The English are not the only ones to have had a Henry the IVth in their history. In Paris, the French Henry has his own statue which can be found on the Ile de la Cité in the very center. I'll let you discover what this French king did on Wikipedia if you're interested, but the real purpose of this photo is to show how sometimes, the light can be beautiful in Paris. This looks like a cold, winter day even though I took this photo very recently. Have a nice week.
I like the leaves blowing in the foreground. The wind can be monterous in Paris.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of famous French people, I recently watched an interesting documentary on Marie Antoinette. I would love to see a picture of anything relating to her.
That poor woman really got a raw deal.....
She did Susan, she did. If I find something about her I will photograph it. On my way to bed now...
ReplyDeleteSusan
ReplyDeleteI saw the same PBS documentary. Wasn't it fascinating to see her go from girlie-girl to tragic Queen? I look forward to the movie with Kirsten Dunst. The scenes I have already seen from her early days look like the butter cream flowers on a luscious cake.
Maybe Eric can find something in Paris to show us about her. If there is anything left....Of course, there is always the spot whee she died...Place de la Concorde now?????
Ooooooh...I love this photo! I can feel the cold all the way here in
ReplyDeleteCanada. And that's saying a lot!
The lighting is magic. *Was* it a cold day when you took it?
Beautiful picture. I really love those buildings. Very parisian. I hope I'll go to France (hopefully Paris) sometime in the near future for a postgraduate program and living in one of those attics is at least "romantic"...
ReplyDeleteI have read some things about "Marie Antoinette", the film by Kirsten Dunst and the critic's comments are not that good. I'll watch the movie anyway, I love Kirsten Dunst and anything France-related.
That was an early post Eric, you're more of a night owl than an early bird. Lovely grey-blue light, with a definite wintery feel to it. Was it a very early or very late shot? Or just one of those days with no sunlight that I escaped from by coming to Sydney?
ReplyDeleteNathalie ;)
Thanks Eric....I am wondering if she is officially noted anywhere in Paris.
ReplyDeleteVicky, funny that you saw it too! It made me so curious (I missed some of it) that I did a little research on her and found out more. Funny, it made me think of a parallel between politics then and now (not much has changed in respect to misinformation). But I won't go into that....lol!
I don't know anything about the upcoming hollywood movie. But they tend to be inaccurate as far as history is concerned....I'll probably see it anyway....knowing that there will be a lot of created drama.
Eric, thanks for the link about Henry IV. I never knew of him....interesting commentary about the power of the Catholic Church.
The blue light on this is extraordinary, and quite beautiful.
ReplyDeleteMerci Eric...Lovely, romantic photo! That isn't the same statue that is at "Le Vert Galant" is it?? I believe that my family name originates from Henri IV...it was Hache'-Gallant at one time, and my grand-pere was from Montdidier near Beauvais. Unfortunately in the USA "Le Vert Galant" is best known for the lovely steak dish named after him.."Les Tournedos Henri IV"...delicious! Tant Pis!! ;-)
ReplyDeletebeautiful ~~
ReplyDelete:)
and I like that light in this photo. and those falling leaves...
:D
and I have to learn more knowledge about the history of the continent.
...Jing
Susan: I saw that documentary, on PBS, too. It was very nice. You can't help feeling sorry for the woman, of course, but there were a number of reasons why the French Revolution took place :)
ReplyDeleteEric did show La Conciergerie from the outside, not too long ago, I think. Its that interesting building with a pointy tower near the Seine.
Here you go:
http://parisdailyphoto.blogspot.com/2006/07/conciergerie-head-of-its-time.html
I developed an affection for King Henry the IVth from reading Alexandre Dumas' "Queen Margot." Henry's first wife, Marguerite de Valois, lived for a time in what is now one of the few remaining medieval buildings in Paris, built in 1475 (and one of my favorites): the Hôtel de Sens.
ReplyDeleteToday: The otherworldly blue light, fallen leaves scattering in the wind, a long dead, revered historical figure; the melancholy and irretrievable passage of time...
And I'm still blown away by Eric's take on the Eurostar ad a few days ago. I really feel that that shot of Eric's deserves to become as iconic of the 21st century as anything photographed by Robert Doisneau in the 20th.
Apart from the Concierge, two other sites come forth in my memory when Marie Antoinette comes to mind. The recreation of her Concierge prison cell at the Musée Carnavalet and the little hamlet of rustic, thatched cottages she had constructed in a corner of the Versailles.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine how this relates to today's photo.
Marvelous picture, Eric!
ReplyDeleteMore on Henri IV:
http://louislavache.blogspot.com/2006/08/marguerite-de-valois-et-henri-iv-sont.html
http://louislavache.blogspot.com/2005/12/roi-henri-iv-est-n-en-le-13-dcembre.html
http://frogblog-lavache.blogspot.com/2006/03/paris-walkslle-de-la-cit.html
http://frogblog-lavache.blogspot.com/2006/01/les-sites-de-paris-htel-de-sully.html
http://frogblog-lavache.blogspot.com/2006/02/les-ponts-de-paris-pont-neuf.html
http://frogblog-lavache.blogspot.com/2005/12/les-sites-de-paris-place-des-vosges.html
http://frogblog-lavache.blogspot.com/2006/01/vieux-paris-htel-de-sens.html
Many of these posts are at the old address for Louis's blog. The new address is:
http://www.louislavache.blogspot.com
I like when the air is a little bit cool and everything seems to be more blue. Perfect time for a walk.
ReplyDeleteThe air totally looks like winter. Slight mist makes the city of Paris quite romantic.
ReplyDeleteLove the lighting in this photo. I read the link and found it fascinating. I immediately thought of the movie, "Queen Margot" which I saw again just last week. Excellent movie with Dan Autiel.
ReplyDeleteCher Tomate,
I went back to some older photo comments and found a message from you to me. I thank you for your kind words and your help in finding excellent web sites. Email me anytime. Jwp3937@Yahoo.com I share your love of Paris and France.
You're right, it does look like a crisp winters day.
ReplyDeleteI'll go look at that link after I finish checking out teh Cirque du Soleil website. I went to my first Cirque show last night!
Wow, you all know a lot about Hank the 4th. I have a lot of reading to catch up on.
ReplyDeletesoosha_q: I'm sure you loved Cirque du Soleil. That's more my style.
Yes, the Place Dauphine is a treasure. Now, is this the Henry whose Medici queen acquired Chateau Luxembourg and the land that now is the Jardin du Luxembourg, or was that Catherine, who orchestrated the St. Bartholemew's Day massacre? We Yanks don't have the monarchy lines to try to trace.
ReplyDeleteStu "El Inglés" Harris .....I too love "La Rose de France" and have had many late Sunday lunches there...a perfect Fall spot in Paris if ever there was one. The restaurant had changed hands[or Chef]the last time I was there which was late November 2005, but the same head waiter was still there. It is a small but charming place and I have such fond memories of sitting there, savoring the afternoon and staring out at the little square and waiting for the rain to fall. Thanks for reminding me!
ReplyDeleteVery clever title for your shot today, Eric! Are those leaves in the foreground on a bush/tree or blowing? Thanks!
ReplyDelete-Kim