Two beautiful photos

Again, I can't claim that I took these photos. Both are by my mum on her recent journey to France and England. The rooftops are of course Parisian. The grove of trees reminds me of an old Henri Cartier-Bresson photo that I love. Anyway, I find both photos beautiful and inspiring and hope you do too!

Cool photo

This is actually a photo my mum recently took in Paris. I just love it! He looks very cool but the car loaded with what looks like his wordly goods is so cutesy and compact. I think the street scene behind is very chic, the boulangerie and bar are very quintessentially Parisian. Is he waiting for his love? Annoyed that someone hasn't turned up to meet him? Accidentally parked in a pedestrian zone? Every picture tells a story.

Paris dreaming

My mum is going to Paris later this year so yesterday I spent some time researching hotels with her. Then I got an email from my friend Sue who was in Seoul on her way back from Paris, and now all I'm thinking about is how to scheme a trip there! I've been fortunate to go to Paris a half dozen times. Living in London allowed that - from there it's just a few hours away by Eurostar. Now it's a 22-hour flight! 

Anyway, whenever I think of Paris, I think of it in black and white like the old photographs by the great photographers: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau and Willy Ronis. It is a romantic city regardless of whether you're there with a significant other or not. Every cobblestone has a story, every scene is elegant, every pain au chocolat and chocolat et banane crepe tastes sumptuous, every shop seems glamorous and exciting. So, as I was day-dreaming about strolling through the Luxembourg Gardens, the left bank with its narrow streets and boulangeries, the exquisite Musee D'Orsay and the funky shops of the Marais, I dug out some of my own photos to share with you. 

An armchair travel day today.