People Watching in Paris: Part II

I've been my husband's groupie all weekend and have just enough left in me to post the last of the vacation photos. Thanks for going with me on the trip.

Museum, Doors and Windows

A few years ago, my daughter and I visited Ghost Ranch outside of Santa Fe. It was off-season and the ranch had a desolate, abandoned feel to it. When we stopped at the Musee de la Camargue, I got this same feeling. Here is what it says on the Internet about the museum:

"The museum occupies a former sheep farm in the heart of the Camargue. It traces the history of human activity in the Rhône delta from the geological origins of the region up to the present day.

"A large part of the permanent exhibition is devoted to the different aspects of life in a mas during the 19th century: agriculture, stock breeding, hunting, fishing and domestic life. But the economic activities that developed in the 20th century are also featured, notably the construction of hydraulic infrastructure, and the production of wine, rice and sea salt."

The land and buildings that made up the mas were very peaceful and picturesque.





This model of farmers at a table was intriguing to me - ghostlike - and it looked like aliens meet the Amish rather than a meeting of mas ranchers.



I understood on this trip why whole books have been published with photographs of European doors and windows. Here are some of my favorites:









And lastly, the gesture we noticed the most while in France:




Tomorrow I will share photographs of children from the trip. And then it will be back to my regular scheduled programs!

Camargue

I wanted to see the Mediteranean Sea so we took a side trip from Arles to The Camargue. The beach resort town was a little tacky, but a photographer's dream. Tonight, because I had my first writing group meeting and I'm tired from the adrenaline rushes, it's mostly a picture story. Bon soir!

Arles

We spent four days in Arles, two of them traveling to outlying areas. Down the street from our hotel, one could view the Rhone River. Every day I looked forward to walking down the narrow roadway, often jumping against the wall to avoid a car, climbing the stone steps, and seeing this:



Arles was the first place that we were able to get a birds-eye view (hard to do from the boat). Here is the cityscape and the Rhone from the top of the coliseum.



The city was a study in contrasts. We saw many, many parents walking with their children during the lunch hour since most businesses close for two hours in the middle of the day. This woman had a few to feed:



On the other hand, I saw children without parents or friends at lunch. This young boy was especially touching as he seemed to be furtively eating alone, weaving between cars. I felt sad as I watched him and recalled the loneliness that we often encounter during adolescence.



This is a portion of the coliseum that was under renovation. Many of the older buildings were being shored up, filled in, and generally spruced up. It was obvious that Frenchmen take pride in their old buildings.



In contrast, there was graffiti everywhere on these beautiful structures. I looked on the Internet and there is gang activity in European countries. It is truly a crime to deface properties that have withstood wars, weather, and general wear and tear.



Of course, we had to visit a cemetery or two. Angels, ceramic flowers, crosses: all a part of the landscape of the graveyard.



In contrast, I certainly did NOT anticipate this:



I'll end with the humorous tonight.

Tomorrow I'll fill you in on some interesting side trips.