Le Marais Yesterday

John Galliano's Empty Chair

Notre Dame de la Garde, Marseille

Light rain, light sleep in the Parc Monceau

Zarafa III in Marseille

This marvelous statue of a giraffe and its baby is right on La Canebière, the main street of Marseille. It commemorates the arrival in the city in 1826 of a giraffe given as a gift to King Charles X by Egypt's Mohammed Ali. In 1998, my great friend told the story in his marvelous book Zarafa: A Giraffe's True Story, from Deep in Africa to the Heart of Paris, and ever since -- often without credit -- those who retell the tale call the beauteous beast Zarafa. The reason this is "III" is that football holligans trashed at least one of the earlier versions. This one -- with a place for book donations to the library, or to passers-by (like the guy on the bike) who stop and browse -- is now a permanent fixture.

Sunset at Prado Beach, Marseille

Kids in Marseille, the ultimate melting pot

 Rehearsing for a Marseille Reve production at the Mairie of the 13/14 Arrondissement in Marseille.

Saturday Sun and Rain and Sun in Paris

Study in Red, Black and Gray, in front of the Café de Flore

Waning memories of Diana at the Pont de l'Alma on the day William and Kater were wed

 

Liberty's Flame at the Pont de l'Alma in Paris was never meant to be a memorial to the late Princess Diana, but it stands above the tunnel where she died, and those who remember her, or obsess about her, often leave flowers, pictures and notes there. Today, this was the scene in Paris as Will and Kate said their vows, and then a few hours later after a heavy rain.

Easter Monday at the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Jardin des Plantes