the bright sun, I decided to use black and white, giving an older feel to the exercise.

Walking side streets in Paris

Our final day in Paris is invariably a Sunday, an opportunity to walk wherever we wish, always attending a final Sunday organ recital at St Eustauche.  Our all-day stroll meandered around Bastille, a market, over to the Marais (the water creating the marsh disappeared many decades ago), into the 3rd arrondissement and beyond.  We hope to return next spring.

I never heard her actually play anything resembling a tune, but she apparently discovered that the folk instrument helps attract attention and sympathy.

If only we were staying longer, we could have stocked up on some splendid fish.

The weather (June 8th) was warm, it was a Sunday, and the cafés were filling, especially the tables on the sidewalks, both on important streets and those unassuming.

We came across several alleys with interesting graffiti, nicely shaded, which meant they could be photographed more easily.

 

Canal Saint-Martin, Paris

One lovely place to take a leisurely stroll is along St. Martin's Canal.  This old canal is still used by tourist boats but seems to be less frequently used by the traditional canal boats to haul goods.  The canal begins at the River Seine, heads directly north and then disappears underground at Bastille.  It remains underground until it emerges several blocks NE of Place de la République, which is where I started.  The Place de la République is one of the enormous métro hubs, an area offering cheaper hotels--for a reason--it's just a tad dicey at times.  The day was heavily overcast, promising and delivering rain, lots of it.

Most of these photos have the theme of water because I used a telephoto to take photos of buildings and people on the other side of the fairly wide canal.  There is also something interesting about murals painted illegally on buildings, and their colors become vivid when the lighting is not too bright.

I took the métro to République, headed for the canal, and just started walking.

I was fascinated by the graffiti in this area.  Some of it was quite handsome.