City Windows...Paris

I love the many ways the French get creative

about dressing up their street-level windows.

Big city living can be a challenge

and when there's not much of a balcony for greenery, 

or a way to keep peering eyes from the street level out,

they use what they can. 

A little window box goes a long way

when the soul needs transport. 

And then, of course, there are the upper level window boxes... 

And everywhere you look, beauty upon beauty. 

So many windows, so little time! 

(Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Van Gogh in Paris

This is something I could do all day...in Paris. 

Shoot photos of nothing but these. 

I could do an entire postcard collection of just Doors and Windows. 

One thing I love about travel is the amount of art one is exposed to.

And wish I was there now for the Van Gogh exhibition 

happening through March 17th

called Van Gogh: Reves de Japon

(Dreams of Japan)

at the Pinacotheque de Paris,

Gallery 2,

8, rue Vignon,

75009 Paris (in the 9th).

To avoid the crowds, open til 21:00 on Wed and Friday. 

If you're in Paris,

see Van Gogh's Japanese dreams 

before they vanish. 

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Window shopping in Greece

So while I'm waiting for the sun to show itself again 

in the Pacific Northwest,

I thought it would be fun to do some 

Nafplion window shopping. 

In Greece,

worry beads are all the rage. 

Every window has at least a few. 

And a tourist town is nothing

without shops of sweet smelling goodies

and tasty treats. 

You can't go a mile anywhere in Greece without running across 

these little Greek altars. 

Always interesting for a look inside-

filled with sweet devotionals

and covered with kisses. 

Some Christmasy fun. 

And iconic beauty.

January has never been my favorite month

(though this one was broken up with a special visit from my sister)

so it's always fun to dress things up for some fun. 

When the sun refuses to shine,

a little window shopping helps, 

especially in Greece. 

Happy nearly end of January to you.

We're almost there. 

(Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Paris Holiday Windows

Early spring seems like the perfect time to post the Paris scene at Christmastime! I'm certainly missing the city myself so for me, it's a memory lane stroll, vicariously (re)visiting through photos.









And the window designs are so un-Christmas-like, no one need feel like they're consuming a bit of the 'hair of the dog' after the Holiday Hangover.

The day we arrived in Paris, explosives had been found in the Printemps department store, luckily without incident.

Looking a bit like a futuristic dinner party, these window interiors appear to echo their respective building's exterior decoration.

Silver.....

.......glittery........

...............sexy............

Galleries Lafayette's window displays could easily be summed up in a word...

PINK!

Always delightfully playful for children and adults alike

the designers of these windows

tend to leave you guessing.

The day we took these photos was fuh-reezing but that didn't stop the crowds. We walked with a friend who brought his sweet Irish Setter. Trying to get decent pictures of these window displays is tricky enough with the hoards of people, their relatives and their kids and grandkids but try doing it in freezing temperatures with a dog underfoot.

Worth it though! By the way, these are only some of the windows for adults. This doesn't include the many displays for children which are just as fanciful but even more playful!

Photographs copyright: Kirsten Steen