September morning in paris, an early stroll

It’s one of those great (and gray) September mornings in Paris and I take my poor jet lagged body out to take pictures of a city that looks more majestic without its occupants or tourists like me!

I would like to take you with me; first we take the bus:

bus line 67 paris michele roohani

the streets are all empty—one of the oldest surviving buildings in Paris from the 16th century:

francois miron street paris michele roohani

even the marché is not open yet,

morning marché produce market rue glaciere michele roohani

Saint Michel is unrecognizable at 7 am:

saint michel deserted street michele roohani

the cafés are just opening,

chez julien paris michele roohani

walking along the river bank in Isle Saint Louis,

isle saint louis quai michele roohani

Notre Dame is majestically melancholic,

morning notre dame paris michele roohani

but pretty soon, life starts in the city:

notre dame paris michele roohani morning

I decide to go towards the Marais; I am surprised to see a Pain Quotidien on my way—so far from Brentwood and Westwood but exactly the same menu:

pain quotidien paris michele roohani rue des archives

rushing towards Place des Vosges, the street signs stop me:

francs bourgeois rue vieille du temple paris marais michele roohani

its’ too early in the morning for gooseberries,

fruit stand groseilles gooseberry marais michele roohani fruits rouges

I really need a strong coffee,

empty coffee cups marias cafe michele roohani

but of course the waitress cleans up the street and not the table left from the previous clients,

place des vosges sweeper michele roohani paris

the galleries around the square are too commercial but I am glad to discover a painter from Rafsandjan, Reza Sarrafi, in one of the windows:

reza sarrafi still life pear place des vosges michele roohani

the wine paintings are from another painter, Annekov:

dmitri annekov archange paris wine painting michele roohani place des vosges

Voilà! Now you know.

self portrait michele roohani notre dame reflection in camera lens paris

I am not kidding when I say I love this city—here are my other posts about Paris:

Alone in Paris

Paris and Paul Newman

Pretty girl in Paris

Giacometti, a post from Montparnasse

I met Arcimboldo and some Germans in Paris

Opera Garnier in Paris

Paris was a woman

Paris at 6 am

Bread and Music

11 thoughts on “September morning in paris, an early stroll

  1. Among all the posts before on Paris, I love this one the most dear Michele:
    Your creative stroll in the morning took me all the way with you.
    I felt the aroma of the coffee, the small of fresh bread, and I heard the bells of Notre Dame de Paris from a distance
    Paris is my favorite city.
    Thank you

  2. WOW! Wonderful! Merci Beacoup!..Thanks amiga for taking me again to this awesome city… the views, the smell of coffee & croissant are inviting me to go there one, two, three times and more.

  3. Beautiful photos and post, love the quality of light in them, the crispness, felt like I was walking it with you. This is my favorite post of yours on Paris. Merci!

  4. Un pain au chocolat avec un petit cafe ou bien la noisette ( un petit cafe with a drop of milk, giving it a hazelnut colour) was my petit dejeuer rapide whilst rushing to the film school

    But i always had the Pain au chocolat from a local pattisserie… ah quel plaisir..

    Merci Michele , for a small promenade in paris..

    My favourite photograph was the Melancholic Notre Dame, it reminded me of the melancholic undertone of Appolinaire’s poem “Le Pont Mirabeau”

    La ville de Paris, meme aujourd’hui a l’air quotidien. The city of Paris still has a palpably intimate feel to it.

    Parisians still buy thir Baguettes from a Boulangerie ( bakery ) on their street, they still buy the cakes from Pattisserie on their srteet and hav their morning cafe too at a local cafe.

    Nimesh

    Nimesh

  5. Thanks Michele, for inviting us along your early morning ride and stroll, the best of times in any big city. There is something more intimate in these early morning hours, maybe in any big city. Loved the stroll along the river bank and it is always good to watch others at work. This made my day early on, thank you, om.

  6. Fantastic Post !!! Beautiful pics ! I feel continental just looking at them! Actually beats your Parisian posts! Love, CF

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