353: Parapluie

Notre-Dame de Paris, France, 2007.

I feel a little bit like this umbrella today.  Just...blerg.
I don't remember why I decided to shoot this photo, but I do remember standing outside Notre Dame on a very sunny day in Paris and seeing it sitting in the shrubbery.
Pauvre petite parapluie.

250: Firenze

I've been doing research today, looking at Italy in the early-20th-century Edwardian era.  Happily, the Oregon State University Archives have a whole host of early photographs, circa 1915, on The Commons on Flickr.  When I'm looking for old photographs for writerly reference, I usually swing by The Commons early in my search, just for instant gratification.  Sometimes you stumble across truly cool photos. So: fun place to hang out, electronically, and nice source for people who need quick reference photos.

Enjoy some Edwardian Florence, Italy (all photos via Flickr):

206: Les nuits Parisiennes

      

I came across the 1920s-30s work of Brassai (or Brassaï), a Hungarian-born photographer who worked in Paris.  The photos were so Midnight in Paris-y that they practically gave me the vapors.  Between the deserted, misty Parisian streets and the backlit alleyway rendezvous, this set looks like storyboards for a Jazz Age film noir, the very thought of which makes me swoon.  See more here.

195: Fête nationale

Eiffel Tower, Paris, 2007.

Sacré-Cœur, Paris, 2007.

Arc de Triomphe, Paris, 2007.

Joyeuse fête nationale, tout le monde.  (That's Bastille Day to those of us in the anglophone world.)  Have some photos of tourist attractions to celebrate!

151: O, Canada

As soon as I pay the credit card bill that arrived today, my tickets to Vancouver will be bought and paid for.  So, while I know that my beloved friend and erstwhile college roommate will have some ideas, let me ask you, Random Internet User: any advice for places to visit if you're in Vancouver for a few days?