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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 28, 2015 1:56:49 GMT
Bore?! Hardly. Thank you for not letting the magnificence of Kerouac's coverage of La Défense intimidate you out of posting your own magnificent views of the place. Each one is breath-taking. Fun pics of the festivity crowds. Did you take those from your hotel window?
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Post by tod2 on Jun 28, 2015 14:08:57 GMT
Htmb - I will have to come back to your excellent report as the photos are not behaving! Just giving me little squares at the moment.
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Post by htmb on Jul 2, 2015 7:44:43 GMT
I hope it's working for you now, Tod. Here are a random selection of photos taken over the course of several days. Maybe I'll expand on some later, but most have been well-covered by Kerouac already. The Carnival Tropical parade went just near where I was staying so, if you overlook the fact I had to lean out a window and use a long lens, I had a parade-side view.
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Post by htmb on Jul 2, 2015 8:06:07 GMT
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Post by questa on Jul 2, 2015 9:09:12 GMT
What terrific pics you got of the parade, even if you were restricted in position. I also like your street pics, specially the little street with the brightly coloured planters.
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Post by mossie on Jul 2, 2015 9:39:43 GMT
Nice to see you visited Charonne, another interesting little quarter
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Post by htmb on Jul 2, 2015 9:51:10 GMT
Yes, I agree. We went there especially to see the church. Unfortunately, it is now closed for extensive renovations. I hope to return one day once they are finished.
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Post by tod2 on Jul 2, 2015 14:49:25 GMT
What a pretty little street leading up to the church (?? name/). Terrific photos, taking us all over Paris! Great!
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Post by bjd on Jul 2, 2015 14:59:20 GMT
You did a great job on the parade pictures with your long lens.
The pretty little street is rue St Blaise in the 20th, Tod. The church is St Germaine de Charonne, but unfortunately, the renovations are extensive and will probably not be finished by September.
This AnyPort member stands the heat less well than htmb -- I didn't go out practically at all on Wednesday. It was over 36°C in Paris -- no fun at all. Back in Toulouse now and it's cooler here, only 29° today.
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Post by nycgirl on Jul 2, 2015 15:27:27 GMT
Nice photos of the Carnival! Your Marais apartment seems to be in a great location.
There's a similar West Indian Day parade here that's very colorful. Unfortunately, it's often marred by violence and last year was no exception. Several people were injured in a shooting and a man was killed. It's a shame, the vast majority of the participants (about 1 million) are good people behaving themselves and having a good time. Still, I can't abide going to an event where there's a good chance some idiot will start firing into the crowd. I've been once and will probably never go again.
I'd go to the Paris one in a heartbeat, though.
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Post by htmb on Jul 2, 2015 16:50:53 GMT
Nycgirl, I suppose when you put lots of people together things can happen. Particularly if there are other factors; not to mention just pure craziness. There was a violent altercation below my window during the parade. The original incident happened out of my view, but I realized something was going on when I saw about ten young people being surrounded by police to my right and an injured young woman with a child in a stroller to my left. The police eventually loaded one of the young men into their van and later took him away. The van had been parked under my window.
I don't know if the two were together or if the young man had just randomly knocked the woman down, but she appeared stunned for a good while. She had hit her head and was bleeding a lot. I watched the scene unfold for at least an hour and took a few pictures. I hadn't captured the initial incident on camera, but a couple of bystanders had and I saw them each bring their photos to show the police. I must credit the gendarmes for their seemingly calm and methodical handling of a situation that could have turned even more violent.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2015 17:04:56 GMT
Just wanted to add that the Paris event draws 200,000 spectators at the moment.
(Htmb -- if they were police, they were not gendarmes. The police are an urban law force. The gendarmerie is a rural law force and also the highway patrol.)
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Post by htmb on Jul 2, 2015 17:37:24 GMT
Thanks for that clarification, Kerouac. I assume they were gendarmes because that was the word on the back of their uniforms, though I'm not completely sure that was true for all of them. Here are the photos. I'll try to clean up the next description as I post. Let us know if I've missed any.
At some point during the parade, crowds of people started rushing down the sidewalks. Most were having some good natured fun. If you look at this photo, you can see a young woman with a camera and an orange bag at the top. I believe she's focused on the altercation. Now, at this point, the gendarmes have the perpetrator inside their van and they are encouraging others, whom I assume are his friends, to leave. The man in the red shirt did not want to go and was pretty upset. The young woman had been helped to the back of the van and was surrounded by friends and officers. Her child appeared to be completely fine. Even more gendarmes were making sure no one came around from the rear. (Sorry, the window plant kept getting in my way.) Meanwhile, the suspect, also with a cut on his head, was sitting inside the van and a more senior officer came to the scene, The young woman appears to have revived a good bit at this point (about 45 minutes after the incident). Papers were checked and a preliminary report was written. And then, as this joker was being lead away, he started struggling with the gendarmes while yelling back at his victim and her group. That's when I started thinking it might not have been a random mishap, but more of a domestic situation. And here you can see one of the bystanders bringing his photos to the gendarmes. It appeared there was a language barrier. Eventually he was handed a phone so he could get instructions on how to forward his photo(s).
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2015 17:49:21 GMT
Interesting incident.
The gendarmes are CRS (Compagnie Républicaine de Sécurité), otherwise known as the riot squad. They are brought in as extra forces for any demonstration or big event. You can identify them by their hats and also the form of the shield on their shirt fronts. They have always had a bad reputation in France due to the "riot squad" connotation, but the police can't stand them either and consider them to be uncouth official hooligans. That is not really true, but it cannot be denied that certain professions attract certain elements.
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Post by htmb on Jul 5, 2015 5:39:44 GMT
I got up to Montmarte relatively early one morning and had a delightful wander around the streets.
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Post by htmb on Jul 5, 2015 6:01:48 GMT
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Post by bjd on Jul 5, 2015 6:51:07 GMT
I'm always surprised how nice Montmartre is once you get away from the church and go down on the other side. And away from those "human statues" on the steps.
What was the "petition girl" asking for money about?
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Post by htmb on Jul 5, 2015 7:05:49 GMT
I have no clue about the petition girl, bjd. I ignored her.
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Post by tod2 on Jul 5, 2015 9:26:13 GMT
What a good time to wander around Montmartre! Did you see how the grapes were doing? Must be getting quite big ready for the harvest - I am staying in the area for three nights and want to explore all the things I have never got around to seeing. Your photos make me very excited htmb!
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Post by htmb on Jul 5, 2015 9:32:20 GMT
I actually forgot to check the grapes. I was so intent on taking in the "big picture" that I forgot to look for the little things! I would love to go back up there, but getting out early is a must, especially during the current heat wave.
It's wonderful you will be staying in the area awhile, Tod. You'll get to know it quite well.
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Post by bjd on Jul 5, 2015 10:51:19 GMT
Grape season in France is late August/early September, Tod. And given that the little Montmartre vineyard faces north, it's likely that its grapes are quite late in the season.
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Post by tod2 on Jul 5, 2015 12:28:35 GMT
Yes indeed. I was hoping to stay for the duration of the Vendanges de Montmartre but looks like I will get to go up on the 7th October when it starts (the day before I leave). I have been once before for a day quite by accident. Very crowded but entertaining all the same. Whether they pick the grapes then or before...I'm not sure.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2015 16:06:11 GMT
Yes, the Fête des Vendanges runs 7-11 October this year but normally the grapes have been harvested before then, so there is no actual grape harvesting to be seen nor actually any reason to even go and look at the vineyard then.
Htmb, your photos of Montmartre are excellent, but I am normally there even earlier in the morning when there is not a single person on the steps, although I have seen a Chinese wedding couple a few times since they know they have to be there at the crack of dawn to have the place to themselves.
I am somewhat intrigued by the bench couple in the photo right after the one of the Tour Montparnasse. I bet you were, too.
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Post by bjd on Jul 5, 2015 16:33:47 GMT
She's apparently helping him with his costume and make-up for the day.
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Post by lola on Jul 5, 2015 17:18:47 GMT
Hi, htmb.
Our week +1 in Paris overlapped with yours, and I'm so sorry I hadn't figured that out in advance. Would have loved attempt to meet. We could be tucked away in some of your photos.
Great photos, great variety and vitality. I have to catch up with them and let a few more load; so many excellent ones.
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Post by htmb on Jul 5, 2015 17:55:31 GMT
Thanks, Lola. I'm sorry we weren't able to meet up, but have enjoyed reading about your visit to Fontainebleau.
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Post by questa on Jul 5, 2015 23:57:27 GMT
Beautiful pictures, htmb. I like the criss-cross of the patterns in the sky from the con-trails of the jets flying over Paris. The second photo shows a cross over the church and also in the 10th and 11th photo are trails. I love the little roads too, but not putting a big bus into them.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 6, 2015 4:03:45 GMT
I didn't comment on the excellent pictures of the Tropical parade. I can't imagine you'd have gotten better shots from anywhere else -- those are outstanding. Love the first one, well, all of them, but particularly the "autumn leaves" group -- wonderful composition & such a feeling of movement.
Brilliant photo-documentation in Reply #72, with the sixth one down being absolutely world class.
And then, damned if you didn't go & surpass yourself with this last group! The windmill one! The pigeon! The architectural shots! I love the guy setting out the wooden letters & adore the ballerina.
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Post by tod2 on Jul 6, 2015 12:13:12 GMT
Here here! I share those same sentiments with Bixa! Htmb - I see you have a splendid photo of Parc de la Turlure with the enormous pergola supporting several vines of Whisteria. I have only been there when it was not in bloom (like your photo) to look for a tiny secreted box containing a message and tucked well behind one of the thick vine stems pushing against the pergola support.
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Post by questa on Jul 6, 2015 13:47:02 GMT
Tod2...KGB?...CIA? or something more romantic?
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