Paris: nothing special.

[Char]

The toilets When I first visited France as a child, there were no public ladies and men either pee'd in the street or went to the loo in a big round corrugated iron construction. Bizzare.

[RobertArthur]

Où se trouve la dernière pissotière de Paris ?

[Spardo]

Not being critical RA, but aren't those photos of the kids illegal in France, or was permission sought? I only ask because the subject came up recently that any images taken outside of your property were illegal, thus landing some people with less than large gardens liable with their security cctvs.

[RobertArthur]

@ Spardo, this interpretation of privacy would make snapshots by tourists or professionals almost impossible. When entering France: show your QR codes, PCR test and please, no cameras or smartphones allowed. This photo is in a lieu public, not a close up, the faces of the kids are a bit flou, dans un foule et pas contraire à leur dignité, not at all. Should I ask every passenger in Gare du Nord present, walking, running, do you allow me to make a picture of the station? What else? Only pictures allowed those of empty streets?

[Char]

As long as the photographs are taken in a public place and as Robert says not close ups there's no problem as long as you aren't going to use them to publish to make money from. In France, within the framework of a public place, no prohibition exists concerning the act of shooting (photographs). The dissemination of the image of a group or a street scene is permitted without requiring the consent of each person photographed. In fact, it is considered that the image does not infringe on privacy, because the person in a public place tacitly consents to be exposed to the gaze of others.

You're not allowed to take photographs of someone on their private property though.

[RobertArthur]

Street life in post war Paris by Robert Doisneau, an interesting read.

[RobertArthur]

Back to Paris, to the iron constructions. These advertising columns as already pictured made their appearance around 1850, first in Berlin, soon followed by Paris Together with the old métro station entrances not the most famous landmarks of Paris, but they are in the 'mémoire collective' of all visitors and fulltime Parisians.

[rockfish]

Fascinating photos @RobertArthur , a very enjoyable series. Thanks also to @Char for the explanation of when, where and who can be photographed.

[ajm]

A few years ago a friend of mine asked a gendarme where the nearest toilet was and he replied " monsieur you have the whole of France"

[RobertArthur]

@ Nomoss, now that you've mentioned the Bastille Marina: le quartier la Bastille, un des meilleurs quartiers pour faire la fête nowadays. Things have probably changed a bit since 1984.... The same as ever, the écluses in the Canal Saint-Martin: