Almost wordless…
Tourist gazing upon the Eiffel Tower

On March 28, the Eiffel Tower celebrated its 125th anniversary!

I’m sharing here one of my pictures. Did you notice it is also on the cover of one of books on tour this week?
Click on this gorgeous cover to know more about the book

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Almost wordless…

As you may know, this is a big year for Proust literature, as this is the 100th anniversary of the publication of Swann’s Way, the 1st volume of In Search Of Last Time.

One of my reading goals of 2013 was to read the 7 volumes. I’m actually only in volume 4, and will go on with this project in 2014.
Last year, I took a picture of Proust’s grave at the famous Père Lachaise cemetery, in Paris.
If you want to know more about this fascinating cemetery and see many more of my pictures, just click on Proust’s grave here.

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Almost wordless:
“Le triomphe de 1810”
Can you guess what this is and where?
Answers below

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Next Monday, France Book Tours presents The Conversation: The Night Napoleon Changed The World, by Jean d’Ormesson.

So to announce this tour with a picture, I share a picture I took 2 years ago.
Yes, this is Napoleon, and you can found this sculptured high relief on the lower section of the southeast pillar of the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile, facing Avenue de Champs-Élysées.

It is also called Napoleon’s Triumph and was executed by Jean-Pierre Cortot.
It depicts Napoleon, crowned by Victory, in antique vestments pressing a sword against his chest.
In the background, to the right, a profiled kneeling man symbolizes a prisoner enchained at the feet of the victor.
To the left, an allegory of a city, with a crenelated crown, kneels before the conqueror whose protective hands extends over her.
Behind, the Muse of History inscribes on a tablet the memorable events of Napoléon’s reign.
Above, sounding a trumpet and bearing a standard, winged Fame soars across a palm tree, an image evoking the Egyptian expedition.

The scene illustrates the year 1810, the date of the apogee of Napoléon’s reign, his marriage to Marie-Louise of Austria to assure the future of the dynasty, and conquests which expanded the Empire to the maximum.

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