As promised, here are some pictures and a few comments that give a glimpse into my life in Paris during July, 2025.
Friendly Visitors
Though touring plans for July were upended by trips to the doctor, I had hoped to keep a planned meet-up with two friends from Iowa who were going to be in Nantes during the latter half of the month. As it turned out, they each made seperate trips to Paris and I never did get to Nantes.
Drena, a dear friend and colleague from my days at the university, was spending a month in Nantes visiting her daughter who now lives there with her French husband. We hadn’t seen each other in almost six years so rather than wait for the bigger gathering planned for late July, we reunited for two days in Paris. We had no agenda, just walking about the city and spending time catching up on newsy tidbits and future plans.
Matthew, a friend to both Drena and I, ended up in Paris when his plane from the US was delayed and he missed his train to Nantes. His visit was shorter, a mere 25 hours, but we made the most of our time wandering around Paris, a city that he knows well and loves.
The Columns of Buren, an art installation comprising 260 black and white striped columns of different heights. The work was created by the French artist Daniel Buren and is located in the inner courtyard, the Cour d'Honneur, of the Palais Royal
Everyone wanted to see the Olympic flame balloon, which will return to the Tuileries Garden every summer leading up to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Patrick O'HaraThat is such great news. There is NOTHING more important than your health. That ticker of yours is ready for more touring! Reply to this comment 1 week ago
“David Hockney 25” is the largest ever exhibit on the artist, filling the entire Fondation Louis Vuitton building with works from his earliest days to the present. One is left amazed at both the breadth of the exhibit and the creativity of the artist who embraced different formats and new technologies.
When asked what he wanted visitors to take away from the retrospective, Hockney replied “Joy, some real joy.” And so it was that I spent a joyous afternoon surrounded by the vibrant visions of the man who said, in the dark days of Covid, “Do remember they can’t cancel the spring.”
Fondation Luis Vuitton - the Frank Gehry-designed building itself is reason enough for a visit
We Two Boys Together Clinging, 1961. This early work was completed during Hockney's studies at Royal College of Art, when homosexuality was still illegal in England. The title and imagery derive from a poem of the same name by Walt Whitman
Bigger Trees Near Warter or/ou Peinture sur le Motif pour le Nouvel Age Post-Photographique, 2007. Measuring 180 by 480 inches, it is the largest painting Hockney has completed.
A closer look at above painting to appreciate the sentiment expressed on the button, reading “End Bossiness Soon.” Hockney made the buttons after the British government banned smoking in public spaces
It was my friend Alex who introduced me to Invaders, those cartoonish tiles that festoon buildings throughout Paris and around the world. While Alex is a bit obsessed with finding, or “flashing,” all of the Invaders in Paris, I consider myself a somewhat casual player. However, I may have crossed the line this past month as Invader hunting became a near regular activity to while away time between visits to the doctor/physical therapist.
The benefits of wandering around Paris in search of Invaders are two-fold - not only do I significantly increase my daily step-count, it gets me out to areas of Paris I’d otherwise look past.
Susan CarpenterTo Patrick O'HaraIndeed there are - 48 in all including live, damaged and destroyed. I flashed the near the Lyon train station on my way back to Paris from the Annecy trip. Reply to this comment 1 week ago
But this is the first year that swimming in the Seine was allowed. There are three areas of the river that are open to swimming, following the massive efforts to clean up the river for the Olympics
Patrick O'HaraOh.....yay! Great to see! Amazing. This is what happens when there is political will and money to back things like this up! Reply to this comment 1 week ago
Susan CarpenterTo Patrick O'HaraThere was a very prominent and life-like tattoo of Arnold Schwarzenegger on his left leg, but this pose seemed to best capture his aura Reply to this comment 1 week ago
Paul MulveyThat "invader quest" sound like a truly offbeat good time. And I'm sure your French is much better than mine. Cheers! Reply to this comment 6 days ago
