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 Everything comes to an end and even if I had a wonderful time in the US, it's now time to go back to my hometown. If everything goes well, I'll be in the plane to Paris when you see this photo! It shows the horse of the main Hermès shop at rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré. I just like the angle of this photo and the shadows it makes on the gray sky. Of all the French brands, I think Hermès is my favorite one: it's expensive but the quality is really there and the good taste too (now I talk like my mother!!!)
 Not much to say about this photo, I just like it because of the atmosphere. The statue in the middle is of Sergeant Bobillot, a soldier who apparently displayed heroic behaviour during the Tonkin (a part of Viêt Nam) war - and more precisely during the siege of Tuyen Quang (which I'm sure you're familiar with LOL!) when France started the conquest of Indochina around 1885. I took this photo at the Place Verlaine (named after French poet Paul Verlaine) near La Butte aux Cailles. It's a nice area to visit if you want to go off the beaten track.
 You want to know what is really controversial at the moment in France? The Tour de France and its usual dopage (doping?) problems? The recent changes in the French constitution? Nope! It's an Austrian/Thai energy drink called Red Bull that France was denied the right to ban by Brussels, the European authorities! Why did we want to ban it? Because it contains taurine, an acid originally derived from bull tissues which effect on the human organism is not really known... I thought of illustrating this capital piece of news with this superb statue that I found in the 15th arrondissement, at the Parc Georges Brassens, built on a previous slaughter house.
 I'm just back from the Saint Malo-Nantes stage of Le Tour de France (it was great, I'll tell you more about it later...) and on the way back from the Montparnasse train station, as the sun was going down on the city , I came across this scene. Gorgeous. This statue is the one of Henri the IVth, it's located on l'Ile de la Cité and it's a replica made in 1818 (the original was made in 1614 but was destroyed during the revolution). The funny part is that the guy who made it, François Lemot, was a Napoleon's supporter and therefore opposed to monarchy. Apparently he hid a few busts of Napoleon in the body of the statue, but there is no actual proof of that!
 Well, it's July 1st, and, as usual it's a theme day within the City Daily Photo community... Guess what, this month's theme is: " post a picture of a sign in your town that includes the text 'no'", like it's easy and/or photogenic?! I had to actually produce the photo(!) with a little help from 1) Aristide Maillol who sculpted these magnificent 3 nympheas, 2) Jacques Froissant, a famous French blogger who brought a piece of paper and a marker, 3) Alexis Hubeau for the art direction and... Laurence Thurion who gathered all these people - and many more - for a Champagne party (you get the picture now, right?! LOL!) 172 City Photo Blogs are currently participating in this theme. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants or visit each of the following blogs separately:
American Fork (UT), USA by Annie, Anderson (SC), USA by Lessie, Ararat, Australia by freefalling, Arradon, France by Alice, Ashton under Lyne, UK by Pennine, Aspen (CO), USA by IamMBB, Athens, Greece by Debbie, Auckland, New Zealand by Lachezar, Austin (TX), USA by LB, Avignon, France by Nathalie, Bandung, Indonesia by Harry Makertia, Barrow-in-Furness, UK by Enitharmon, Barton (VT), USA by Andree, Belgrade, Serbia by Bibi, Bellefonte (PA), USA by Barb-n-PA, Bicheno, Australia by Greg, Birmingham (AL), USA by VJ, Bogor, Indonesia by Gagah, Boston (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Brantford (ON), Canada by Nancy, Brighton, UK by Harvey, Brookville (OH), USA by Abraham, Bucaramanga, Colombia by Fernando, Bucharest, Romania by Malpraxis, Budapest, Hungary by agrajag, Budapest, Hungary by Zannnie and Zsolt, Canterbury, UK by Rose, Cavite, Philippines by Steven Que, Chandler (AZ), USA by Melindaduff, Château-Gontier, France by Laurent, Cheltenham, UK by Marley, Chennai, India by Shantaram, Chennai, India by Ram N, Chesapeake (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Christchurch, New Zealand by Michelle, Cincinnati, USA by Erik Laursen, Cleveland (OH), USA by iBlowfish, Coral Gables (FL), USA by Jnstropic, Corsicana (TX), USA by Lake Lady, Delta (CO), USA by Bill, Duluth (MN), USA by Sun Dog Press, Durban, South Africa by CrazyCow, East Gwillimbury, Canada by Your EG Tour Guide, Edinburgh, UK by Dido, Folkestone, UK by Piskie, Forks (WA), USA by Corinne, Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA by Gigi, Gaia, Portugal by m+p, Geneva (IL), USA by Kelly, Grenoble, France by Bleeding Orange, Gun Barrel City (TX), USA by Lake Lady, Hampton (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Haninge, Sweden by Steffe, Hanoi, Vietnam by Jérôme, Helsinki, Finland by Kaa, Hobart, Australia by Greg, Hyde, UK by Gerald, Jackson (MS), USA by Halcyon, Jefferson City (MO), USA by Chinamom2005, Jerusalem, Israel by Esther, Katonah (NY), USA by Inkster1, Knoxville (TN), USA by Knoxville Girl, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by Edwin, Kyoto, Japan by Tadamine, Lakewood (OH), USA by mouse, Larchmont (NY), USA by Marie-Noyale, Las Vegas (NV), USA by Mo, Lisbon, Portugal by Maria João, London, UK by Mo, London, UK by Ham, Lynchburg (VA), USA by Timothy, Mainz, Germany by JB, Melbourne, Australia by John, Menton, France by Jilly, Mexico City, Mexico by Poly, Mexico City, Mexico by Carraol, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Mitch, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Greg, Misawa, Japan by misawa mama, Monroe (GA), USA by Tanya, Monrovia (CA), USA by Keith, Monte Carlo, Monaco by Jilly, Monterrey, Mexico by rafa, Mumbai, India by MumbaiiteAnu, Munich, Germany by Troy, Nashville (TN), USA by Chris, Nelson, New Zealand by Meg and Ben, New Delhi, India by Delhi Photo Diary, New Orleans (LA), USA by steve buser, New York City (NY), USA by • Eliane •, Newcastle, Australia by Julia, Newport News (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Norfolk (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Norwich, UK by Goddess888, Ocean Township (NJ), USA by Josy, Oklahoma City (OK), USA by ananda.tashie, Orlando (FL), USA by OrlFla, Palos Verdes (CA), USA by tash, Paris, France by Eric, Pasadena (CA), USA by Petrea, Pasadena (CA), USA by Can8ianben, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia by Murphy_jay, Petoskey (MI), USA by Christie, Phoenix (AZ), USA by Cheryl, Poplar Bluff (MO), USA by Tricia, Port Angeles (WA), USA by Jelvistar, Portland (ME), USA by Corey, Portsmouth (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Posadas, Argentina by Lega, Pretoria, South Africa by Sam Ruth, Quincy (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Ramsey, Isle of Man by babooshka, Reykjavik, Iceland by Vírgíll, Riga, Latvia by Riga Photos, Rotterdam, Netherlands by Ineke, Rouen, France by Bbsato, Saarbrücken, Germany by LadyDemeter, Saigon, Vietnam by Simon, Saint Louis (MO), USA by Strangetastes, Salem (OR), USA by jill, Salt Lake City (UT), USA by Eric, Salt Lake City (UT), USA by atc, San Antonio (TX), USA by Kramer, San Diego (CA), USA by Felicia, San Francisco (CA), USA by PFranson, Santa Fe (NM), USA by Randem, Seattle (WA), USA by Kim, Seattle (WA), USA by Chuck, Selma (AL), USA by RamblingRound, Sequim (WA), USA by Norma, Sesimbra, Portugal by Aldeia, Setúbal, Portugal by Maria Elisa, Sharon (CT), USA by Jenny, Silver Spring (MD), USA by John, Singapore, Singapore by Keropok, Sofia, Bulgaria by Antonia, Springfield (IL), USA by Aubrey, Stanwood (WA), USA by MaryBeth, Stavanger, Norway by Tanty, Stayton (OR), USA by Celine, Stockholm, Sweden by Stromsjo, Stouffville, Canada by Ken, Stratford, Canada by Barb, Subang Jaya, Malaysia by JC, Suffolk (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Sunshine Coast, Australia by bitingmidge, Sydney, Australia by Julie, Sydney, Australia by Ann, Székesfehérvár, Hungary by Teomo, Tamarindo, Costa Rica by David, Tel-Aviv, Israel by Olga, Tempe (AZ), USA by angie, Terrell (TX), USA by Jim K, Terrell (TX), USA by Bstexas, The Hague, Netherlands by Lezard, Tokyo, Japan by Tadamine, Torun, Poland by Glenn, Toulouse, France by Julia, Trujillo, Peru by Giulianna, Turin, Italy by Livio, Twin Cities (MN), USA by Slinger, Victoria, Canada by Benjamin Madison, Vienna, Austria by G_mirage2, Virginia Beach (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Wailea (HI), USA by Kuanyin, Washington (DC), USA by D.C. Confidential, Wellington, New Zealand by Jeremyb, West Paris (ME), USA by crittoria, West Sacramento (CA), USA by Barbara, Weston (FL), USA by WestonDailyPhoto, Williamsburg (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Willits (CA), USA by Elaine,
 I realized today that I never showed you a very important historical character in Paris: Sainte Geneviève whose statue can be seen at the entrance of Paris - on the Seine (see this photo). Geneviève was born in... 422 and according to the legend she saved Paris from a few enemies (Attila and the Huns, Childéric...) and that is why she is now the "official protector" of Paris ;) I'm not sure that many Parisians know about her though...
 I'm currently very busy because of my work, but I still try to save some time to make interesting discoveries. Hence these wonderful statues showing "the children of the world" (Naomi the African, Jim the American, Felipe the Mexican [in the foreground in this photo]... - see the 21 of them in this little Animoto video and on the " official site" [in French]) made by Rachid Khimoune, a French artist of Berber origins. Really beautiful. Some of you may think I could have showed this earlier, as apparently these statues have been there (in the Bercy area) since... 2001! But I swear, I never saw them before! The other interesting part is that each of these statues has a replica located in its "country of birth". A definite must see if you come to Paris.
 Every year in the Saint Germain area ( Saint Germain is a famous quarter of Paris known for its intellectual background) they have an exhibition called " Le parcours Saint Germain - the Saint Germain route). This year's theme is "once upon a time" and most pieces of art are inspired by childhood memories. Hence this huge statue, made by a group of artists of various nationalities called Le Collectif 6bis which is supposed to show how "the city can turn into a huge playground". OK, your turn to comment now ;~) - PS: sorry for the delay in publishing, it's entirely my fault, I made a mistake using the new post scheduling function of Blogger!
 I found this stunning statue in Le Square de la butte du Chapeau rouge, a park located in the 19th arrondissement from where you can enjoy a nice view of Paris. This statue is part of a monument (a "water chest of drawers" as they call it) that was made by sculptor Raymond Courvégnés in 1938. And the lady is Eve, the first woman. The things you learn on PDP... LOL!
 In front of the Saint Germain church at the moment, there are several statues on display. I fell in love with one of them, called Le Pèlerin (the Pilgrim) made by Jivko, a sculptor born in Sofia (Bulgaria), who then studied in Prague before settling down in Paris in 1992 where he became a French citizen. I photographed this Pilgrim with the bust of Jean Mabillon in the background (permanently on display, unlike the Pilgrim), a famous monk who "invented" a "method" to authenticate and file church documents (don't ask me!! this took place in 1681...). If you want a global view of the statue only, click here.
 Do you remember this photo? Well, I photographed his front this time! The sad part though is that I still don't know who he is... Anyway, for the records this photo was taken in Saint Sulpice (yes at the same time I took the confession one!). I have a lot of work at the moment so I did not have the time to take " La photo du jour". Don't worry, things will go back to normal pretty soon ;) BTW, I have a question for those of you who have already been to Paris - Well it's actually not me but a PDP visitor who asks me in which restaurant she could take her 12 year old daughter to (please post the answer here, if you have one, because I don't!). Update: a nice visitor (Joris, from Belgium) tells me this is Saint Paul.
 Not far from the Alexander the 3rd bridge I found this statue of Lafayette, the famous marquis who helped the Americans fight the Brits during the American revolutionary war. Reading through his biography I found out that he also played a large role during the French revolution and that, although he was a member of the aristocracy he was very much republican - and even made a Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizens! Did I mention his real name was Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier and that the name Lafayette comes from an estate in Aix that belonged to the Motier family.
 Let me introduce you to Raoul Follereau, a French doctor who dedicated his life to leprosy. At first I thought he lived a long long time ago, but I found out he lived between 1903 and 1977. That is why his fight took place mostly in Africa. His motto - engraved on the last line of the statue stand - is very Catholic/French: " Personne n'a le droit d'être heureux tout seul" (Noboby has the right to be happy alone). Anyway, if you're interested in Leprosy(!) and speak French, you can check the site of his foundation.
 This is such a classic, it's not even funny! The "guy" in the foreground is part of the Fontaine des mers, a very famous fountain built between 1835 and 1840 together with this one, that I already showed on this blog. Both fountains can be found at the bottom of the Champs Elysées on the Place de la Concorde. In the background I don't think you need to be told what it is! BTW, in 2 days, a new theme day is coming up (theme is: when people think of your city, they think of...), I could have saved this photo for the occasion!!
 No, this place is not called Washington square but Place d'Iena, but the statue its middle is definitely the one of George Washington. Apparently GW was our friend during the American revolution; we provided him with gun powder (of course, our only aim was probably to drive the Brits crazy, but that is another story!) We the (French) are known for being sometimes anti American and though there are hundreds of American statues/street names/ buildings... in Paris. Not to mention Mc Donald's and Starbucks LOL!
 Do you recognize this statue? It’s Joan of Arc, one of the French historical heroins (check her story here, if you’re interested). We have many statues of her in Paris but the most famous one is the one by Emmanuel Frémiet, place des Pyramides. Really?! Well, guess what, I’m currently travelling on the East coast of the US and I just found out that, the original of this statue (in this photo) is in Philadelphia and that we have… a revised version! What a scandal LOL!
 May I introduce you to charming Marguerite de Navarre (aka Marguerite d'Angoulème or Marguerite de France) that I recently met in the Luxembourg gardens. Don't get fooled by my photo, she is much older that what she looks (515 years old)! And don't go thinking she's a little snob by the way she stands, in fact she has all the nobility you can wish for: not only was she the daughter of Charles of Orléans, Count of Angoulême and Louise of Savoy but on top of that her father was a direct descendant of Charles V. She was also the older sister of Francis the 1st, a famous French king. ;) If you're interested to know more about here, click here.
 The Crow and The Fox is one of the many fables by the famous man depicted in this statue, 17th century writer, Jean de la Fontaine. Every French school child has grown up with his stories, usually with a moral, similar to Aesop or Phaedrus. This statue is located near La Muette - Auteuil, and is a fine tribute to this former member of the Académie Française.
 If you're looking for a quiet garden to rest while you're visiting Le Marais, may I recommend you sit on a bench in Le Square Georges Cain, between the rue du Parc Royal and the rue des Francs Bourgeois. It's a beautiful little square in the middle of which you will undoubtedly fall for Aurore (Dawn), a sculpture by Laurent Magaier who apparently lived in the 17th century. Richard Nahem, who took me there during his tour, said I should come back at night, for this statue is beautifully lit. Click here for a broader view.
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