Thursday, July 09, 2009

An Iceberg on the Seine


You might have heard the story already... An iceberg was just found in Paris on the Seine, by the Eiffel tower! I went to check myself and here is the photo I came back with. This 16 meter (52 foot) high "thing" is not made of ice, but of plastic and is actually inflatable. It was installed yesterday morning by Greenpeace to draw the attention of President Sarkozy on climate change while the G8 summit is taking place (in Italy). I don't know if it will have much influence, but what I can tell you is that the media coverage was really remarkable. If you want to see other points of view, just click here.

29 comments:

  1. I prefer the one on the Seine actually, but who can say no to a new Eiffel Tower picture! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. OMG, it doesn't look at all like an iceberg Eric, honestly! LOL
    Pretty good idea though. Let's hope that our President will seriously speak about that...

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. oh, I didn't realize that was the Seine. I meant I prefer the last one on the "making of."

    ReplyDelete
  5. Tomate you're right I don't have a wide enough angle to grab the whole picture from close.

    Guille LOL It looks like a giant kim cone!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I also like the last one on the "making of," But this one is lovely also with the ET in the background. It kinda looks like two big snowmen hugging as they gaze at the ET.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Gramma Ann, it *does* look like two snowmen hugging! I like very much the shot of the Eiffel Tower - looming over the scene, the Seine.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great post! Funny odd things beside the majestic ET !!!
    And I didn't know the story before (thanks once more Eric).
    I find it very nice from you to echo this Greenpeace initiative. Specially because that mankes a funny photo, and something unusual to look at! I'd say that as far as the Tower is in the photo, I'm happy.
    That is such a precious friend;)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hmm. Not well designed, is it. Looks like a couple of blue ice creams without the cones, to me. The first pic looks like they're quite small and you've simply done your on-the-ground perspective to fool us! The other pics show how big they are though!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Reporting from London by Keats:

    "Lord Chris Smith, Chairman of Environment Agency, among other cultural leaders - crossover between policy, arts and environment. President Sarkozy of France said the example answers only to the tip of the ICEBERG in terms of the appearances of the Golden Ratio in the arts."

    ReplyDelete
  11. I noticed in the news on France24 that the climate was at the bottom of the list of topics being discussed at the G8 Summit. They also had a photo of an iceburg. It was flat and shaped like a triangle on a shelf. It did not look like any iceburg that I had ever seen. I think your photo surpasses theirs.

    I noticed that the photo event in Arles opened. I was not impressed with the photos being shown except for one that reminded me of something that you shot a while ago.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Eiffel tower!
    Eiffel tower!!
    Eiffel tower!!!

    Even being at a duran duran concert can't keep me from my town crier duties...

    ReplyDelete
  13. So Eric, just what IS a "kim cone"? Hmmmm, I'm sure I haven't heard that one before. . .perhaps a soft ice cream cone?

    I love the way your framed the shot. You may not have had a wide angle, but you got creative and made a really interesting shot. Probably more interesting than it would have been with a wide angle. Thanks for going down to nab the shot for us to see. It's a really weird looking iceberg, for sure.
    -Kim

    ReplyDelete
  14. Eric -- thanks for heading over there and snapping this one for us. A mon avis (and I'm sure Suzy would agree), any photo with the ET, ET, ET in it is a winner—especially when taken from your "signature" angle.
    And I do love the 2nd shot in "the making of" as well.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Ice bergs and Paris Plage all in the same month. I guess we do have a weather problem...Nice angle for the shot Eric.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm happy to see the Seine and the ET whenever I can. How kind of you to take a picture for us, Eric! Yet I'm surprised that Greenpeace would use such a material as plastic to make their point! (Perhaps they'll recycle it.)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wondering whether this will have any effect on the summit rulings.

    ReplyDelete
  18. No this does NOT look like an iceberg (I lived in Greenland for four years, so I know the real thing, lol) Greenpeace could have done better than this.
    I don't think anything will have an influence on Sarkozy but it can draw ordinary peoples attention to the subject, which is good.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Love the ET view and the way the blue and white hugging snowmen {I'm with you, Gramma Ann!} are echoed by the clouds and sky. It may not look like an iceberg, but hopefully it sparks some curiosity and helps raise awareness.

    ReplyDelete
  20. If you encounter some icebergs in the area, you'll make time to explore them!
    WOW the Golden Ratio in the arts : my slight headache was growing as much as I was trying to understand what I read about it!! Extremely interesting but I prefer looking at photos ;) That's easier for my small brain! BTW icebergs photos are really beautiful and breathtaking. :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. I like the angle too Michael. If you look at the bottom right of the pic, the base of the iceberg is on the level with the frame, yet the Eiffel Tower is tipping. Curious.

    ReplyDelete
  22. You made my day, Eric! I adore THE EIFFEL TOWER! ;) Ahhh, life is good when one has an excellent cafe au lait and Eric's PDP.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Eric

    I really like the second picture you took where you can see the whole structure on the river. Very strange design for the inflatables, but I suppose they could'nt be too angular!

    Rich

    ReplyDelete
  24. this reminded me of the dessert "ile flottant". i like the way it seems to blend with the sky.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Greenpeace plants 'iceberg' in Paris river to call G-8 leaders attention to global warming
    By: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

    7/07/2009 8:20 AM

    PARIS - Paris joggers caught an unusual sight by the Eiffel Tower - an iceberg floating on the capital's Seine River.

    A day ahead of Group of Eight summit in L'Aquila, Italy, Greenpeace installed a 16-meter-high (52-foot-high) plastic iceberg on the Seine to call upon G-8 leaders to fight climate change.

    Paris Greenpeace director Pascal Husting said Tuesday that activists want the heads of state "to commit to binding targets of greenhouse gas emission reductions" and aid to southern countries expected to be most hit by climate change.

    Global warming and worldwide emissions cuts are on the agenda of the G-8 meeting of leaders from the United States, France, Japan, Britain, Russia, Germany, Canada and Italy, as well as leading developing countries.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Your first photo doesn't give a clue as to its actual size, but the link on your other blog really shows how big it really is. That's pretty clever marketing by Greenpeace to make their point.

    ReplyDelete
  27. @Kim. A kim cone use to be an ice cream that they would sell in movie theaters. I looked up on the web, but it does not seem to exist anymore. I just showed my age!!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Guess it will depend on how many women are on offer. Will anything serious really happen at the G* or will domestic politics take over.

    ReplyDelete