A Pinay in Europe

They are all over the place again, snails!  It’s that time of the year when they come out of hibernation and start getting active, like crawling on every leaf or plant, feeding on herbs such as my pot of basil.  They are not at all bad, in fact, their shells are truly a work of art, their flesh, gastronomic, at least for the French, and their slime,  now used as beauty concoction!

A snail colony.  Wonder what are they discussing about?
Provence, France

Oooopppsss….it’s their toilet time
Provence, France

The Snail Species have been with us for millions of years.  This is a fossil of a snail found in Lyme Regis, Dorset, UK

As the fossil collecting centre of the world, Lyme Regis, uses the shape of the snail as its symbol.

Lime Regis, Dorset, UK

A snail sculpture in someone else’s garden

Essone, Ile de France

Because of the snail’s renowned slowness, it is also the symbol of the Slow Food Movement which was first founded in the town of Bra in Piedmont, Italy

Snail is a gastronomic delight in France and the best place to try it is on this restaurant in rue de Montorgueil.  Notice the snail facade.

Paris

I took this photo of a snail from a public garden …

..and with a little tinkering using a photo editing software, I managed to create a snail artwork that could liven up a boring wall at home.

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Did you know that the first animal cemetery in the world opened in 1899 in Paris? This was in answer to the city government’s call that dead pets should be buried one meter below the ground and 100 meters away from the nearest habitation.  Whereas before, the corpse of  animals were thrown into the Seine or dumped in garbage bins which became breeding grounds for infectious diseases. 

Today, I went exploring this cemetery in Asnieres, northwest of the capital, to see for myself the fascinating tombs, sculptures and the famous animals buried here.  

The art nouveau entrance designed by the Parisian architect Eugene Petit

A barge sailing through the Seine as seen from the cemetery

“He saved the lives of 40 people, but was killed by the 41st..”

This is the monument of Barry who lived in early 19th century and belonged to the monks of the Hospice of Great St Bernard.

Born in Burnham, Illinois on August 17, 1920

Died in Paris on April 30, 1931

Marquise and Tony, dogs of Princess Lobanof

Not only dogs are buried here but also cats

Rin tin Tin, the dog who appeared in films such as “The Adventures of Rex and Rinty (1935) among others.

No, this cat is not a statue.  The cemetery has also become a refuge for abandoned cats.  Men and women are paid by the local authority to take turns in feeding these animals.

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Hey cutie-cutie…

I was invited by a friend I met in Torino to stay in their house and my goodness, I fell in love with their 50 something pack of hamsters!  Their story goes that a year ago, they gave a male and female hamsters to their daughter’s 11th birthday and around 12 months later, it produced 4 generations totalling to, I said it right, 50 something!  But I don’t blame the daughter why she won’t give away her hams, they are the most adorable things I have ever seen in my life!  Even if they kept me up all night with their noise, I organized a photoshoot the next day for gracing the 29th March page of my website!

I asked the daughter if she has names for all the 50.  Well, she had names for the first 5 but after that, she gave up as they seem to keep multiplying as fast as she could decide on the names!  It is simply overwhelming!

Burrowing inside a Pringles can, they prefer sleeping in the dark. Like humans, eh!

Hamsters can be fertile from one month to three months of age.  Females are in heat approximately every four days.  And according to Wikipedia, if a captive hamster is left for extended periods (3–4 weeks and more) with her litter, there is a high possibility that she will cannibalize the litter. It is therefore imperative that the litter be split up by the time the young can collect their own food and water.

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ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL, BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS.

When the animals take over the farm, they think it is the start of a better life. Their dreams is of a world where all animals are equal and all property is shared. But soon the pigs take control and one of them, Napoleon, becomes the leader of all the animals. One by one the principles of the revolution are abandoned, until the animals have even less freedom than before.

Submitted by Anonymous.

Every Monday, I shall be featuring a photo theme about any subject and I shall start it today. The theme is about Animal Farm.

Like a Virgin

I thought she is pregnant but then I realized that they cannot grow their stomach like that.  They hatch eggs, not babies..

The big-mouthed ostrich

He’s kneeling, I think he’s looking for a partner

Because the ostrich is a bird that cannot fly, it has big toes adapted for running. 

Geese: “Did you bring some grains for us?”

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French rats also do the “bises”

“I told you not to get near to that wooden trap!”

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