Jardin des Tuilieres
It's Sunday in the Jardin des Tuilieres, and sunny, sometimes. Martin is sitting next to me, saying "courting pigeon alert, courting pigeon alert", a flock just surrounded us. I'd hate to try and eat a baguette here.
I see a white pigeon with just a black tip tail, never saw one of those before. People are spread out all around us. We're facing the Musee D'orsay, in the lazy back chairs, with a straight chair between us with the camera and computer case on it. Our backs are to the rue de Rivoli. People just pick up the chairs and move them to where they want. Many sleep in one, using another to prop up their feet.
Martin is wishing for an ear muff. It is rather windy, I'm wearing my blue with white flowers sun dress but was smart, glad, or coerced to bring my jacket.
A whole herd of teenage girls just passed. The main fountain in the center, and the four fountains on the sides are flowing. Not any boats in the center, yet. We are sitting right in front of a flowerbed of deep purples and orange wallflowers. Deep red-purple is the tallest. Then smaller, lighter purple flowers that look like sweet williams. Also some light violet flowers the same height as the deep red-purple.
A boy just passed on rollerblades. I think it'd be difficult to skate on the packed dirt with gravel.
There's a boy with an older sister chasing pigeons, trying to catch one. Came very close to Martin, close enough to have to leap over Martin's tennis shoes. Boy is wearing a blue rugby shirt and white pants. The pants are very dirty in front, especially around the knees, blond-brown hair cut very short.
A woman just entered on my left, with a stroller, has a little girl following with a pink doll stroller.
Martin is leaving to buy a stamp for a post card at the Louvre. The wind is getting chilly. Many are staring at my computer. Yes, well, I'm tired of staring Paris people.
I gave some money to the man playing the calliope this morning. Gave him 5 francs. Would have liked to give him more. I think he was blind and didn't hear very well. It was a machine that played the paper dots as he wound it through the machine. He had a tall stack of the "records" next to him, and it took awhile between songs.
Some runners here wear the strangest clothing. A bunch of the men have the typical summer shorts, tees. But I saw one woman with a black sweater and black jeans and non-athletic shoes, and others with department store shorts and shirts.
Finally seeing some sweatshirts, but always colleges, like UCLA, never cartoons or scenes.
I see gold, and purple, and red clothes. Some red dresses, but usually the color is a jacket, almost always plain, no design, and then black underneath, black shirt, black pants, black shoes, sometimes not all black, like a white shirt, or cream leotards.
These cooing, courting pigeons are funny. They fluff all up and chase the female and make a cooing noise.
There are several statues all around this inner circle. Martin thinks they are from Greek mythology.
The boy in blue has a brother or friend with a maroon shirt, also with white pants. The blue boy just skipped past singing to himself. His sister is now chasing pigeons with a plastic stick she found. She's wearing a peach t-shirt, jeans, with socks and open sandals.
Oh, I say there, it's a chilly wind. I'm quite surprised, haven't seen too many dogs. Much traffic is coming down from the Louvre.
The same flower colors and patterns are planted all around the circle, so when I look across the center fountain, I see the same oranges and purples. Two people hugging and now kissing in the middle of this.
Crusty, older man with thick glasses came over and said something to me in French.
I said "Je're regrette. Je ne parle pas francais, je parle tres mal."
He pointed at the computer, but I didn't really understand what he said, then he walked away.
Lots of the women have those huge shoulder bags.
Over the tops of the squared off trees, over by the Musee D'orsay, I can see two twin spires of something. Also just the tiniest thin spire of gold from a gold dome that we saw from the Eiffel, and I have no idea what it is.
Voila, le soleil.
Ah, there's a woman in brown: brown leggings, brown shoes, brown throw bag, tan silk blouse, with a brown and red printed jacket with hood. She is here with her husband, in a brown leather jacket, and young boy.
A family brought their bikes. Papa and little daughter with a red sweatshirt and red hair band were up ahead. Papa carrying red tricycle. Mother and son following; son riding a small red bike. Mother trotting along to keep up.
Boy saying "Papa," and pointing ahead to Dad. Mother agreeing, or saying slow down.
Voila, les nuages. J'ai froid!
Cashmere, and silk, and wool, and jeans. Suits, tights, no runs. Sunglasses. Yellow and black; orange and ecru; few fluorescents.
There's a thin chain link all around the inner circle (except at entrances) and the sign says: Pelouse non accessible. Two fluffed out little sparrows just landed on the chain link, and swung lightly in the breeze for a few moments.
Voila, le soleil.
Voila, mon mariee, avec my standard baguette sandwich from Pauls at the Louvre! Merci, monsieur. Also had a dessert of the chocolate/biscuits I had brought in my pocket.
An Italian couple provided brief entertainment at the statue to my left. The woman imitated the statue's pose. The woman is dressed in brown and black combed cotton dress outfit, with black hose and brown boots, with sunglasses and long, thick curly brown hair. The man lay on the ground to get the right angle.
Some look at this computer, and as soon as I look up, they look away.
A troop of "sprouts" marched past. Didn't have a banner with them, but were all in uniform, blue shorts, light blue shirts, with red and blue scarves around their necks, braided together in the front.
Also saw a very thin mom with two strollers. Her little girl was pushing one (a real stroller, not play) and in the bigger one was a younger baby. The child got her finger stuck somehow and started crying. She climbed in the empty stroller. Then the mother pushed both side by side.
Now all the people have pulled up the chairs real close to the edge of the center fountain, with their feet resting on the cement outer circle.
Martin went off to scout photos.
So many pigeons, so little crumbs. An entire flock has flown over my head to a lady on the far right who is handing out crumbs.
Jeans are for teens.
Here comes a large troupe, first or second graders. Everyone is holding hands with a buddy, and they're wearing fluorescent green and orange baseball caps. Some singing, some babbling, some quiet. One little boy said "Pigeon, pigeon."
Velvet and cotton, wool, leather, black only, of course.
"La fete du pigeon est fini," says Martin.
French woman with short black hair sitting to the right has red flats, yellow checked cotton pants, blue wool jacket, with a colorful red/ecru/gold bag with white cotton rope straps, a knapsack. Saw a man with a white photography tripod.
I'm cold, and bored, and I don't have any idea where Martin is.
I just saw the wind make a dust whirlwind about seven to eight feet high, along the entrance to the circle. It swirled and twirled and finally died away when it got to the corner.
Take your richest clothes, and then wear them in the dirt, that seems to be the attitude here. Aren't these people cold? I see no one shivering.
There's a guy walking on the very edge of the cement fountain in the center with a long pole and net to get the garbage out of the fountain.
Martin says, just a few hundred feet back to the left, you can see the Concorde and all the way to the Arc. We must be in a lower courtyard, because all I can see when I look over there are trees, round trees, very tall, round trees hovering over the ones that are cropped like a hedge.
A boy in a silk green jacket and green jeans is chasing a huge red and white beach blow-up ball. The wind is blowing it toward the fountain.
Oh, a kitty, on a leash! Body all white, with a black tail with a white tip. Wants the pigeons desperately, doesn't like the leash. A young couple--man picks up cat and it struggles in his arms for a few seconds. Lady has a large nylon purse, and scoops the cat into that, and they walk off. Cat has ears laid back most of the time.
There's a vendor that rents boats to float in the pool. He's got a table full of sail boats with all different color sails. I guess there is some way to guide the boat remotely? I can't see too well from here. Voila, le soleil.
Photograph thumbnails
Sainte-Chapelle and Palais de Justice
Versailles
A new language
