Paris Incognito
Airborn Over The Seine
Two summer weekends rolled together with select images for the kind folks who contribute to Continental’s kitty.
European Swimming Championships took place in Paris for the first time since 1931, with the biggest draw being the diving board on the Bir Hakeim bridge, a many meters plunge straight into the Seine. It was bright and sunny and the crowds were out, with women divers drawing big, boisterous cheering sections.
(My perfectly imperfect images of the event are just below the payline. Sign up, you know you want to… Now that you’ve finished paying for that air-conditioner you swore you’d never get and don’t mention to the neighbors.)
Go West, Young Straggler
The priest crawled down Avenue de l’Opera like a man on a mission, his route taking him from the Garnier to the Louvre, two fortresses of recreational, enjoyable sin. Where was he headed ? I wondered, with that absolutely deadpan look on his face. Maybe he’s just stretching his legs after his weekly massage. Or to Auxerrois to hear confessions, or both. Can one ask for more details during a confession ? Can you end the session with a quick, That’s enough of your breadcrumb sins!
I wonder if he’s in too much of a hurry to notice the commemoration of Jeanne D’Arc’s defense of Paris at Place Malraux. Most miss the unobtrusive monument next to the second floor window. Unlike so many statues, this one captures the look of a divine seventeen year old lost in the unfolding of her fate. She’s just been stabbed in the thigh.
En route to the river to cool off a degree Fahrenheit or two I met Lil taking her parakeets out for a summer stroll. Isn’t that why we live in the city ? Endless novelty, everything changes, no mood has a chance to last for long. In five minutes I see and in some way preserve for memory two people I know nothing about. Their difference from my humdrum existence attracts me but I don’t know either, although I did try to get Lil to say a few words while her birds gave me a curious once-over…
What’s he looking at ? Plenty of Big Events during a Paris summer. The man sat drawing one of them on Pont des Arts with his wife alongside, concentrating on his work despite the ominous rain clouds. That interests me more than spectacle.
Ah yes, the French artist JR covered the oldest bridge in Paris, Pont Neuf, turning it into a mountain range with a cave you could walk through. I’m sure you’ve already seen images of the project from June, when it was the talk of the town. The enormous canvas, based on JR’s drawings, was an intriguing idea but not in the same league as Christo’s efforts on the same bridge many years before. That was one part art and another, ravishing moment which, let’s face it, is what Paris prefers, indeed demands.
Where Divers Take The Plunge Into The Swift, Clean Seine
