Cool photo isn't it? I took it yesterday at the Festival de l'Oh ("Oh" is pronounced the same way as "eau" which means water in French). As you can guess, this festival is pretty water-centric: What kind of fish live in the Seine? How many canals around Paris? "...to drink or not to drink tap water?", etc. And to make it more fun, they also have several shows, like this one performed on a Péniche (a flat boat made for rivers) by circus artists. Pretty cool, even if it rained a bit!
So, no testosterone (see yesterday, but water.
ReplyDeleteFascinating, as always, Erc!
Oops, that would be Eric, not Erc. Okay, I admit it -- this time I actually did want GF, so I hurried. Also forgot to close up the parentheses. Did I mention I'm a copy editor.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, I learn about SO much interesting stuff from you, Eric. Now let's see what kind of fascinating tangent this leads us off on.
So much for the copy then! But being the first to comment is undoubtedly worth a few typo LOL!
ReplyDeleteJust FYI, not that you care, but Russia just won the Eurosong contest. Abig round of applause for soon to be famous in Europe Dima Bilan.
Eric, no applause for Dima Bilan, shame on you!! The guy can't sing! Ok, sorry. ;) We came in on 18th (/25). :/
ReplyDeleteEric, very nice photo. Love her costume - bird on a perch? Here we have the Chicago River but it's not used for celebrations with the exception of St. Patrick's Day when the river is dyed green.
ReplyDeleteBy-the-by, I used yesterday's PDP post as inspiration for my weekly post on Paris Photo Art - a tribute to Gustave Eiffel and Antoine Bourdelle. Please stop by for a visit. David
Here's my favorite from ESC 2008: Switzerland!
ReplyDeleteThat is a cool photo and fun Festival. Interesting costumes -- reminds me a little of Cirque du Soleil. I bet you took more than just one photo? We were wondering where you were.
ReplyDelete(He sings in Italian.)
ReplyDeleteVery cool shot!
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine how difficult that would be on a moving boat?
Great that you see so much of the things that are happening in Paris!
Alexa
ReplyDeleteHow many times have you been GF this month?
Eric
I like this photo very much. It reminds me of those old fashion funfairs. Just lovely!
You're very kind, Eric :-) But typos are interdit in my OCD world.
ReplyDeleteAlexandra, are you being a sore loser? (Okay, I wasn't that impressed, either.) And why was he singing in English? I kind of miss the good old days when French was the international language.
Will stop by your blog, David
Alexandra, Thanks for the link to the Swiss singer. Very nice voice. When I was in college in NYC, a lot of my friends were from Switzerland. They all spoke Italian, plus English -- some spoke German and French as well. It makes the Swiss accent interesting and unique, I think.
ReplyDeleteNever seen eau as oh, Eric. Very interesting festival. I love water, i always find it so peaceful, It's a place to go and think. This young lady looks quite high up. How difficult. She reminds me of the the cartoon Tweety Pie. The rain was merely fitting in with the theme, surely.
ReplyDeleteI really should be in bed but there's a documentary on tv which is compelling. All about les maisons closes! En Francais, too, which is great. To sleep or to learn? Ohhh so difficult.
ReplyDeleteThe "bird" is festivating in the middle of the "O" which looks to be in the middle of l'eau (de la seine) which is central to the theme of Festival de l'Oh. Wow, a triple visual pun. Or is that a "tipple" pun? Ouch.
ReplyDeleteC'est tres interessant, Eric, le documentaire que je regarde en ce moment la. Alors, j'ai envie d'avoir un photo de Le Sphinx -l'exterieur, bien sur! Est-ce que c'est possible de nos jours ou peut-etre le batiment n'est pas la?
ReplyDeleteRose -- only 3 times GF, but who's counting?
ReplyDeleteAlexandra -- I'm with you, ma petite techie: Paolo Meneguzzi can sing, and he's molto carino, too.
Lois, why so many Swiss friends in college? Years ago, I had a Swiss-Italian boyfriend, and he spoke 8 -- count 'em, 8 -- languages fluently. Wow. Rather impressive, and very humbling. Before I met him, I thought I was hot stuff because I spoke 3 (including English -- my mother tongue -- which probably shouldn't even count).
Alexa, "Why so many Swiss friends..." I think it is because their families in Switzerland wanted them to go to college in NYC. They had already attended various colleges in the EU, and now they were just putting on the finishing touches. I haven't spoken to any of them in years. The last I spoke to was Axel-Charles in 1999 or 2000. He told me that Constantine Demetrius was still in love with me. I didn't say a word. After college a lot of us settled down with our careers, and started having our own families. When I was talking to Axel in Geneva, Switzerland, he was in the middle of taking his kids to school. I could hear them in the background running around and talking. Very cute.
ReplyDeleteThis picture looks like a painting. C'est assez impressionnant, tout y est: les couleurs, la composition, le cadre choisi. ça ressemble au niveau de la matière (surtout l'eau) au courant pointilliste, et le thème du cirque rappelle Seurat...I really love it.
ReplyDeleteTough day, I can't speak English anymore. Off to bed now.
The beginning of the explanation about the Swiss facilities is first that in Switzerland there is 3 (you can even say 4 if you count le romanche) languages which live together. Plus English and Spanish at school...
ReplyDeleteUn dernier commentaire: Cette photo me fait énormément penser à l'un des courts métrages de "Paris je t'aime", celui des mimes faisant référence au Mime Marceau. Le gilet à rayures, le béret ...
ReplyDeleteEt ceci est un compliment, je trouve que graphiquement c'est une des photos les plus abouties.
Et vraiment, ce cadrage... ;)
BTW Alexandra, Axel's mom's family was from Italy and his dad's from Germany. He was born in Geneva. He spoke a lot of Italian and had a beautiful voice like this signer that you like from Switzerland. Constantine's mom's family was from France and his dad's from Greece. He was born in Geneva. He had a French accent sort of.
ReplyDeleteGuille, You had a tough day:( We were watching the royal wedding and EU song contest. We missed you.
ReplyDeleteAh, je vois. Une histoire d'O, en somme.
ReplyDeleteOh, I see. A story of O, then.
Guille -- moi, aussi, J'ai trouve tres chouette cette partie du film Paris, Je T'aime.
ReplyDeleteLois -- Aah, what might have been . . .
Must admit (the ultimate divorce notwithstanding), I don't regret a thing, mainly because of our gorgeous daughters and the fact that we remain fast friends.
Very funny, Tomate.
Hey! I live in Geneva... :)
ReplyDeleteLois, I agree with you! In particular, it reminds me of the Cirque show called "O" which runs in Las Vegas and is entirely water based. I have seen several of their shows, but not this one. I thought the same thing as you when I saw Eric's photo.
Nice photo, by the way, Eric!
Kelly, That is why I was very careful to say Geneva, Switzerland:) And not Geneva, Illinois USA.
ReplyDeleteYes, this is a very nice photo, I so agree. I haven't seen the Vegas Cirque show called "O" either. I use to go to the shows every few years when my daughter was little. When I was in Montreal last year, the people told me that it was Cirque du Soleil's permanent home. I didn't go to the show though. Maybe some day if I become a grandma:)
I like how you cropped this, Eric. It seems you cut off the bottom (or shot it that way) so we couldn't see the riverbank. It leaves the "bird" dangling precariously and makes the Seine look like it could be a vast ocean.
ReplyDeleteWitty Tomate.
Guille!!! I love it when you speak french here. I also remember this short film of Paris je t'aime. I wonder if the french enjoyed this movie (or rather, the short films) as much as we foreigners did. Did you know that one of the directors is brazilian?
ReplyDeleteSo Eric, I really wanted to know: to dronk or not to drink tap water???
Lynn, I so understand what you mean, I always choose learning versus sleeping. But you should really take care though, you're still recovering.
ReplyDeleteOi Rose!!!!!!!! Beijos!!!!!!!!
Very interesting! I love learning more about Paris and French culture through your photos and explanations -- and from other commenters, too. :-)
ReplyDeleteIs it just my imagination, or are festivals a French specialty? There are so many! Perhaps this is part of what I miss about Paris -- all the fun, creative energy!
ReplyDeleteAlexa, are you really a copy editor? So am I! Don't worry, though; I think people deserve a break in blogging comments. ;)
What kind of fish DO live in the Seine? I drink the tap water in France no matter how many fish they say are swimming in my glass.
ReplyDeleteBTW, did anyone read the article in the New York Times today(Page A6) about the new disease in France called Sarkosis? No joke, it is an "unhealthy fascination with the French president"identified by Serge Hefez, a French psychiatrist.
awesome shot, eric!!:)
ReplyDeletei miss Paris all the more whenever I visit your site..but none the less...i smile even more!!:)
smiles:)
Thanks Monica, yes i do have to take care, you're right. Just simple jobs around the house today and i'm whacked! Each day a bit better though. I love to learn. I'd happily go back to university for the rest of my days, studying this then that.
ReplyDeleteGuille yes, and la romanche is of course the inner, owned language so it's terribly important. My ex boyfriend, le Swiss (!) of many years ago seemed almost ashamed of it, because it's such a mix but i find it charming. I too love it when you speak in French. It is the chance for Monica and I to practise! Monica has a lot of opportunity now but i don't. I don't actually have any friends who speak French with whom i can converse here at home. It's a shame.
I must add though, that Guille is kind enough to email me in French which is FABulous! Thank you Guille. I email back in English, though she hardly needs much practise.
ReplyDeleteZooming in, I love the way her left hand fingers are fanned out and the three costumes are fabulous. Great shot! The look on her face is interesting as well. You make my day, every day in Paris.
ReplyDeleteEric, thanks for visiting Paris Photo Art and your comment on the Eiffel bust. I think I'll start a campaign to have a similar busts of Frédéric Bartholdi and Gustave Eiffel placed at the foot of the Statue of Liberty. Seems only fair that they should be recognized for their contribution to that great American icon. David
ReplyDeleteI must say that it is always very interesting to hear what you have to tell of your past, Lois. People certainly become more and more interesting with age; that's when you've had time to (hopefully) accumulate experiences and knowledge of the world. You simply get more, how should I put it?, to share with others, which makes for an interesting person.
ReplyDeleteWhen you're relatively young, like me, you haven't had the same amount of time for these things. Not that one needs to be uninteresting because of that, but I certainly think "older" people have more to give. I like that!
And yes, the Swiss singer did have a beautiful voice, didn't he? Accents do add flavor to a language. Only think how boring it'd be if everyone had the same accent ...
ReplyDeleteParisian Heart -- yes, I'm a copy editor, too -- I work for a magazine here in NYC.
ReplyDeletePhx -- I'd sooner drink the tap water in Paris than in Washington, DC!
Alexandra -- don't know about Lois, but many (if not most) of the interesting experiences in my life happened when I was your age. So get busy, ma petite, and you'll have tales to tell and memories to cherish in years to come. (Don't mean to imply that my life is exactly boring now, but it's certainly a lot calmer than it was when I was 20!)
Haha, thank you, I'll certainly try and get busy!
ReplyDeleteAlexandra, Thank you. "...I certainly think "older" people have more to give. I like that!" My daughter told me something similar after she was talking to a neighbor of mine who was in her 80's. My daughter is 26 and talks to me as though I am her best girlfriend. She doesn't think I am old enough to be interesting. Her name is Axella-Charlotte. I named her after her father, who is Swiss. I am French-American. So she is quite a combination of cultures.
ReplyDeleteAlexa, I agree that having an interesting life starts at any age. For example, when my daughter was little, she was always going on field trips with her class at school. She would come home and tell me the most interesting adventures. I use to tease her about it, and say she had seen more of San Francisco than I had. Sometimes I call her "old lady Char" because she appears wise.
ReplyDeleteI have done more paintings of her than anyone. For years she was my number one model. I remember once in the Met art museum in NYC I happened upon a painting by Edison, the inventor. It was of his daughter. It is magnificent. I said to the man I was with, "if I had a daughter, I would paint her continuously". And a decade later, it happened. Here is one of the first ones http://www.loissimon.com/010_10.htm I'm sorry if the color is washed out in the photo -- it looks over-exposed. Anyway, I do not own the painting anymore. It was bought by a doctor from Japan, Mayumi Maeda, who is also a poet. I think I told Buzzgirl and Katie about her when they were looking at some of my paintings as she has bought a lot of my work.
Speaking of painting, if I had taken that photo "Festival de l'Oh 2008" by Eric, I would have turned it into a painting. I do that when I want a photo preserved. Plus, I prefer large format. I don't do it too often because I am never really happy with my photography -- it's just a side to my work.
BTW My daughter's surname is Stern which means "star". My surname, Simon, is French. It was my father's surname. Since I started painting very young and signing my paintings Simon, I never thought it would be right to change it just because I got married. There is a funny story that goes with this about one of my art professors -- I'll save that for another time. Oh, my dad was a painter, my first professor, and his family is in Lorraine, France. There are hundreds of thousands of us there. Another story. Thank you PDP for taking an interest in my life. bisous
ReplyDeleteGuille, I too think it is charming the way you mix your French and English. Someone else does that here at PDP - it is endearing. I know gazillion ex-patriots here in San Francisco and they do that too. I love it -- do not stop.
ReplyDeleteLois, I like your paintings but I think that one's my favorite.
ReplyDeletePhx - if you drink tap water in France, I assume it's pretty safe.
ReplyDeleteA very good tip for the next time I'm in Paris.
I love the photo! Hello all, I have been looking at this blog for a few months and never commented. I thought I would today :) I enjoy the photos and reading all the comments. ~Shawna
ReplyDeleteYes Eric this photo is very cool. Bird cage artists :) It sounds like a great festival.
ReplyDeleteIt's so great that you show us all these funny events going on in Paris all the time. Thank you !!! I
I just love the short films in "Paris je t'aime" too. And the one with the mime artists is so sweet.
I have been listening to French music all day. My girlfriend came by and gave me a CD called "L'autre bout du monde" with Emily Loizeau. It's fantastic. Those of you who doesn't know it, you should really check it out, her voice is so lovely.
Thank you for your kind compliments Petrea. This is the most popular painting of mine, "Souvenir de Paris" http://www.loissimon.com/038_38.htm Every time I see Pierre he tells me that he is all out of the gallery cards. It just flies out the door. I have a copyright on it as advised by my attorneys.
ReplyDeleteBettina, You saw her music video, right? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2BEhk1fqZo
ReplyDeleteLois, I just went to your homepage to see your paintings. They're lovely, and of course the Paris souvenir is my favourite too. Where can I buy the postcards ?
ReplyDeleteNo I didn't see the vidoe, but I'll do it NOW. Thank you for telling me.
Signature Scrapbooks, I use to follow along too and occasionally send Eric an email. However, he got way too popular and busy, so I started to communicate this way. A few years ago he would only get maybe a half dozen comments a day compared to his 80+ on a busy day and 50+ on a slow day. Wow Eric!
ReplyDeleteWay too cool (as they say in LA)! Not much to add other than I can almost hear the accordian and the ukalele player as they provide the music for this part of the show. Dig their costumes as well. Is there a monkey and a grinder working as well? ;-)
ReplyDeleteBettina, Merci beaucoup, big thank you, ringraziarla molto, gracias tanto, muito obrigado, Vielen vielen Dank, спасибо очень, どうもありがとうございます. I thought I would say a BIG thank you.
ReplyDeleteThe gallery cards/postcards are free. I can send you some. The limit edition is US$24.00
Lois, Thank YOU. I would love to have some of these postcards. You're SO kind !!!
ReplyDeleteOkay, Bettina, I'll send you an email and you can reply with your address.
ReplyDeleteSignature Scapbooks
ReplyDeleteWelcome :)
Alexa
Who is counting?
Well I am :) and it looks that you are too :)! Now you know, I m
officially jealous!
Lois
I have noticed that the number of comments have increased a lot...
nothing to do with you of course! :) lol Just joking because as you
know everyone loves reading your comments. Talking about comments when
are you going to tell us the story about the Arab prince?
Yeah Monica with water and fish from the river we can camp out there
and have a permanent picnic :)
Bettina
I agree with you. Emily Loizeau's voice is wonderful. I have a lot of
her stuff. If you like her stuff you probably would like Alan
Stivell...
Coltrane_lives
Don't you love the ukalele?
Rose, Yes, I have noticed that the increase in PDP's popularity usually occurs right after the PDP picnics. I guess it's because it becomes real as opposed to virtual friendships.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, I've taken the spotlight off my Arab prince until we are on a related topic;-)
i am in LHR now and drink the water here, mxp, zhr,bru,gig,gru,etc, and haven't died yet. I even drink it in phx, too.
ReplyDeleteLois "I bet you took more than just one photo? ". I took thousands of photos! And you're right I thought of the Cirque du soleil also.
ReplyDeleteAlexa "And why was he singing in English? I kind of miss the good old days when French was the international language." Actually, about 80% of the Eurovision singers sung in English. It seems that the desire to sell records is stronger that the desire to represent your country! BTW: OK, the Swiss singer was OK ;)
And
"Years ago, I had a Swiss-Italian boyfriend, and he spoke 8 -- count 'em, 8 -- languages fluently." Yeah, yeah, but it's a small country, they are bored, they have nothing else to do than learning languages LOOOOOL!
And
"You're very kind, Eric :-) But typos are interdit in my OCD world. " I know, I work in a magazine, I know how demanding copy editors are!!
Christie "Can you imagine how difficult that would be on a moving boat?" I don't know actually. The boat looked pretty stable.
Rose "I like this photo very much. It reminds me of those old fashion fun fairs.!" Exactly the same atmosphere. You're right. Slightly different for the atmosphere in... (see Monday's post!)
Lynn "I really should be in bed but there's a documentary on tv which is compelling. All about les maisons closes! " What?! Is that what they show of the "French culture" on British television??? So, Le Sphinx... Funny you mention that name because it must have been really famous; I heard about it in my youth (as a historical landmark, because even then it was closed - brothels are forbidden in France).
OK Tall Gary; 10 points for your tripple pun! (In case you don't know the reference, "10 points" has become a sort catch phrase in Europe because we hear that a lot during the Eurovision contest).
Guille "C'est assez impressionnant, tout y est: les couleurs, la composition, le cadre choisi." OK, ça me va ;)
Kelly "Hey! I live in Geneva... :)" obviously my previous comment about the Swiss does not apply to you LOL!
Petrea "I like how you cropped this, Eric." I did not crop it - too much - actually. I took it like that.
Monica "So Eric, I really wanted to know: to drink or not to drink tap water???" in fact, yes, they highly recommend drinking tap water. They say it's more environmentally friendly that bottled water.
Parisian heart "Is it just my imagination, or are festivals a French specialty? There are so many! Perhaps this is part of what I miss about Paris -- all the fun, creative energy!" Soooo true!
PHX-CDG "What kind of fish DO live in the Seine?" You'd be amazed. Tons. People fish too... About the article, no I did not. But Serge Hefez is famous here.
Hey Rahul ;)
Laurie "The look on her face is interesting as well. You make my day, every day in Paris." I agree. I zoomed too ;)
David "I think I'll start a campaign to have a similar busts of Frédéric Bartholdi and Gustave Eiffel placed at the foot of the Statue of Liberty." OK, let's start a petition!
Lois" I named her after her father, who is Swiss. I am French-American. So she is quite a combination of cultures." ooops Lois, don't take my comment about the Swiss seriously. I was just being jealous of this guy who could speak 8 languages LOL! and "if I had taken that photo "Festival de l'Oh 2008" by Eric, I would have turned it into a painting. " I'm sure you would have ;)
Shawna "I love the photo! Hello all, I have been looking at this blog for a few months and never commented. I thought I would today :) " Well, welcome among the commenters ;)
Bettina "Yes Eric this photo is very cool. Bird cage artists :)" Excellent. I like the expression ;) I don't know who Emily Loizeau is though... Shame on me. But I just checked Lois' link. And yes, it's nice. I like the lyrics.
Coltrane "Is there a monkey and a grinder working as well? ;-)" No! Funny what you say about the LA expression "way TOO cool. I'm interested in the the "TOO" as we've been using TROP instead of TRES (very) for several years now, and I wondered why. Maybe we copied the Lasanlegites, or they other way around.
I was a bit nervous to comment, but thank you for the warm welcome. I live in Arizona and have been to Paris 1 time. My daughter's name is Paris also :) We are taking her to Paris in January for her 6th birthday. The website is great, I find new things daily to look at and admire. Eric's sense of humor and photography is a shining light in the "blog world"
ReplyDeletelol Eric well it's not the only part of France they show on British tv but yes this was on. I just happened to see it, it was so interesting. Built in 1937 if i remember correctly, it achieved notoriety with German officers visiting it during the war. It seemed quite an interesting building, apart from anything. I'm guessing it's gone now? Or perhaps just different usage of the building?
ReplyDeleteWhoops! Sorry, Eric, a bad guess on my part. I should have said I like the way you *took* the photo!
ReplyDeleteSignature Scrapbook I echo the others: Welcome!
ReplyDeleteEric thanks for the info. Now that I'm sure it's ok to drink tap water I'll save a lot on bottled water next time I go to Paris.
PHX: do you really drink tap water at GIG and GRU??? Wow I didn't know one could survive that. Here we don't drink tap water. I'm intriged...!
mxp,zhr,bru,gig,gru...secret code? I guess it's cities 'names' but it means nothing to me... :(
ReplyDeleteGuille
ReplyDeleteThese letters are abbreviations used in aviation instead using the full names of airports. PHX for example is Phoenix and CDG is Charles De Gaulle,
MXP Malpensa in Milan
ZHR Zurich
BRU Brussels
GIG Galeao in Rio
GUA Guaruja in Sao Paulo
A while ago Ham from London DP published an article this same subject.
Thx Rose! I did know about PHX CDG. BCN also (Barcelona), but I didn't know about the Brasilian names.
ReplyDeleteBravo, Eric! What a tremendous feat you accomplished with all those responses! You are so gracious.
ReplyDeleteShawna ... I join in the welcome ... I only found this site a few weeks ago, and I am totally hooked. This is such a fun, friendly place. And I am enchanted by the idea of your taking your daughter Paris to Paris -- What a dream! Does she know all about the city already? I collect kids' books about Paris; they are such a fun way to share the City of Lights with children.
Yes, she knows about Paris, France. She thinks it is funny that a city is named after her, yes she is only 5 years old, so of course it would not be the other way around. She loves the Eloise book where she goes to Paris. She was almost named Paris Francis. Paris after the city and Francis after her great-great grandmother who was alive when she was born :)
ReplyDelete