Today’s featured picture is the bas relief on the building across from our hotel. I wish I knew more about the person who carved cats onto his building. I'll ask at the front desk tomorrow.
This morning we went to Neuilly. In the northwest corner of Paris is Neuilly sur Seine. Nicholas Sarkozy got his start here as mayor. We took the 43 bus to Neuilly from Porte Maillot and then walked several blocks to a footbridge which took us to Ile de la Jatte. In the narrow channel of the Seine which borders the West side of the island were a string of houseboats. The island was a retreat for early French kings. In the 19th century the island was a regular painting spot for many Impressionists. I took some pictures of spots where they painted. I could imagine them sitting at their easels without the backdrop of La Defense.
Neuilly itself was very beautiful and quiet except for the army of gardeners and street cleaners that the city employed. Three types of teams were at work: the first line consisted of a water truck and a worker with a power house who washed down the sidewalks--they had no concern for their impact upon pedestrians, we had to take to the street to avoid being hosed off. Next came the guys with gasoline powered leaf blowers. This seemed a bit redundant but the leaf blowers corralled the leaves. Finally, men armed with long brooms, swept and bagged the leaves. We might consider this employment scheme in the U.S. but a city government would have to fund it and there’s no money in city hands. I’ve posted Neuilly City Hall, a lovely building with rams’ heads and Stan on the oddity of the day--a lawn couch. If I get back there, I'm going to a wonderful shopping street called Chartres which had many clothing stores including one called American Vintage right across from another called American Retro.
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