May 2013

Lectio #28 Paris, France 2013

Oh the enticing possibilities of browsing bin after bin of interesting bargain books to be found in any number of independent bookstores in Paris. Oh the impenetrability of the treasure trove of information available therein if you don’t speak French. A frustrating experience but one which did make me glad to be literate in one language anyway.

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Lectio #27 Paris, France 2013

I believe this statue is in the Luxembourg Gardens. It may be selective memory on my part, but it seems to me there are a lot more works of art portraying women reading than there are men reading. I wonder why that is?]]>

Lectio #26 Paris, France 2013

Waiting for the bus during evening rush hour at the Sorbonne.

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Lectio #25 Paris, France 2013

Reading, a good way to open new doors.

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Lectio #24 Paris, France 2013

A replicated historical scene from medieval times at La Conciergerie.

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No More Burning Desire Paris, France 2013

A fatigued sightseer takes a break in an old fireplace in the medieval hall of La Conciergerie.]]>

A Little to the Left Paris, France 2013

This enterprising woman set up her massage stand next to the long line waiting to get into the Pompidou Center, figuring all the people in the slow moving line presented a captive source of customers I suppose. There was no indication though that she also provided someone to hold your place in line if you stepped out for a quickie massage.]]>

In One of the Small Churches in Nasareth photo by Ilan Fain Haifa, Israel 2011

One of the winners of the Smithsonian 10th annual photo contest. (See the original post here.) I remember feeling that excited about church when I was that age as well. Of course I wasn’t so nearly cute or photogenic as these young ladies are. You can see an image of mine showing boredom in young folks from a previous POTD post here. I only make note of it because of the similarity in subjects. Fain’s image is much more striking than my own. ]]>

Sunday Stroll Paris, France 2013

Reserving Sundays for family outings seems pretty universal. I assume that stems from the traditional Christian practice of treating Sunday as a day of prayer (or at least rest). But it also applies in more secular countries such as France. Can I assume that in Muslim dominated countries family outings are more likely to occur on Fridays? When I used to visit the Fashion Queen at Christmas when she was working in Washington, D.C. we would go out to eat on Christmas rather than fix a holiday dinner at home for just two people. The problem was that most restaurants were closed on Christmas. We usually ended up eating at Chinese restaurants (along with a lot of Jewish folks). No matter what your belief system, it seems there is no getting around the influence of religion on daily life.]]>

Pedestrian Paris Paris, France 2013

As busy as Paris streets are, the drivers treat pedestrians pretty well. Unlike some places I’ve been (including in the U.S.) I always felt like the drivers could be depended on to respect pedestrians in crosswalks and at stoplights. Still wandering around at night in black clothing might not be the smartest safety move. I must admit I do so myself (it’s just the color of most of my jackets and coats), but I have always assumed drivers just can’t see me even in broad daylight.]]>