Paris from above: Printemps department store

While in Paris this past fall I visited the famous department store Printemps on the Boulevard Haussmann. Not for the reasons you think (shopping) but to check out the amazing 365 degree views of Paris from the rooftop restaurant!

Lunch was pretty good by American standards, sub-standard by Parisian, but no one could pay attention to their meals with all of Paris at their feet.

 Above you can make out the Eiffel Tower through the haze just beyond the Grand Palais.

 Above is La Madeleine which I blogged about HERE.

 There are just no bad views, a picture postcard in every frame.

Above is the roof of the Palais Garner, more commonly known as the Paris Opera House. I blogged about this magnificent building after one of my previous trips HERE and HERE.

The views of the Printemp's rooftop minarets are stunning in their own right. That shiny gilding must be recently applied!

Above you can barely see the hidden business district of Paris -leave those nasty tall, modern buildings out of sight!

 I love the multilayered roof of the apartment building across the street.

I have to admit I've never visited the Sacre-Coeur, this is the closest I have come.

 Nor the Eglise Saint-Augustin seen above.

The other rooftop views of Paris I love are from the top floor of the Musee d'Orsay. Even on a rainy day like in the image above and below -the views of the Seine and the Louvre are stunning.

 Paris, not only the city of lights but the city with no bad views!

Hotel Lambert: the aftermath

Everyone must know by now that the Hotel Lambert (that storied Hotel Particulier at the tip of the Ile St Louis in Paris) was heavily damaged by fire on July 10th, 2013.

I had just left a month previously, having stayed a block away as usual on the Ile St Louis, but friends were staying in another apartment nearby and happened to be there for the dreaded fire. They sent me these images of the excitement and devastation shown here.

The fire started at the very end of a long renovation in the roof above the storied Galerie d'Hercule, seen above.

Crews battled the fire for days; sometimes these heroes do more damage than good but the fire had to be fought!

The Ile St Louis was overrun by hundreds of firefighters and trucks; this may not sound like much but the Island is tiny and could easily fit into a modern American city block.

Confused and dismayed tourists still roamed the island amid all of the excitement. Notice the trucks and ladders at the end of the street above.

The true aftermath and damage of the fire hasn't been shared publicly yet but these images are disturbing to say the least.  Fingers crossed and hopefully we all will know soon enough the fate of the Hotel Lambert.

Windsor Farms, Richmond

I spent the day in Richmond recently and drove through one of the most storied neighborhoods in the city, Windsor Farms.

Developed in 1926 by Thomas C. Williams, Jr.,  the planned neighborhood was originally meant to be created from authentic English Country houses which were to be dismantled and brought across the ocean.

Parliament put a stop to that (seriously) but 2 houses were successfully recreated from ancient British buildings and reside in Windsor Farms, both operating as house museums; Agecroft Hall, above and Virginia House, 2 above.

The rest of the houses were then designed by a who's who of 1920s (and more recent) architects and landscape designers including William Lawrence Bottomley and Charles Gillette.

 Driving through this bucolic neighborhood is as good as a house tour!

It was fun trying to decipher which houses were old and which were newer, as most are kept so immaculate that one can't age them.

 The neighborhood is an architectural dictionary of styles.

 And time periods!

 The houses range from grand estates to smaller residences.

 Everyone had a perfect yard and the old trees add so much character.

 I loved the brickwork on these tudor revival houses.

 I'm always a sucker for a white brick painted house.

 And a picket fence!

If you ever find yourself in Richmond, check out this neigborhood. Stay tuned for future posts on Agecroft Hall and Virginia House!

Dubrovnik

Just some images today of the charming old city of Dubrovnik, Croatia from the Australian.

Could this city be any more picture perfect? Right out of a fairy tale.

I love seeing medieval cities still lived in and adapted to modern life, such as this street scene.

And who doesn't love a cloistered garden?