Paris

Pink Ribbons in Paris…

A friend, a mum, a gran, a sister, an aunt…so many of us have been affected by cancer in some way, the subject never far from our lips. So too the ever vigilant and determined Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Awareness (BCA) campaign.

Today I visited the 2013 Estée Lauder Pink Ribbon Photographic award exhibition in the courtyard of the Hotel de Sully – Le Marais. And what a splendid backdrop for such powerful, courageous and poignant works. Here’s a little taste of the winner and finalist entries:

20131023-232325.jpg

20131023-232656.jpg

20131023-232750.jpg
Photographer: Salome Barrot (Jury Special Mention)

20131023-232949.jpg
Photographers: Jeremie Conte (left) Kira Anglade (right)

20131023-233225.jpg
Photographers: Bruno Autin (left) Yann Renoard (right)

20131023-233454.jpg
Photographer: Sophie Loustau

20131023-233654.jpg
Photographer: Ines Sawaya

20131023-233754.jpg
Photographer: Adele Parison

20131023-233919.jpg
Photographer: Loic-Yann Parmentier

20131023-234057.jpg
Photographer: Emmanuel Brassart (Grand Prix 2013)

20131023-234252.jpg
Photographer: Peter Honnemann

20131023-234653.jpg
Photographer: Amandine Strasbach

20131023-234834.jpg
Photographer: Akane Yamakita

For more, click on this link Pink Ribbon Award – Paris

A note on Evelyn Lauder for those who may not be familiar with her contribution to this campaign: Evelyn died of ovarian cancer in 2011 but not before working tirelessly on the BCA campaign as well as co-creating with Alexandra Penny of SELF magazine the Pink Ribbon, now recognized worldwide as a symbol of breast health. She was also an avid photographer.

For you Moo. xx

Posted in Explore, Inspire | Comments Off on Pink Ribbons in Paris…

Float my boat…please?

Puffer jacket – check; wooly scarf – check; comfy shoes – check (no not the Homy Peds honey…le tres chic Nao Brazilian sneakers); sunglasses – check. It’s 5 degrees outside and I’m off to do what the Parisians do…take in some rays by wallowing in the garden. However I’m not choosing just any old garden, I’m heading for Les Jardins du Luxenbourg. Here are my fave highlights…cue collective sigh…

20131015-095200.jpg

20131015-095211.jpg

Kiddies sailing model boats in the Grand Bassin, the main pond in the centre where ducks interrupt even the best sailing capabilities and parents trample one another in their efforts to ‘help out’.

20131015-095404.jpg

A bunch of folk deep in concentration playing Petanque. Many had magnets to lift their metal balls to them rather than bending down to pick up (try wording that without inciting a raft of guffaws!), an excellent idea for the diehards.20131015-095509.jpg

20131015-095818.jpg

Burnt copper, gold and sun bright yellow leaves swirling across crisp manicured lawns and colorful well tended gardens.

20131015-095743.jpg

20131015-095753.jpg

20131015-104933.jpg

Statues, monuments and fountains, many wearing veils of soft green moss, some proudly exposed, others more discreet like the Fontaine de Leda tucked behind the beautiful Fontaine de Medicis.

20131015-100046.jpg

20131015-100100.jpg

Green metal chairs draped with folk reading books, newspapers, magazines, slurping from Chinese noodle boxes, sipping coffee, dozing (you can pick up your chair and park it exactly where you want)

20131015-102604.jpg

20131015-102615.jpg

Lovers entwined, whispering, kissing. This is where Cosette and Marius (Les Miserables) first met therefore entirely appropriate. Same sex couples swinging their children and all dressed as glamorously as their parents.

20131015-101122.jpg

A vintage Carousel, humble in comparison to the one under the Tour Eiffel but just as thrilling for the kids were squealing with delight, had just stopped for lunch here. (There’s also a clever little marionette show in the grounds)

20131015-101652.jpg20131015-101703.jpg

A gazebo full of mismatched band members sporting crazy hats and playing wildly random notes in a sort of synchronized chaos with their conductor.

20131015-103011.jpgTwo very sore feet attached to legs that have just traversed the second largest Park in Paris to observe a microcosm of Parisian life against the milieu of the French Senate, housed in the Palace.

Two interesting facts:

Marie de’ Medici (Mother of Louis XIII) of Italian descent had the Luxembourg gardens laid in Italian style having been inspired by the Boboli garden at the Pitti Palace in Florence where she spent her youth. (Thanks Penny)

The park has an extension beyond the gold tipped black wrought iron grill and gates along the centre of rue de l’Observatoire where at the very end is a fantastic statue of four nude women supporting the globe beneath which turtles and fish spout water.

20131015-104308.jpg

Zombies Have Rights Too!!

Like there I was just walking along and suddenly whack! Marilyn Manson all covered in blood and bruises is in my face. You deserve those bruises ‘cos your weirdly weird eyes freak me thought I, right before doing a double take into a hapless bystander for behind Marilyn was a grey person with a dangling eye being followed by a bunch of dead surgeons with ridiculous amounts of blood oozing from top to toe festering orifices. And then…like…holy crap! I’m completely surrounded by Zombies! Yes…goddamned Zombies! And ghouls (there is a difference) and everything undead and scary and reminding me of me in the morning mirror post big night out.

As they ambled, 20131014-095846.jpgshuffled and/or dragged themselves and each other along, some waving placards bearing ‘Zombies Have Rights Too’, a van screaming apocalyptic rock followed by a few bored riot control police (who could make for tasty snacks later) hauled up the rear. But you know what? I just couldn’t help grinning right back at them for the Zombies were having an absolute blast!

Hundreds of people participate in the annual Paris Zombie walk (one in Lyon too) and there’s no significant point to it other than giving individuals obsessed with the undead opportunity to roam the streets; albeit in a chaotically controlled manner as they had a specific route (Republique to Place des Vosges in the Marais) but heck, who’d want to run over a Zombie anyway? Too risky.

As I stumbled out the other side of the 400 plus throng, I giggled to myself – imagine if they’d let the Zombies loose last week during the fog exhibit back at the Republique? Pooped panties everywhere…so très unchic!

20131014-095859.jpg

20131014-095948.jpg

20131014-095818.jpg

20131014-095913.jpg

20131014-095830.jpg

Posted in AT PLAY, Explore | Comments Off on Zombies Have Rights Too!!

1 3 4 5 6 7 12

close

Enjoy this blog? Please share the love...