Watching

Two ladies watching the procession of tractors driving through Paris as part of a farmers' protest on the streets of the capital.

Setting out for the day, P and I found a police road block at the end of the street - it was only vehicles that weren't allowed through and we walked to the boulevard. A procession of tractors were driving past - some sort of farmers' protest. We took a few pictures around the Place de la Bastille and then split up - P had his fill of pictures of the protest, but I was interested to see where the tractors were heading and to take some more pictures. I walked up Blvd Beaumarchais - there were all sorts of people watching the passing farmers - young and old, office workers and shop workers. And everyone with a camera. Like these two old ladies. And many people were applauding as the farmers went by. As I approached Place de la Republique the tractors started parking up - there was a rally up in the square with speeches to the crowd. After the speeches the crowd started to form up across the street and then headed off with their banners and placards, seting off fireworks into the air, followed by the tractors. Then I saw a protester carrying a long metal pole device, like some sort of hook to move an agricultural trailer. What was this for? Then he swung it down over his shoulder and smashed it down onto the road as if using a pickaxe and set off a big firecracker. Ah ha! After taking a few more pictures I headed off towards the city centre - just around the corner there was a small phalanx of riot police, waiting beside a newspaper kiosk, with helmets, shields and tear gas - like modern-day legionaries.
Another lovely day so I walked across the city - to the Rue de Rivoli, past Angelina's - under scaffolding but still open for business, selling amazing cakes and pastries. I decided it wasn't a place to waste on your own - I would need to come back later with some other people to share the experience.
Across to the Jardin des Tuileries and then over the excellent footbridge to the Musee D'Orsay and on to Hotel des Invalides and the Ecole Militaire. With the statue of Marshal Joffre in front of the building, looking down the Champs de Mars towards the Eiffel Tower. Which is where I was sitting, having a drink of water, when P walked by. He'd been taking pictures of cyclists in the park and was coming to meet some of the others who were arriving shortly - another Paris coincidence.
When the others arrived we adjourned to a corner cafe for a drink and to watch the world go by in the later afternoon sun. Amazing - on an expenses paid trip to sit in a cafe and watch people walking by! Some people headed back but four of us walked to the river, past des Invalides again, and its upper storey windows that were designed to look like soldiers. Past the inline skaters, legs criss-crossing between plastic cups and across the Seine over the gilded Pont Alexandre III and down to the Place de la Concorde. The cobbles the peleton race across on the final stage of le Tour, chasing down the escapees that have tried to slip away, or winding up for the final sprint for the line. We made our way out to the middle of the square and looked up the Champs Elysee to the Arc de Triomphe.
But rather than walking up the hill - something for another day - we headed through the Jardin des Tuilieries, to the glass pyramid at the entrance to the Louvre. On the way I spotted an interesting sculpture over by the north wall - it looked familiar and I went to check it out. The sculpture was "La Foule" by Raymond Mason and was familiar years ago i went to see an exhibition of Mason's relief sculptures of Parisian fruit and vegetable markets in the City Arts Gallery in Edinburgh. Rejoining the others, S confirmed my guess at the English translation of the title - "The Crowd".
We stopped by the glass pyramid for a quick photograph and then walked on, past Les Halles and the sculpture of a giant face and hand (Henri de Miller's "Ecoute") and into a street I'd walked up the day before with T and A - the Rue Montorgueil - busy and touristy but a good atmosphere. We were looking for somewhere to eat and found a nice looking place. Although they brought us menus in English we tried some French too - S was commended on her French by the waitress. A very pleasant meal - four of us round a table, sharing a bottle of wine, enjoying the food and the conversation.