Cool! (not so much!)

See how relaxed this guy is? Well, that is exactly the opposite of me at the moment... The movers started their first day of packing yesterday and... well you can imagine! I still have my computer until tomorrow and then, I'll only have my laptop for at least a month! FYI, I took this photo last Friday at rue Championnet and this guy is not really relaxed, he is an athlete (there is a stadium behind him!). Sorry for not being very responsive these days, but I'm sure you can understand!

Veterans day

For once allow me to repost a photo for today is November 11, the day we celebrate the end of WWI, which, even though we no longer have alive veterans from that war, is still commemorated. I thought it was a good occasion to remember Maréchal Foch, the one who signed the armistice with Germany on November 11, 1918 and who's statue is at Champs de Mars, near Ecole Militaire. Maréchal Joffre, a French general known for regrouping the allied armies to fight the Germans during the famous Marne battle in 1914.

Place d'Iena

Yesterday I had to go and see a dentist for a special intervention (nothing really serious, but something that required a special equipment). The office was in the 16th arrondissement (one of the richest arrondissements in Paris, which explains why a lot of doctors' office are located there ;-)) Anyway, on the way back, I passed by the Place d'Iena, a beautiful roundabout in the middle of which you can see the statue of George Washington (by US sculptor Daniel Chester French). In the background you can also see the Guimet museum (in the "tower").

Enlightening the World since 1886...

Yesterday was the anniversary of the day when U.S. President Grover Cleveland dedicated the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor in 1886. As I'm sure you know, the NYC Statue of Liberty was offered by the French citizens to their American friends in recognition of the two countries’ commitment to liberty and democracy and their alliance during the American Revolutionary War. The one I photographed (on the Isle des cygnes) is one of the 3 replicas that we have in Paris.

Big naked man

This is something I'll probably miss when when I move out of Paris, but the thing is that, often, when you walk down a street here, you come across a piece of art (and I'm not talking about the buildings!). Whether it's permanent like the many statues I already showed you or temporary like this one. It was made by Chinese artist Hong Biao Shen who studied until 2007 at Panthéon-Sorbonne university after his Fine arts studies in Beijing. It is now on display at rue Soufflot near the Pantheon, but it's not meant to stay there. Students think it should and they started a petition to "keep the big naked man"! Watch the story in this beautiful video.

Place du Trocadero

I did not go out yesterday to get some rest - even though I'm perfectly alright - so I did not take any photo! Here is one I took about a month ago and never used, even though this scene will probably look familiar to you as I have showed you this statue (the one of Maréchal Foch, a WWI French hero) several times. Traffic on this roundabout is generally very dense, so I must have been lucky!

Another Maillot shot!

Do you remember this photo that I took last winter? Well, here is a close up, that I took a few days ago. It's probably my favorite Maillol Statue in the Louvre gardens. It's called La nuit (the night), it was made in 1909 and it's really breath taking (especially at sunset).

No Darth Vader!

Very near the Invalides church, I came across the statue of Hubert Lyautey, a famous "Marshal of France" who played a large role when France was a colonial power (he played a large role in the invasion of Madagascar, he managed Morocco from 1912 to 1925, etc. - read more here, if you're interested!).

Big head!

I don't know if you remember this post, but if you do, you may recognize this head! It belongs to a monument to the glory of Pierre Waldeck Rousseau, a French Politician who was appointed Président du Conseil (the equivalent of a Prime Minister) of France in 1899 and introduced the right of association, giving way to trade unions. Talking about unions, there is massive train strike today in France, but I don't think it will last very long... 

The end of WWII

Today is May 8 and exactly 69 years ago it was the end of WWII and France will celebrate it of course... This year I will not post a photo of de Gaulle, but of (Sir) Winston Churchill who also played a major role during World War II - especially towards France. Here is a statue of him, which is located not far from the one of de Gaulle ; it was made in 1998 by Sculptor Jean Cardot.

Through the keyhole

I felt like a voyeur when I took this photo yesterday afternoon from the Quai Malaquais! And though this courtyard, that belongs to the Beaux Arts (fine arts) school, is widely open the the public eyes. It's probably the way this lady hides her private parts that made me think of that! That's all, I just wanted to put a smile on your face and I hope I did!

Leaving San Jose...

I'm sorry if all my photos tend to look the same lately, but the sun was so inspiring before I left that I kinda over used it! Anyway, when you read this I'll be on the plane, trying to get some sleep(!) on the way back to Paris. I'm happy to go back home I must say and to get to take new and different looking pictures! This is, as you all recognized, one of the 4 (or is it 3?) statues of Liberty replicas that we have in Paris.

Go west!

This week our President (François Hollande) is heading West, towards the United States and more precisely towards Silicon Valley, where a lot of young French entrepreneurs moved to create or work in start-ups. He goes there to learn from the local eco-system, but also to try to collect a few dimes from the digital giant such as Google or Amazon...  I though that posting a photo of one of the "founding fathers" - and the 3rd President - of the country was appropriate. This statue of Thomas Jefferson is actually at the end of the Le Pont des arts Passerelle Léopold Sédar Senghor on the left bank. 

Warm winter

I have only a few days left in Bangkok and pretty soon I'll be back in Paris... I'm not too happy to go back to winter of course, but the good news is that unlike in North America, winter seems to have been - and still to be - pretty mild this year. So mild, this Maillol nymph does not need to wear any clothes! Have a good week everyone.

Sun bathing at Le Trocadéro...

We're having a wonderful weather in Paris at the moment and it's a pleasure to take advantage of it to take photos. Yesterday, I passed by Le Trocadero and instead of taking another shot of the Eiffel Tower, I looked for another angle. So here you go! The statue is the one of La Jeunesse (the Youth), by Alexandre Descatoire

Duc d'Orléans

Yesterday I went to the American Hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine (to stand by someone that PDP visitors know well... aka Michael!) and on the way out I came across this stunning statue of Le duc d'Orléans (the Orléans are a famous French families that provided kings to France). Technically it's not Paris, since it's slightly on its outskirts, but I could not miss it. Especially with this grey sky in the background ;-) 

Place de la République

I passed by the brand new place de la République last evening and it was really beautiful so of course I stopped and took a photo! Like I already mentioned, this Place was totally renovated this year (well it lasted two years, but it was inaugurated this year) and it's a total success. The statue in the middle shows "Marianne", the young woman we usually represent the French republic with.

The weirdest monument in Paris...

On the right side of the Champs de Mars (when you look at the Eiffel Tower) there is what I would call the weirdest monument in Paris! It's dedicated to human rights and it's made of several elements of debatable taste and of  Free masons symbols. I chose to focus on this statue of a woman with a child which main garment is... a high hat with reliefs of printed newspapers! Like I said: weird! More (in English) here.

Henri IV in the sun

I already showed this statue to you, but I never get tired of it! It shows Henri IV, a French king that reigned until 1610, when he was murdered by what you may call a "terrorist", even though the term probably did not exist at that time! This statue can be seen on the Pont Neuf and it's definitely a must see.

18 June Appeal/Call

In France the 18th of June is a very famous anniversary date that everyone knows about. It celebrates l'appel du 18 Juin (The Appeal - or is more a call? - of 18 June) when, in 1940, Charles de Gaulle, the leader of the Free French Forces, addressed the French people on Radio London to let them know that the war against the Germans was not over and urged everyone to resist the occupation. This is why this famous speech is also often considered to be the origin of the French resistance. Since today is June 18, I thought I would tell you a bit of our history, while showing you this magnificent statue of de Gaulle that I featured several times already (not with this sky in the background though!).