Paris and I ~ 'Sheeping On The Job'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Sheeping On The Job ~

Sheeping On The Job, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

OK, i admit, it's not quite Paris, but it almost is, and might well be if plans for Greater Paris continue apace.

So it's Arcueil then, just to the south, and what you certainly don't expect to see is a fully-fledged flock of sheep, as it were, being nonchalantly driven down rue Marius Sidobre of a Saturday afternoon, replete with sheepdogs and shepherdess in tow.

It's all part of one of these 'Farm in the City' initiatives, where they scatter the tarmac with straw or tarpaulin and press gang a clutch of chickens or rabbits or ducks to pose for photos and get poked by hoards of snotty city kids.

Oh yeah, and you can buy overpriced cheese and wine and garlic because it's 'the real thing'. Excuse my cynicism- i quite enjoyed it really, and my one-year-old probably would have too, if he hadn't slept through the whole thing.

(A Paris iPhone street photograph by Sab Will for the 'Paris and I' photo blog)

JOIN SAB IN PARIS FOR A UNIQUE PHOTO TOUR!

Paris and I ~ 'Just For The Record'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Just For The Record ~

Just For The Record, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

CDs are dead, in case you were wondering, along with vinyl, so there you go.

Any gutter rat could tell you, no-one actually 'buys' music no more, no way! They 'procure' it, and that doesn't necessarily have negative connotations. i'm finding i could listen to more excellent music on Deezer for free than i could actually live through. Including some long-lost favourites i never thought i'd hear again. (Ahem! Terry Jacks, anyone? Rolf Harris? Gary Glitter?!) That's enough.

So let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of Saint Germain (Ralph McTell, anyone? Sorry); i'll show you something, that'll make you wonder how on earth people ever managed to fit 12-inches-across 'long playing' pieces of ungainly round plastic into their USB ports, never mind their iPods.

I used to love changing LPs over though: the skilful flip, the needle carefully posed, the distinctive welcoming crackle...

(A Paris iPhone street photograph by Sab Will for the 'Paris and I' photo blog)

JOIN SAB IN PARIS FOR A UNIQUE PHOTO TOUR!

Paris and I ~ 'The Long Wait'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ The Long Wait ~

The Long Wait, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

The night after the morning before... or something like that; La Nuit Blanche has that effect on some people.

Last train's looming, or is it the first, and whether you take it or not becomes more an abstract question of style than necessity now that you've been awake this long.

The paint on the platform starts to peel before your very eyes; the rows of seats seem to race towards you like a demented video game; reverberations and reflections ricochet around your retinas as Paris' Sleepless Night fades into the dopey dawn for another year.

And you take the next train.

(A Paris iPhone street photograph by Sab Will for the 'Paris and I' photo blog)

JOIN SAB IN PARIS FOR A UNIQUE PHOTO TOUR!

Paris and I ~ 'Hypocrisy In White'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Hypocrisy In White ~

Hypocrisy In White, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

Is it a cyberpunk? Is it an ethnically neutral seasonal greetings tree? Is it an African lady resplendent in full regalia? Or is it maybe the latest creation of ocularly-challenged Paris street artist Sab Will?

Mais mon ! It's just the good old Hôtel de Ville, dressed up to the nines for La Nuit Blanche last night. See, i did drag myself out there in the end!

Also nearly had a fight with a guy who blatantly took a photo, albeit very pretty, of myself and companion coming out of a deep metro exit at Notre Dame.

In retrospect this raises all sorts of ethical and existential questions in my mind, as it could very easily have been me taking the picture, but I'll spare you those thoughts here. Anyway, he called me a connard ('asshole', to all intents and purposes) but deleted the pictures, so we'll leave it at that. Have a nice White Night.

(A Paris iPhone street photograph by Sab Will for the 'Paris and I' photo blog)

JOIN SAB IN PARIS FOR A UNIQUE PHOTO TOUR!

Paris and I ~ 'Last Train To Gentilly'

Last Train To Gentilly, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

A nostalgic nod to this great bit of street art I see every day as I take the RER B into Saint Michel and beyond.

Nostalgic? Yes, because I'll be moving soon and Gentilly won't be my local train station any more (sniff sniff).

Not that I'll be straying too far from the City of Light though. Otherwise how could i keep bringing you my Paris eye-Phone snapshots every day?

Or every night, in this case, as tonight is La Nuit Blanche (Sleepless Night) in the capital, so hopefully I'll have something to show you tomorrow. If i wake up, that is.

(A Paris iPhone street photograph by Sab Will for the 'Paris and I' photo blog)

JOIN SAB IN PARIS FOR A UNIQUE PHOTO TOUR!

Paris and I ~ 'Periscope Me Up, Scotty!'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Periscope Me Up, Scotty! ~

Periscope Me Up, Scotty!, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

OK, i know there was never a periscope on the Starship Enterprise (there was never a Starship Enterprise either folks, i hate to break it to ya), but it's early, and i'm in need of a snappy title.

What? A periscope? In Paris? But how can that be? For where a periscope pokes up its ET-like head, a submarine is sure to follow.

But it's true. In the Parc de la Villette there is a real diesel-electric French submarine from the 1950s called L'Argonaute, which means, err, The Argonaut (whaddya mean, isn't Wikipedia wonderful?), although i wasn't aware of a significant Greek mythological division in the French navy of the post war period.

Well, whatever, they're all firing plates and launching kebabs at the waves of tourists that roll down the rue de la Huchette these days, and i should know, i married one (a Greek, not a kebab, although in retrospect..).

JOIN SAB IN PARIS FOR A UNIQUE PHOTO TOUR!

Paris and I ~ 'Colour Me Autumn'

Street Art Slices ~ Colour Me Autumn ~

Colour Me Autumn, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

Paris street artist and close friend, known only as 'infinity squared', whom i follow fervently, strikes again, this time on the avenue René Coty in the 14th.

I'll include a couple of iPhone shots here for good measure: the first a sneaky double exposure combining what was on the wall in front of me with what was at my feet (bonjour autumn in Paris).

Colour Corners, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

The second shows that there is room for a bit of colour in an otherwise grey world. Hope it cheers someone up as they wait for the bus on a chilly October morning.

(A Paris iPhone street photograph by Sab Will for the 'Paris and I' photo blog)

JOIN SAB IN PARIS FOR A UNIQUE PHOTO TOUR!

Paris and I ~ 'Tunnel Vision'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Tunnel Vision ~

Tunnel Vision, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

And talking of ghost trains (like i was yesterday, if you were paying attention), here's another one. Sorry about the quality of the shot - i think it's due to the psychic interference, so just think Blair Witch Project or something.

You could say they really are ghost trains on line 14 of the Paris metro, because there, just where the driver should be, drinking his coffee and thwarting suicide attempts is... absolutely nothing!

That's right. Up front there's no trace of intelligent life (unless you count us passenger-rats, and that's pushing it): no driver; no conductor; not even a semblance of a computer.

Nope. It's just you and the on-coming train, so you'd better pray it got up on the right side of the tunnel this morning.

(A Paris iPhone street photograph by Sab Will for the 'Paris and I' photo blog)

JOIN SAB IN PARIS FOR A UNIQUE PHOTO TOUR!

Paris and I ~ 'From Here To Denfert'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ From Here To Denfert ~

From Here To Denfert, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

Here's a grabbed shot, if ever there was one. But when a veritable ghost train rumbles past on the R-E-R B of all places, they don't hang around to haggle over the price of French delicacies. Dead men sell no snails, as it were.

So if you're waiting on a wet and windy platform late at night somewhere on the periphery of the Parisian rail network and feel a sudden chill run down your spine...

...huddle up even more into that overcoat and try to meld into the shadows... or maybe you'll be the newest passenger on the Paris to Denfert Express.

(A Paris iPhone street photograph by Sab Will for the 'Paris and I' photo blog)

JOIN SAB IN PARIS FOR A UNIQUE PHOTO TOUR!

Paris and I ~ 'Cheeky Little Red'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Cheeky Little Red ~

Cheeky Little Red, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

i was reading a book the other day which was saying that the myth that surrounds the consumption of the highly addictive and toxic poison alcohol is the biggest confidence trick ever pulled on mankind, with the funniest part being that we're playing the trick on ourselves.

The idea, says the book, that alcohol makes our lives immeasurably better or richer or more fulfilling is as ridiculous as the idea of installing an alcohol gland right next to the thyroid; don't we think that evolution would have thought of that, if it were so good?

All the fancy packaging, and happy, loving moments as seen in soft-focus ads are nothing more than marketing spin to stop us realising, or help us to forget that we are addicted to a powerful and deadly drug. And this even if we just drink a tiny bit, because the substance in and of itself, produced from the rancid by-products of rotten grape juice or other gone-off substances is pure evil to our bodies, which know this (ever puked or had a hangover?), the book tells us. Alcohol consumption doesn't have clear steps - it's a slippery slope, we're told.

An entire joke industry and profession has even been created with so-called 'experts' telling us which version of our favourite poison will go best with our favourite food, using highly scientific words and phrases to describe these noxious drugs: 'Naive, and yet... chubby. No, hold on: it's a naughty little wine that should be taken around the corner and spanked!' Except that if you do go around the corner you might meet the happy souls who have chosen to live under the bridge with their lover the bottle, or uncle Jack who touches the girls and hits his wife when he's under the influence but it's ok because he's dying slowly and painfully from liver disease like tens of thousands of others. Says the book.

Luckily, here in France, capital of alcohol mythology and legend, we know all of this is just nonsense, and anyway we can drive quickly under the bridges, just hoping we don't get stuck at the lights. Santé!

(A Paris iPhone street photograph by Sab Will for the 'Paris and I' photo blog)

JOIN SAB IN PARIS FOR A UNIQUE PHOTO TOUR!

Paris and I ~ 'The Lady & The Colonel'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ The Lady & The Colonel ~

The Lady & The Colonel, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

Shakespeare & Company isn't the only curious old bookshop in town, you know. There are others, even older, although maybe not quite as curious, like this one.

Tucked away in the erstwhile á la mode Galerie Vivienne, it now struggles along with all the other tenants of this fading starlet to flog a few postcards of Lady Eiffel and the odd tattered tome.

'Galerie', you'll note, mind you; nothing so lowly as a common or garden 'passage' for Vivienne and her stiff-lipped boyfriend Colbert just next door.

Their days of glory are past, or at least dormant for now, but who knows, maybe one day the renowned restauranteurs R. McDonald and the Col. Saunders will open one of their popular eateries or perhaps a trendy boutique from the affable M. Mouse will appear, and breathe life into these fusty French icons once again.

(A Paris iPhone street photograph by Sab Will for the 'Paris and I' photo blog)

JOIN SAB IN PARIS FOR A UNIQUE PHOTO TOUR!

Paris And I ~ 'Dumb-Assed Ad Campaigns, Pt.69'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Dumb-Assed Ad Campaigns, Pt.69 ~

Dumb-Assed Ad Campaigns, Pt.69, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

And before you ask, nope, i have absolutely no idea what this is all about, except that it's part of some advertising campaign plastered all over Paris at the moment.

It's one of those campaigns which makes you feel slightly uneasy, or even queasy, without quite being able to say why. i guess the main reason for that is the flesh-coloured heart shape which must be trying to make us think of... 'bottoms' for some sneaky reason.

Suffice it to say, never EVER underestimate the a) potentially subliminal effect, or indeed b) total stupidity of any ad.

Our main challenge, therefore, is first and foremost to simply decide which of the above characteristics is dominant in any given campaign.

And, secondly, to have a thoroughly good laugh at them. Oh yeah, and then don't buy their product, obviously, assuming you've actually been able to work out what it is.

(A Paris iPhone street photograph by Sab Will for the 'Paris and I' photo blog)

JOIN SAB IN PARIS FOR A UNIQUE PHOTO TOUR!

Paris and I ~ 'Soul In The City'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Soul In The City ~

Soul In The City, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

Don't look now, but... Somebody's watching you.

In the subway, on the streets, between hurried heartbeats, around every little corner, through the railings, let me warn ya:

You're rarely alone in the city.

(A Paris iPhone street photograph by Sab Will for the 'Paris and I' photo blog)

JOIN SAB IN PARIS FOR A UNIQUE PHOTO TOUR!

Paris and I ~ 'Drifting Downstream'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Drifting Downstream ~

Drifting Downstream, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

A Parisian canalside in the north-east of the city lends itself admirably to wistful wandering as the autumn leaves start to fall and accumulate, smoothing out the raw and rugged contours of the concrete.

i consider it a benediction, a bounty to catch a tree's thin tears as they drift earthwards after their vain attempt to attain the sun.

i'll launch them back into the air with gusto, giving them one last chance to reach giddy heights, or just gently cast them into the silent sultry water and watch them slowly drift away.

(A Paris iPhone street photograph by Sab Will for the 'Paris and I' photo blog)

JOIN SAB IN PARIS FOR A UNIQUE PHOTO TOUR!

Paris and I ~ 'Life's Tough'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Life's Tough ~

Life's Tough, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

But someone's gotta do it. Amazing on a Monday afternoon to find people with so much time to do... absolutely nothing.

My kinda town. Down by the canal Saint Martin in the north east of the city there's an unusual, almost 'elsewherely' atmosphere, like you're in Paris but not really.

But you are, and the range of things to discover is surprising. From watching lock gates open and bridges swing around or rise up into the air, to admiring graffiti or enjoying the modern architecture of the Parc de la Villette, you're never bored. More grungy gems from the 10th and 19th coming soon.

(A Paris iPhone street photograph by Sab Will for the 'Paris and I' photo blog)

JOIN SAB IN PARIS FOR A UNIQUE PHOTO TOUR!

Paris and I ~ 'Crackin' Up'

Street Art Slices ~ Crackin' Up ~

Crackin' Up, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

Difficult to tell quite who or what's cracking up here: the painting, the photograph, the artist or the photographer!

In truth, it's all of them; you just have to get close enough to see.

We're here in the 13th, on the Butte aux Cailles, where the Paris street artist known only as 'infini2' or 'infinity squared' in English puts a lot of his (or her i suppose) work. i'm a bit obsessed by it so do let me know if you see any more around the place, won't you?

It's the guy who paints all manner of strange things on nine squares... always on nine squares!

(A Paris iPhone street photograph by Sab Will for the 'Paris and I' photo blog)

JOIN SAB IN PARIS FOR A UNIQUE PHOTO TOUR!

Paris and I ~ 'Nice Cuppa Tea Dear'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Nice Cuppa Tea, Dear? ~

Nice Cuppa Tea Dear?, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

Oofff! Well, we've all been working very 'ard recently on this 'ere photo blog, 'aven't i, so i reckon it's 'igh time we all sat down and 'ad a nice cup of tea. And i know just the place!

It's the loveliest little tearoom in 'istoric passage Jouffroy, and i wouldn't be kidding you if i said i reckon it's my favourite waterin' 'ole in, well, the whole of Paris, i do.

You can 'ave delicious 'Thé au Caramel' or my favourite, the 'Thé des Poètes' and try one of their incredible pastries or cakes. If you're lucky the tea'll be served in one of their amazin' oriental teapots by one of their cute little waitresses too.

Let me know if you're plannin' on goin' an' we can meet up an' 'ave a bit of a chinwag about Paris an' stuff. See ya!

(A Paris iPhone street photograph by Sab Will for the 'Paris and I' photo blog)

JOIN SAB IN PARIS FOR A UNIQUE PHOTO TOUR!

Paris and I ~ 'Open Your Eyes'

Street Art Slices ~ Open Your Eyes ~

Open Your Eyes, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

Take the drabbest street corner you could wish not to encounter, add a large chunk of fantasy, all mixed up with some iPhone magic and here's the result.

It doesn't look this wild in real life, but if you simply close your eyes and imagine for a moment... Opening them can sometimes work too.

(A Paris iPhone street photograph by Sab Will for the 'Paris and I' photo blog)

JOIN SAB IN PARIS FOR A UNIQUE PHOTO TOUR!

Paris and I ~ 'Get Smart : Get Mini'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Get Smart : Get Mini ~

Get Smart : Get Mini, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

It's almost as difficult to know where to stand on the ideal car for Paris driving and living as it is to park on our crowded streets crawling with frowning fine-givers.

What's certain, however, is that Small is, dare i say it.. Smart. To keep things fair i should also state that Small is Mini, as these are the two zippy little city options we can see in this pic.

All we need now is for BMW to produce a Smart Mini and for Daimler to bring out a Mini Smart and we'll all be thoroughly confused. Sorry, my lawyers have just informed me that should be 'Smart MINI' and 'Mini smart' just so there's no confusion.

So whether you're into modern moves or retro chic to signal your Paris promenades, there's a solution for you. And it can be any size you like.. As long as it's small.

(A Paris iPhone street photograph by Sab Will for the 'Paris and I' photo blog)

JOIN SAB IN PARIS FOR A UNIQUE PHOTO TOUR!

Paris and I ~ 'Put On Your Red Shoes'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Put On Your Red Shoes ~

Put On Your Red Shoes, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

And dance the blues. Old forgotten starlets trying to rediscover past glories; there's more than a touch of this in some of the legendary covered passages of Paris.

Even the über-chic Galerie Vivienne is struggling to conceal its crumbling mosaic walkways and once luminous glass roofing, now disintegrating.

The mustiest boutiques and bookshops are, of course, the most charming, but oh-so unadapted to today's in-yer-face, draw them in - spit 'em out lurid colour schemes and marketing techniques.

One old merchant looks as old as the gallery itself, shoe-horned in amongst his anachronistic curiosities, and you can only wonder what he makes of it all. I didn't see his shoes.

(A Paris iPhone street photograph by Sab Will for the 'Paris and I' photo blog)

JOIN SAB IN PARIS FOR A UNIQUE PHOTO TOUR!

Paris and I ~ 'Carve On, Cavalier!'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Carve On, Cavalier! ~

Carve On, Cavalier!, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

Hello, and welcome, to the latest in my on-going series: Capital Cockups.

If you look carefully at this photo you can see that the street name carver of yesteryear clearly got his cuneiforms in a conundrum!

He actually started the 'P' and the 'L' of 'place' one letter too far over to the left. And putting stone back into the grooves obviously wasn't his strong point.

The 'Dauphine' (notice the archaic 'V' for our 'u') is pretty grungy too, but i'll put that down to general wear and tear, and the odd revolution or two. Carve on, cavalier!

P.S. Not being an absolute expert on Paris, another explanation could be that there was another, older name there before which had to be disguised, hence the traces of other letters and the rather mushy ‘Dauphine’. If you know, tell me so!

(A Paris iPhone street photograph by Sab Will for the 'Paris and I' photo blog)

JOIN SAB IN PARIS FOR A UNIQUE PHOTO TOUR!