Sunday morning the annual Paris Marathon race took place. 30 000 participants. I was not awake in time to see the departure on the Champs Elysées, but I was at the arrival on Avenue Foch – too late to see the winner, Tsegaye Kebede in 2h 06’ 40”, but in time to see some of the best arrive. A bit later the number of arrivers increased. Some were extremely exhausted. I was not alone, some 200 000 people watched the race. 
Later during the day I joined a march from Opéra Garnier to the Nationl Assembly, gathering some 10 000 people. This was part of different actions taken in order to hope for the release of the French-Colombian citizen, Ingrid Betancourt (former Colombian presidential candidate) and others kept in hostage in the Colombian jungle by the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) organization; Ingrid since six years. The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has made strong appeals to the different parties concerned, an army airplane has been sent to Bogota with negotiators and medical help; Ingrid is supposed to be in a very bad shape. (See also my previous post from February 25.)
Before the march, speeches were made by some of Ingrid’s family members (sister, son), by the Argentinean President, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, by the French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, among others.
In the march participated also a number of ministers and other prominent personalities, including the wife (Carla) and the son of our French president.
Although I was fairly in front of the crowd at the Opera house, I could not get any pictures of the personalities – too many official photographers - who later had to make their way through the crowd in order to take the lead of the march. 
I managed to get a few shots of some personalities on the arrival point, the National Assembly. 
Then I joined children and grandchildren for a visit to the Paris Museum of Modern Art (no photos this time).
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