Rhino Etiquette: Rule #1

OK. There's one in every class. That bad apple that spoils the bushel or barrel or whatever container you choose to put them in.

It seems that it is necessary to create some ground rules. However, I can only think of one, so we will begin with a ground rule:

#1. Thou Shall Not Manhandle the Rhino

Further explanation of Rule #1. Do not hang on the rhino. I'm not sure if he can bear the repeated weight load from people hanging from its tail joint. It looks sturdy you say, but he is well over 100 years old. Not to mention how disagreeable the photo is. Let's keep it tasteful.

Remember, we only want it to appear as if our head is... well you know.

Now some of you may protest that Jeff placed his hand clearly on the Rhino hind leg initially and then repeated this pose 10 years later. This is perfectly acceptable and does not conflict with Rule #1. You can place your hand(s) on the rhino. Heck, next time I see him, I'm gonna hug him for the guy who hung from his tail.

The Business of Solo Travel

Business travel is hardly glamorous. It is physically and emotionally draining. The thrill of experiencing new places, people and things is quickly replaced by the issue of having to actually accomplish work (usually lots of it over long hours.) As a result you leave the office well after anything of interest have already closed. Compound that with jet lag, the confusion of not knowing where you are going, and perhaps not knowing the local language. Then once you get your bearings and can move around fairly effectively, you begin to miss your partner, family and home. Somewhere along the way, you struggle to find the reasons why you were so gung ho to go in the first place.

Which leads to the question, how do you capture your travels when you are alone and to shy to ask a stranger to take your picture?

You can take great pictures of cityscapes and natural wonders, the famous landmarks too. But how do prove you were there and didn't just download those pictures from flickr to impress your friends? The answer is simple. You take a picture of yourself with a rhino's butt.

Tiny Man Below The Rhino

Here is a variation on the theme by Chelsea.

Night Rhino

As part of what is becoming their annual Eurotrip, Jeff and John ended up in Paris for John's birthday on Halloween. The following day, my birthday, they stopped by the Rhino for the obligatory snapshot. What a great present for me indeed!

New Year's resolution: Get this blog linked to some popular ones so we might get more pictures of people and my beloved rhino.

Light Rhino

I love the squiggles of light in this photo. I'm glad this photographer maintained the blog's theme but played around with the representation.

Were this done in paint (and around the end of the 19th century) it could be hanging on the wall in the d'Orsay next to all my favorite artists (Monet, Van Gogh, Degas, Renoir)

Keep them coming!

Another One Joins The Club

All has been quiet on the south side of La Seine for some time. And then quite suddenly, there appeared in my inbox, a true delight.

Anders and Megan, friends of a friend, are travelling throughout Europe and snapping some great pictures of the beautiful countryside and city life from Barcelona to Berlin. In between they stopped in the City of Lights and lucky for us Anders posed for a Rhino shot.

Notice the guy in the green shirt and red hat. He has just figured out what is going on. Priceless. I'm sure he alerted his travelling companion right after the picture was snapped.

Thank you for sending this my way, JC.

L'histoire du Rhinocéros d'Orsay

I could not find any information about who made the Rhino statue or why it was selected to be placed outside the Musée d'Orsay. An inquiring mind posed the question on the museum's website. I was hoping for an email response but instead I received a formal letter.


It turns out that this Rhino came from l'Ancien Palais de Trocadéro which was built for the World's Fair of 1867. If you look closely on the right side of the picture near the bottom of the steps, you can see the Rhino statue.

When the palace was demolished, the Rhino was removed and stored. It was restored in 1986 and placed at the entrance of the d'Orsay Museum where it resides today. And this completes today's history lesson.