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A crystal beaded headpiece, glittering evening wear and fur for a holiday gala at Galeries Lafayette, Paris.
Check in daily for more photos of Paris shop windows, dressed in seasonal finery. And I'm hosting a little holiday giveaway. On Friday, Dec. 7, I will draw a name from those readers leaving comments for this post. The winner will receive a copy of Rumi: The Book of Love, as well as a holiday souvenir from Paris.
This post is unabashedly sentimental. So if you don't "do" sentiment, maybe you'd rather look at some Paris department store windows. As I was coming out of the metro this afternoon, it started to rain. I felt a flash of annoyance, as I forgot my umbrella and my shoes would be ruined. But I soon realised neither of these things mattered.
After about 15 minutes in Bon Marche - buying treats for a dinner party we're hosting Saturday - I came outside to the sound of bagpipes. A demonstration was just beginning, manned by the children of war veterans who lost their lives fighting for freedom. The war orphans were protesting the lack of compensation for their families, under French President Nicolas Sarkozy's government.
I ignored the rain, while taking these men's and women's photos. Some of the orphans stopped walking to pose for photos; one man explained their concerns. Suddenly I found myself tearing up. An older gentleman asked why I was "triste" (sad), as "C'est ne pas votre histoire." (It is not your story). I responded, "Monsieur, it is a universal story, for all humanity. I am sad for all victims of war; for those who have been left behind, who are struggling and for all that has been lost." The man smiled and nodded, "Oui, bien sur. C'est vrai. Solidaritie! Merci!" (Yes, of course. It is true. Solidarity; thank you)!" And onward he marched.
To all those families of war veterans who have lost loved ones; to the soldiers who have come home permanently injured, either mentally or physically, I salute you. Earlier this week, I watched the 1946 Oscar-winning film The Best Years of Our Lives. Despite the 60 years between World War II and the Iraq War, I was struck by the similarities and difficulties soldiers face trying to readjust to life after combat. All too often, soldiers returning home receive little sympathy or understanding. They don't get adequate advice or counseling on coping with traumas they have witnessed or endured and not nearly enough specialised medical care and assistance with housing and jobs. They deserve our respect and our help.
P.S. As soon as I posted this, I checked email and had a message from my friend Scott. Sadly, his father has died. The Sacramento Bee did a feature story about Lloyd Nutter's heroism as a World War II B-17 navigator and later, prisoner of war.
"France, why have you abandoned us?"
Bagpipers from Brittany, some of them dressed in regional costume.
"Eternal glory to France and to those who have died for her." - Victor Hugo, French writer, poet and playwright, 1802-1885
"Shame on those who forget that our parents have given their lives for the liberty of France."
The marching band provided musical accompaniment to the demonstration.
More musicians.
"Nation" is the operative word in this banner.
"No to discrimination!" The banner refers to compensation the French government has provided to orphans of Jews who died after deportation, as well as orphans of those who killed in resistance fighting or massacres. The children of "patriots who died for France" during World War I or WW II have not been compensated, nor have orphans of soldiers who died in civil conflicts or combat. Children of prisoners of war who died in concentration camps also have not been compensated. The protestors are seeking "justice and equality, which are our legitimate rights." They claim they have been "forgotten" by the government.
"Same suffering; same recognition," this sign proclaims.
Protestors from the Haute-Normandie region.
Delegates from the Rhone.
A sea of French flags amidst hundreds of peaceful protestors.
War negatively impacts every generation.
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair..." A daily dose of holiday windows from Paris department stores.
Rapunzel and forest creatures.
An elaborate headdress and table setting in the middle of a snow-covered forest.
A seat at the table. Check out the gold lame boots!
An elegant holiday table setting is spoiled by the addition of a camera phone.
Twinkling Northern lights, with fur and chiffon.
Note the fox in the background of this wintery scene.
Are you ready for a journey to the North Pole? Or perhaps you'd prefer Norway or Sweden?
Don't forget your handbag and tickets!
This mannequin with the auburn elongated braid - as featured in Monday's photo - is wearing a colourful party confection of ruffles and feathers. Fur (either real or something like it) is a recurring theme in several displays. Check back daily for more Paris department store windows, dressed in their best holiday finery.
Letter slot in an iron-studded wooden door, York, England.
For the Writers Island prompt, "the letter," a poem about memories invoked by a love letter. I wrote this poem quickly; it still needs work. But I've been too busy to participate in Island prompts the past two or three weeks and didn't want to miss another. To appease my perfectionist tendencies, let's call this a first draft:
The letter was written
in your trademark green ink,
a fine distinctive script
on heavy cream vellum.
You pressed it into my hands
that morning at the airport,
urging me not to read it
until I was on the plane.
Your words spoke of undying love
and made promises that would go unfulfilled,
even with the best intentions,
because timing is everything.
Waiting impatiently,
longing for the mail:
envelopes stuffed with pages of prose,
revealing how much you missed me.
Romantic reassurances
until we met again
in some foreign capital
for a honeymoon of sorts.
You phoned from Madrid
and talked about London;
then there was New York, Miami,
and glittering foreign capitals.
The shopping trips
where you offered anything I wanted,
in a bid to compensate for long absences
and preserve the status quo.
Remember the expensive designer suit
I returned to Saks Fifth Avenue
to buy a plane ticket
and surprise you in Miami?
The embroidered, bejeweled dress
you chose at the Kuwait souk?
It was your favourite colour;
you never noticed it didn't suit me.
Simply a matter of time,
we lied to ourselves,
until the many reunions ended
and I'd become your wife.
But the longer the space
between visits,
the less appealing that
prospect appeared.
You chose the marble floors
of that beautiful villa, without consulting me.
The house was nearly finished, when I saw
what might have become my golden cage.
All these years later,
that grand family villa
remains unloved and empty.
A caretaker lives in a nearby shack
to guard against more broken dreams
and preserve the architectural showpiece
haunted by ghostly illusions
of living happily ever after.
Check back every day this week for portraits of Christmas windows in Paris department stores. I braved the crowds and lots of energetic children to take more than 100 photos of these chic and imaginative holiday displays. This one featuring an endless braid is from Printemps. And if you missed my photographs of unusual hats at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, check out the links at the fabulous blog carnival at HATastic. It's enough to make you rush right out and buy a hat!
A grey, rainy day view upriver from the terrace of the Chateau Royal d'Amboise, Amboise, France.
A bell over the castle's wide entry ramp, originally designed to accommodate horses and carriages.
Amboise city rooftops as seen from the castle's walls.
A broad view from the castle ramparts shows the Amboise bridge over the River Loire.
The marble bust of artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci was erected in 1869 on the spot of the 12th-century Florentine church where da Vinci was originally laid to rest. In the 19th-century, his remains were transferred to St. Hubert Chapel on the chateau grounds.
This manicured Oriental garden lines the medieval southeast rampart. It is a tribute to the Emir of Algeria, Abd el-Khader, who surrendered during France's colonisation of Algeria. From 1848 until 1852 - when he was liberated by Napoleon Bonaparte - the emir, along with about 80 family members and attendants was under house arrest at the Chateau d'Amboise. He died in 1883 in Damascus.
Details of brickwork from the Sentries' Walk, from whence guards could survey the Loire. The architectural variations show the transition from the French late-Gothic style of Charles VIII to the Italianate Renaissance style preferred by Louis XII-Francois I.
A royal crest and carved cherubs over one of the castle's main doorways.
A decorative chest in the castle's entryway. My husband said signs were posted forbidding photos, but I didn't see them!
A Renaissance table and hand-carved throne.
The St. Hubert Chapel was built in Gothic style by Charles VIII, on foundations of an oratory built by Louis XI. Initially reserved for the royal family's use, the chapel contains a crypt for the body of Leonardo da Vinci, Francois I's good friend. It is believed that da Vinci's remains were removed from the crypt and returned to his native Italy.
The chapel has its doors flung open for visitors.
The ornate facade of St. Hubert's Chapel.
A close-up look at the carved scene over the chapel entrance.
Details of the chapel's heavy wooden Gothic doors.
The stained glass windows were produced by Max Ingrand in 1952. They illustrate the life of the 13th-century crusader and king Louis XI.
The altar in St. Hubert Chapel.
The town of Amboise, as viewed from the walkway next to the chapel.
A photo of Clos Luce in Amboise, France, artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci's home during the last three years of his life. The chateau is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and open to the public 365 days a year. Charles VIII purchased Clos Luce in 1490. Etienne le Loup, major-domo to King Louis XI, built the house in 1471 on 12th-century foundations. It remained a royal domain until the French Revolution. Charles VIII transformed the manor house into a summer residence of sorts for his bride, Anne of Brittany.
As no interior photographs are allowed, I bought the book Chateau du Clos Luce Watercolours by Beatrice Saint Bris. Da Vinci arrived in Amboise in 1516, having crossed the Alps riding a mule. He was accompanied by his disciples Francesco Melzi and Batista de Villanis and his servant. In his saddlebags, the 64-year-old Leonardo carried three major paintings, as well as his notes and manuscripts. Two of those paintings, the Mona Lisa and St. John the Baptist - the latter completed at Clos Luce - are part of the permanent collection in the Louvre, Paris.
The main entrance of the 15th-century manor house, which was built of pink bricks and white limestone. An underground tunnel linked the house to the castle, 400 metres away.
The doorway to the oratory, or chapel, built for Anne of Brittany. Holding her Book of Hours, the queen often prayed here for her children, who died young. Her Book of Hours was commissioned from Jean Bourdichon, an illuminator from Tours.
Beatrice Saint Bris's watercolour depiction of the chapel's exterior doorway.
A doorway in the parapet walk and watchtower, built under Louis XI. It is the last surviving piece of medieval architecture, when Clos Luce was a fortified residence. During the Renaissance, the parapet walk was converted into a gallery, similar to an Italian loggia. The court and its ladies would sit here to watch tournaments and festivities that Leonardo da Vinci organised for his friend, Francois I.
A watercolour of the parapet walk. It is now the main entrance for visitors to Clos Luce.
Leonardo's bed chamber and the window from which he viewed his Renaissance garden, as well as the castle of Francois I. Leonardo's drawing of this view is part of the Windsor collection, owned by the British royal family. The Renaissance canopied-bed is sculpted with chimera, cherubs and sea creatures.
Leonardo wrote his will in this room, leaving his manuscripts, and notebooks of drawings and sketches to Francesco Melzi, his disciple. He died on May 2, 1519, after receiving the holy sacraments. Tradition has it that Francois I was with Leonardo at the moment of his death.
The chapel where Anne of Brittany spent so many hours. A framed quotation from Leonardo hangs near the gothic doorway: "L'amour triomphe de tout," or "love triumphs over everything." I spent several minutes absorbed by the peaceful atmosphere in this beautiful oratory.
The Chapel bears the three fleurs-de-lis of the French coat of arms, surrounded by the Collar of the Order of St. Michael, founded by Louis XI. The chapel also features a Romanesque ribbed and vaulted ceiling, painted deep blue and punctuated with gold stars. Three restored wall frescoes are attributed to Leonardo's disciples, including A Madonna of Light, an Annunciation and an Assumption. The Virgo Lucis, or Madonna of Light, is carrying the Infant Jesus, her feet resting on a crescent moon.
Watercolours by Beatrice Saint Bris; photographs by Tara Bradford.
It's no surprise that the day after Thanksgiving is the busiest shopping day in the United States. The French spread their Christmas shopping out over a period of weeks, but get a head start on holiday decorations. Giant Christmas tree ornaments and glittery stars and twinkling lights adorn Les Passages in Boulogne-Billancourt.
A deer is part of the group of animated forest creatures with moving heads, currently on on exhibit at Les Passages. Despite the display's obvious popularity with children, security guards told parents they couldn't take photos of the exhibit, or of their children admiring the exhibit! Bah, humbug! I took these photos before the guard noticed and told me to stop.
Children try to pet the deer, as he turns his head.
A doe tends to her spotted fawn.
Grey rabbits lean forward and kiss, while in the background, baby bunnies frolic.
A red fox takes care of two young cubs.
A family of rabbits in this woodland scene.
Some children attempted to feed this red squirrel, much to the security guard's annoyance.
A Christmas elf or garden gnome helps look after the forest creatures. Gnomes are popular in France, particularly following the 2001 film Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, better known as Amelie in the US and the UK.
From our Thanksgiving table in Paris, Moroccan lanterns, an Arabic coffee pot and empty bowls to signify those who go hungry every day. French friends joined us for a late lunch. The resident chef (that would be David) cooked a turkey, along with roast potatoes, Nigella Lawson's cranberry-and-orange stuffing and various accompaniments. I made RJ's Sho Nuff Famous Sweet Potato Pie - and yes, it was a hit, even with the French. Hope that you enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with family and friends!
A boulangerie display in Amboise, France.
Counting our blessings... Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
The view of the Renaissance garden from artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci's bedroom at Clos Luce in Amboise, France. Leonardo lived here the last three years of his life, at the invitation of King Francois I. The king was a fan of Renaissance art and greatly respected Leonardo's artistic achievements, as well as his intellect.
Roses drenched by rain in Leonardo da Vinci's private garden.
More rain-soaked Renaissance roses at Clos Luce.
Just back from a quick trip to Amboise and Chinon in the Loire Valley. While hampered by nearly continuous rain and road detours, it was a nice break from the transit strikes in Paris, now in their eighth day. France's high-speed TGV rail network also has been damaged by a "concerted campaign of sabotage," the SNCF state-owned rail operator told reporters. Acts of sabotage overnight, including fires, created further delays to TGV services.
On a brighter note, I find it inspiring to visit Leonardo da Vinci's home, as well as his friend and benefactor's castle. Last time we were in Amboise, I didn't have a digital camera; this trip, I was able to get some good shots, despite the rain and photo restrictions at historic sites. The absence of crowds of tourists certainly helped. After Thanksgiving, I will begin posting images and notes from the journey.
As we Americans pause Thursday to give thanks for our many blessings, let us remember those less fortunate and resolve to help in any way we can. Wishing you and yours a joyous holiday celebration.
A marble sculpture of a weeping cherub at York Minster Cathedral, York, England
For Read Write Poem, three American sentences, each comprised of 17 syllables:
The Constitution is under threat from those who swore to protect it.
Sacrifice civil liberties for politics; everyone loses.
The dollar plummets, in direct proportion to our reputation.
An exit stairwell when walking the city walls perimeter in York, England.
We are on a short break in the Loire Valley. Paris Parfait posts will appear automatically, all being well. Will be back in time for holiday turkey and to wish my fellow Americans a Happy Thanksgiving.
Meanwhile, California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein has some explaining to do. Lately she's been surprisingly complicit in Bush & Co.'s self-serving agenda. She recommended Michael Mukasey for attorney general, even though he has refused to call the illegal practice of water-boarding "torture."
Then she cast the deciding vote to confirm Judge Leslie Southwick. You may recall Southwick took custody of an eight-year-old girl away from her mother, simply because the mother was involved in a "lesbian relationship." Now Feinstein says she supports immunity for AT&T and other telecoms that helped the Bush administration illegally spy on phone calls and emails of millions of Americans!
I leave you with an excerpt from the poem "Non-commitment" by Chinua Achebe:
"Hurrah! to them who do nothing see nothing feel nothing whose hearts are fitted with prudence like a diaphragm across womb's beckoning doorway to bar the scandal of seminal rage. I'm told the owl too wears wisdom in a ring of defense round each vulnerable eye securing it fast against the darts of sight..."
Some lucky soldiers might be back home from Iraq or Afghanistan, but this story is a stark reminder that their traumatic ordeal is far from over. Read photographer Luis Sinco's moving account in The Observer of what's happened to James Blake Miller, the subject of this iconic photograph here.
Sinco writes: "Back home, I tried to put Falluja behind me. Yet not a day went by that I didn't think about Miller and Iraq. National Public Radio interviewed me. I became a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Bloggers riffed on the photo's meaning. Requests for prints kept coming.
"In January 2006, I was on assignment along the US-Mexico border when my wife called. 'Your boy is on TV. He has post-traumatic stress disorder,' she said. 'They kicked him out of the Marines."
Luis Sinco photo of James Blake Miller via The Guardian.
Trompe l'oeil at York Minster Cathedral, York, England. This is the second of three posts about York Minster.
An ornate astronomical clock was created by craftsmen at the Royal Greenwich Observatory. It was presented to the Minster to commemorate 18,000 Allied airmen who lost their lives in World War II, when flying out of bases in Yorkshire and the Northeast.
Sweeping ceiling views.
An intricately-detailed embroidered cloth drapes this altar.
Another marble angel bearing a shield over the choir loft, next to tall gothic pillars.
A small chapel with stained-glass windows.
A clock on the exterior wall of the nave.
A memorial panel at York Minster.
The Prince William of Hatfield Monument in the North Quire Aisle.
Velvet seats in York Minster's nave.
An ornate tableau and altar.
The uppermost pipes of the pipe organ in the choir room.
Modern sculptures added to the ancient stone.
An altar representing Anglican churches in Southwark, Winchester and York.
Painted iron and gilt scrollwork.
A modern portable baptismal font.
Update: Day seven and still no train service. Thousands of protesters took to the streets across France as teachers and civil servants staged a 24-hour walkout, joining striking transport and energy workers. C'est ferme! The Paris metro map at my neighbourhood metro station. On day four of the Paris transit strike over workers' pension and retirement benefits, train service is erratic at best. Line 10 has remained closed for days, with no alternative routes offered. This presents a problem, as I must return to the Antiquites Brocante at Bastille to pick up the second of two antique Moroccan lanterns purchased last week - and the brocante ends Sunday!
An electronic sign at the metro station provides a status report for metro lines and the RER trains. On Friday night, David picked up his son and daughter arriving from London at the Eurostar terminal at Gare de Nord. What should have been a 20-minute drive across town, took three hours, due to heavy traffic. Aren't you glad you're not in Paris at the moment?
This is the first of three posts about the Anglican church York Minster Cathedral, York, England. A starburst and stained glass windows adorn the ceiling of Chapter House at York Minster. The Chapter House, built in the decorated Gothic style and octagonal in shape, was begun in 1260 and completed in 1286. Its walls contain some of the Minster's finest carvings, dating between 1270-80.
Decorative tile pattern on the floor in Chapter House.
A starburst design at the top of the pulpit in York Minster Cathedral.
Crowned heads in marble sculptural panels at York.
An angel bearing a shield overlooks a choir loft.
A crucifixion scene trimmed with gold gilt.
Carved oak panels in the choir room. The woodwork in the choir was replaced following a fire in 1829.
