Paris Parfait

Mai / May / Mayo

Guillame Apollinaire's poem about May, handwritten in French at a spring exhibition at Les Passages in Boulogne-Billancourt.

Endless blue skies and an historic church set behind a town hall, currently under renovation near Le Bon Marche, Paris.

Grey skies more typical of spring in Paris. Construction continues on an underground parking garage and park in my neighbourhood. The work began in 2006 and is scheduled for completion later this year.

Bright pink hortensia softens the urban environment on Ile Saint Louis.

Pimentos - red and green - at a local supermarket.

A brass-and-enamel bed frame at a recent brocante. Remember the old Bob Dylan song, "Lay lady, lay - lay across my big brass bed?"

A vintage foosball game for sale at a brocante. An excellent antiquites brocante at Place de Bastille, Paris begins later this week.

Filling station replicas, Danish modern chairs and a mannequin.

Hats and theatre props. And speaking of props, Europeans and Americans alike are amused by Hillary Clinton's new "guns" mailing.

Plus, that little gas tax holiday stunt Clinton keeps pushing - even though economists oppose it and both she and her husband were against it in 2000 - has earned her the rebuke of a senior member of Congress. An excerpt of George Miller's statement: "“The call by Sens. Clinton and McCain to temporarily suspend the federal tax on gasoline is a short-sighted stunt that will hurt consumers and do nothing to reduce the price of gas. American consumers and our economy need a real solution to the energy crisis, not an empty trick. You can run cars on a lot of different fuels, but snake oil isn’t one of them."

Carved in stone

A tattooed rock at Le Carrefour des Cascades in the Bois de Boulogne, Paris.

Signs of love.

Natural rock formations. Notice the bird hiding at right.

Tranquility at the base of the waterfall.

A view of the waterfall's base from behind a heart-shaped rock formation.

Water cascades down the sides of the rocks.

In many parts of this world water is scarce and precious.
People sometimes have to walk a great distance
then carry heavy jugs upon their heads.

Because of our wisdom, we will travel far for love.
All movement is a sign of Thirst.
Most speaking really says, "I am hungry to know you."

Every desire of your body is holy;
every desire of your body is Holy.
Dear one, why wait until you are dying
to discover that divine Truth?

Hafiz poem from the book "The Subject Tonight is Love" translated by Daniel Ladinsky.

Bagpipes in the Bois

This afternoon while walking my usual route around Hippodrome de Longchamp, an unexpected treat: two French guys playing bagpipes! Speaking of treats, if you're an "Empire Strikes Back" fan, you may appreciate this amusing video.

White flowering trees, high grass and wildflowers are part of the natural beauty of the Bois de Boulogne on the Western edge of Paris.

A cyclist goes past a pink flowering tree opposite rugby grounds in the Bois.

Two trees with entwined branches near one of the many ponds that dot the Bois.

A big pink flowering tree near the outer perimeter of Hippodrome de Longchamp, Europe's biggest flat-racing course.

Flowering branches reflected in the water of a small canal.

Thick white blossoms accent several trees in the Bois.

A lone cypress was a gift from the State of Louisiana in 1983. The tree, located near Le Carrefour des Cascades waterfall, originated from the Gulf of Mexico.

Part of the Longchamp racecourse, viewed from Allee de Longchamp.

A tower for television cameras to record races at Longchamp.

Take a risk

A form of bungee jumping deemed safe for children at Hippodrome de Longchamp, Paris.

To one
     Who smells the sun,
          Eyes shut and tastes that rain is sweet;
Who hears
     Music, but fears
          Its presence in empty gardens; or, discreet,
Only observes
     The nerves
          And fibers of a painting - shade, technique;
What is
     Beyond analysis
          Is perilous: we must not wish to seek
And cry
     'This is what I
          Love, what I cherish!' Instead, be wary of such
Intensity
     That we
          May never be hurt or happy or anything too
much.

Poem from the novel Beginner's Greek by James Collins. For those who are sitting on the fence, afraid to take a leap forward, I encourage you to be brave. Take a risk. Dare to open your heart. Truly LIVE your life in capital letters!

Rugby match

While I am in London, thought I might surprise you with something unexpected: the local rugby lads in the thick of a fast-paced game on a muddy field. The rugby club is located in the Bois du Boulogne, just a few metres from Hippodrome de Longchamp. I am a big rugby fan; Stade Francais (Paris) is my favourite local team. They play at Stade Jean Bouin next door to Parc des Princes. It is just a ten-minute walk from Roland Garros, home of the French Open. Within easy walking distance of the apartment, one can watch live horse racing, tennis, rugby or water-skiing on the Seine.

Salvage and pirates

A prototype for a light wing aircraft is among the many salvage items on these barges. Currently, the vessels are floating next to peniches or houseboats along the River Seine.

Speaking of salvage, certain officials are determined to save France's reputation. Some government officials are outraged about the French entry's English lyrics in the upcoming Eurovision song contest. Quel horreur!

And the six Somali pirates who seized a French yacht and held the crew hostage for a week have arrived in Paris for police questioning.

The French parliament has banned websites and magazines that promote anorexia among teenage girls. The French blog, Be Perfect, Be Pro Ana, encourages teenage girls to refuse food, make themselves sick and take laxatives to emulate the body shape of their "thinspirations" such as Nicole Richie and Victoria Beckham.

Government figures suggest between 30,000 and 40,000 people in France suffer from anorexia. Most are female aged 12 -19. French advertisers, model agencies and fashion houses have agreed to sign a government charter to "refuse to publish images, especially of young people, which could promote an ideal of extreme thinness."

Obviously this problem is not limited to France.

Longchamp en cours

Headed towards victory at Hippodrome de Longchamp, Paris.

A view of part of the course, pre-race. I live across the street and walk or bike around the exterior of Longchamp nearly every day.

Another view of the course with the lucky horseshoe finish line. If you look closely, you'll notice the Eiffel Tower peeking out above the trees of the Bois du Boulogne.

The pre-race parade rink and winner's circle.

Before the race...

The winner's circle

Anticipation: Jockeys wait for their mounts.

Headed towards the course.

A pony for the children to ride. The next races at Longchamp begin at 1 p.m. Sunday, April 13.

And here is some hope and inspiration for Americans who are struggling.

The weird, wacky weather of April in Paris

Orange upside-down flowers being buffeted by high winds on Monday. Reader Jacky Petrie in Canada tells me these flowers are "Fritillaria imperialis rubra maxima."

You know what the song says about April in Paris - but it simply isn't true, at least weather-wise. Last night, the city was covered in a soft blanket of snow. I spent a few minutes between 2 and 3 a.m. staring out the window, watching the snowfall. The plan was to photograph it, before the morning sunshine melted every trace. But by 10 a.m., both the snow and sunshine had given way to rain and cold winds - all these dramatic shifts within the space of about 12 hours.

Meanwhile the Olympic torch ceremony in Paris was marred not only by bad weather, but by numerous protests, just as in London on Sunday. The torch was doused three times before finally being carried by bus to Stade Charlety. Bernard Delanoe, the mayor of Paris, cancelled a ceremony honouring the torch relay after Green Party activists hung a Tibetan flag and Reporters sans Frontieres hung a banner depicting the Olympic rings as handcuffs from the Hotel de Ville. Tibetan flags or protest banners were also draped from other Paris landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame.

And news today that mobile phones will be allowed in European airspace. Not sure that's a good thing! Under the best of circumstances, it's difficult to find any peace and quiet on a crowded airplane - now we'll be forced to overhear other people's conversations?

A planter box of assorted spring blossoms, unaffected by last night's snow.

Kebede wins Paris Marathon

Tsegaye Kebede won the Paris Marathon on Sunday at his first attempt with a personal best time. The Ethiopian runner finished in two hours, six minutes and forty seconds, comfortably beating his previous best marathon of 2:08.16 last year in Amsterdam.

Scenes from the Paris Marathon, Sunday, April 6, 2008.

Sunday sports

Kodak advertising sign from a photo shop in southwest France, photographed recently at the brocante at Chatou.

Remember film? Amazing how quickly we have adapted to digital cameras, drastically reducing the market for film. For photos of today's Paris Marathon go here. Check back later for additional marathon photographs, as well as pictures from opening day at the races at Hippodrome de Longchamp.

Oh and all that talk about the French president - and various other officials around the world - calling for a boycott of the Olympic opening ceremonies? I don't believe politics and sports should mix. The athletes have trained long and hard and shouldn't be denied a chance to compete because of the host's abysmal human rights record - a key factor that the Olympic Committee should have considered when awarding host nation status to China.

The country has a well-documented history of human rights abuses, both in Tibet and within its own borders. So those advocating a boycott because of China's latest horrendous abuses and crackdown on protestors shouldn't be surprised; this is what the Chinese government does. They are serial abusers of human rights, no matter how hard they try to conceal their true nature when making lucrative business deals with the West. But let's not punish the athletes simply because the Olympic Committee exercised poor judgement.

Meanwhile, racism has reared its ugly head at France's largest World War I cemetery. Read the sad story here.

L'air du printemps

The hotel de ville or city hall fronted by a profusion of pink blooms on trees.

Spring planting boxes are adorned with ferns, flowers, feathers and decorated Easter eggs at Les Passages.

A wall of moss, leaves, ferns, flowers, feathers and eggs lends a festive air to Les Passages.

This lovely mossy plant panel extending from the ground floor to the second level in Les Passages reminds me of a rock-climbing wall - sans the frou-frou, of course.

Last weekend to visit brocante at Chatou

A trio of 19th-century globes at the 76th Foire Nationale aux Antiquites, a la Brocante et aux Jambons, underway from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. through Sunday at Ile de Chatou. If you get a chance to go, don't miss it! Tickets are available at the gate.

Today at La Poste, was sending something to Georgia and the clerk next to me overheard and started singing "Georgia." Then these two postal clerks wanted to know who'd made the song famous, so we talked about Ray Charles - all of it in French. Small world, eh? I'd hoped to have the opportunity to post more brocante photos and catch up with other blogs today, but no such luck. Am busy racing around Paris, being tour guide and will be at the brocante again Saturday. Will catch up with all of you soon! Bon weekend, as the French say.

Heaven is under our feet...

A carpet of early spring blooms in the Bois du Boulogne, Paris.

"Heaven is under our feet, as well as over our heads." - Henry David Thoreau, The pond in winter, Walden. I once lived in a little cottage near the beach in Pacific Grove, California. Thoreau's words were carved in a swirling stone pattern into the concrete sidewalk.

Here's a beautiful song about the bliss of sailing and love, Sails performed by the late great Chet Atkins and Steve Wariner.

As a journalist, I had the privilege of covering Steve and his band's Life's Highway concert tour in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Later I spoke by phone to Chet Atkins in Nashville, who had long been a mentor for Steve Wariner. What a charming gentleman he was, as well as an amazingly-talented musician. In 1994, I saw Atkins in concert with Suzy Bogguss at the Warwick in San Francisco. Hearing and watching him play the guitar was pure magic.

Manicured grounds adjacent to the windmill in the Bois du Boulogne.

Tilting at windmills: Searching for signs of spring

Side view of an old stone windmill in the Bois du Boulogne, Paris.

A closer look at the windmill, built on a tiny island.

A plant-lined pathway leads to the windmill entrance.

A small moat surrounds the structure.

Trees and flowers planted along the moat.

Hints of spring, with a glimpse of Hippodrome de Longchamp bleachers in the background.

The caretaker's cottage, near the windmill.

A medley of fuschia and orange to brighten up the grey, gloomy Paris weather.

Serendipity

Unexpected glimpse of new horizons, Paris.

An abstract window offers surprising views.

Just in case... a bike with an extra tire on Avenue Jean-Baptiste Clement.

And a British-owned restaurant at the Left Bank hotel where Oscar Wilde died has won a much-coveted Michelin star.

Can't stop change

A Paris apartment building glimpsed through branches of spring blossoms.

No matter how the Clinton campaign tries to spin the reality, in the concrete terms of delegate numbers, Obama emerged from Tuesday's primaries and caucus still very much the leader. The most likely outcome is that Hillary Clinton gained 187 delegates and Obama gained 183 - a difference of only four delegates! Obama's expected to chalk up wins in Wyoming and Mississippi this weekend, increasing his large delegate lead.

"This election will come down to delegates.... Again and again, this race has shown that it is voters and delegates who matter, not the pundits or perceived 'momentum.'" - Mark Penn, chief strategist for Hillary's campaign, Feb. 13, 2008.

"When the dust settles from today's contests, we will maintain our substantial lead in delegates. And thanks to millions of people standing for change, we will keep adding delegates and capture the Democratic nomination.

We knew from the day we began this journey that the road would be long. And we knew what we were up against. We knew that the closer we got to the change we seek, the more we'd see of the politics we're trying to end -- the attacks and distortions that try to distract us from the issues that matter to people's lives, the stunts and the tactics that ask us to fear instead of hope.

But this time -- this year -- it will not work. The challenges are too great. The stakes are too high. Americans need real change.

In the coming weeks, we will begin a great debate about the future of this country with a man who has served it bravely and loves it dearly. And we will offer two very different visions of the America we see in the twenty-first century. John McCain has already dismissed our call for change as eloquent but empty. But he should know that it's a call that did not begin with my words. It's the resounding call from every corner of this country, from first-time voters and lifelong cynics, from Democrats and Republicans alike.

And together you and I are going to grow this movement to deliver that change in November." - Barack Obama

Update 11:15 p.m. Paris time:

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton is giving new meaning to the term "blood sport" in politics. She's wasted no time today in stepping up the nasty, mean-spirited campaign tactics she's adopted within the past week: making false or misleading statements; absolutely outrageous race-baiting and trying to rip apart the Democratic party by siding with the Republicans. Apparently she cares only about winning the nomination, never mind that the math shows that's nearly impossible. Funny how she's so intent on "throwing the kitchen sink" at another Democrat, yet as senator, she hasn't expended even a fraction of that effort standing up to George Bush's threats to the Constitution or our civil liberties. She didn't even bother reading the intelligence reports, before voting to send our troops to war in Iraq.

And being First Lady while her husband was president does not mean she has "experience." On that basis, AmericaBlog makes the excellent point: would Laura Bush be qualified to be president?

It's also odd that Hillary spends so much time trying to distract attention from her own lack of transparency and accountability. She and John McCain are the only presidential candidates who have refused to release their tax records, nor has Clinton been truthful about the White House's release of the Clinton papers. According to the White House press secretary, the papers have been ready since Jan. 31 for a Clinton representative to pick them up. Maybe there's something in those records Hillary Clinton doesn't want voters to see.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times and Talking Points Memo report Clinton has received some questionable campaign donations.

Parc de Boulogne Edmond de Rothschild

These photos at Parc de Boulogne Edmond de Rothschild are part of a series taken in my neighbourhood. Click photos to enlarge and view detail. The park was once the Rothschild family's private estate. This red Japanese bridge graces one of three ponds. A children's playground, horse-riding rink and soccer field are also included in the landscaped grounds. Some parts of the park are left to nature's devices.

Children climb along the rocks and pond sediment up to the opposite bank. Check out the smallest boy's green wellies!

This small pond is frequented by ducks, birds, fish and turtles.

In the stones lining the embankment, flowers emerge.

My shadow (wearing a winter coat, with a huge shopping bag slung over my shoulder, while standing on the bridge taking the photo) is reflected in the water, along with the trees that line the embankments.

A sign explaining the "Life after life" philosophy for a famous Italian poplar tree that was struck by lightning, but still stands as a rather surreal "living" sculpture.

The hollowed-out bottom portion of the tree.

A flower leans inwards, as though in tribute to the once-mighty tree.

The sculptural tree in its soaring majesty.

The Rothschild family's once-grand chateau in ruins. I can't imagine why it's been allowed to deteriorate, rather than using the house in some fashion or else completely tearing it down. No doubt some obscure French law or bureaucratic issues or inheritance squabbles have resulted in the current situation. The family donated the park and the surrounding land - prime real estate due to its position directly opposite the Bois du Boulogne - to the city. Hopital Ambroise Pare and our apartment complex now occupy the former Rothschild property, adjacent to the ruined chateau.

A mossy stone stairway leads to the graffitti-covered mansion.

A glimpse of an arched portico, from which the family once gazed out on their private park.

A fence separating the house from the park is overgrown with vines.

A modern sculpture made of wood, wire, copper, steel and found objects near the park's entrance.