Yes, at last... !!

YES, at last… Some trees have taken on green colours…

I found the way back to “my” old park, Square des Batignolles, and got it confirmed – the spring signs are at last here.

The ducks could even take their siesta without standing on one leg as they do when it’s cold (see previous post).

2024 Olympics?

At least some 150 statues disappeared in Paris during the WWII occupation. Three of them were in “my” park. They were named “Belluaire” by Maurice Ferrary (1852-1904), “Circé” by Gustave Michel (1851-1924) and “Nymphe et Dauphin” by Antonin Larroux (1859-1913).

On this site, you can read more in detail about the destruction… “ of all metal monuments and statues for the purpose of remelting, unless considered to be of historical or artistic interest to the new regime….”.  After the war, it has been possible to reproduce and reinstall a few statues, but not the ones in “my” park.

I suspect the very active gardeners in the park to be behind the initiative to for a while put something back on the pedestals… and also to reproduce the throws of the discus and the javelin. It’s obvious that there is a campaign ongoing to make Paris an Olympic city in 2024 – see also my preceding post. 

Cold

We have had some cold days…  No snow, blue sky, but there was ice on the ponds in the nearby park, “Parc Clichy-Batignolles Martin-Luther-King”. Most of the birds were gone…

… possibly to the neighbouring park, “Square des Batignolles” – “my park” with its “waterfalls” and moving waters. No ice here, happy birds!    

Spring in "my park".

I haven’t quite finished with Brittany, but will make a little interruption. Just have to illustrate the SPRING, again of course in “my park”. (A already showed the top photo on Facebook. Sorry for the repeating.)

All the flowers were waiting for a visit, but not all were as lucky as the one showed on the top.

Here are some more general views.

A little touch of winter.

It seems that we have had the mildest winter since 1900. However, the winter made a (last?) try this weekend. Early Saturday morning, “my” street looked like this. The gates to “my” park were not yet open.

Two hours later I could enter the park.

Square des Batignolles - again and again

Perhaps too much of “parks”, but walking through “my” park, Square des Batignolles, the other day I could not resist. It started with a pigeon which was so happy to be photographed and let me come quite near for a good moment.

Just to remind you about this little park on which I have posted frequently, here are some general views, a grey December day…

… but when you start to look for “details”, there are still many colours around.

You can also admire these trees which have been there since the middle of the 19^th century…

… and, of course, the birds.

During the recent ceremony to honour the victims of the November 13 event, Natalie Dessay performed a song by Barbara, which mentions the Square des Batignolles, where Barbara often played as a child.

Here is the same song is performed by Barbara herself.

         

  

Ecology

I will get back to my trip to the southwest of France, but first I wanted to show you some Paris events during last weekend. There were a number of ecological interventions – Paris is preparing the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, “COP21”, and there will be more events.

Sunday was “a day without cars” in Paris, however only in limited parts in the centre of the city. I show you some pictures from the Champs Elysées and the surrounding streets, Place de la Concorde, Rue de Rivoli, Place Vendôme, Opera Garnier, Boulevard Haussmann, Gare Saint Lazare…

Walking down the Champs Elysées, I got mixed up in a crowd of journalists interviewing the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, surrounded by some colleagues from other European cities. I managed to be almost in the frontline.

Another more modest event took place Saturday in “my” little park, Square des Batignolles. The city employees who take care of our “city trees” explained their work…

… and invited the kids to climb a tree and to slide down a zip line.