Two for the show…

The Opera. Paris, c.1960. Love the cars: a Peugeot 404, a 2 Chevaux, an Ami6, one of the ugliest cars ever mass-produced. (Nothing personal. Our friends Elluecque had one in West Africa.) The Palais-Garnier in the 60’s was not as sooty as Notre-Dame.

The Opera, 2021. With Carpeaux’s “Danse” on the façade. And the statues above painted gold.

A Starbucks mirror.

Sans “mirroir”. (There is a certain likeness with the Starbucks logo.)

His.

Hers.

Air France to Asia. My father might have had this poster in his Karachi office when he ran the Air France line to Pakistan, and from there to Asia.

The plane in the background of the poster is a Lockheed Constellation or Super Constellation. I flew in those. Nicknamed “Constel” in French. “Connie” in English. I remember them well. There were bunks in first class.

Some put their foot in their mouth. Some put it on the street. Rue Jacques Callot (I think), Left Bank.

“La marque jaune.” The yellow M, by Edgar P.Jacobs. The adventures of Captain Francis Blake and Professor Philip Mortimer against their nemesis, the infamous Colonel Olrik by Edgar P. Jacobs. A café window in Paris.

Le théâtre à Paris. Photos of an unknown play near the Pont des Arts.

A two century old Airnb… Original ceiling. Rue des Saint-Pères. Just imagine the sheer number of trees that were cut for a single two room flat then? Not to mention the entire building…

This artsy Marianne, the symbol of the French Republic conveys a message I obviously don’t share. Antivax use it to communicate that vaccines and masks are an attack on the Republic. Of course not. Why do I post it? Another great blogger posted a photo he took in the very South of France last summer. Hundreds of kms away form Paris. So this little poster has had wide distribution in France… Sigh.

Visit Paul’s blog at: https://notesfromcamelidcountry.net/2022/02/27/macon/

Remember this fab mural? I didn’t jump the fence. But, I can give you details:

Botticceli’s Venus and guests. (Part 1)

No back issues. (Green with envy.)

Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois is the oldest church in Paris, to the side of the Louvre. The first, previous church at that spot, was founded in 552AD by King Childebert. France was already largely Christian. The oldest remaining parts of the current church date back to the XIIth century. Many sculptures on the façade. This one caught my eye. A possible Eve? Naked save for the very long hair down to her knees. The three loaves of bread in her hand? Were there “boulangeries” already?

Earth/Heart day 2020. Another Eve?

“The scream of the butterfly.” (Doors. Literally) Paris. (As all images in this post.)

Airbnb with a view. From the 5th floor, Rue des Saints-Pères. (Holy Fathers’ street)

Mural part 2. Tales from the crypt.

Charles Azanavour (1933-2018), a major French singer and sometimes actor of the 50’s onwards. This was a photo expo near the Hôtel de Ville featuring Patrick Ullman. Never heard of him, but he seems to have been a major photographer of French artists. A good open air expo. Aznavour worked with Edith Piaf, writing a masterpiece for her: “Plus bleu que le bleu de tes yeux”.

Mural part 3. Let’s rock. (Two for the show?)

Travellers 501 and 502, Rue Jacob. In the summer of ’21. A summer of – relative – peace.

The Seine. My river… Watching the water flow and the play of light on the leaves is the best therapy ever. Peace to the soul.

I wrote this post on March 4th. Today, April 12, Ukraine is still under attack.

Peace for Ukraine. 🇺🇦 Now!

Russians go home.