Friday Favourite and the letter B

Blimey another week has flown by, so I have dipped into my Flickr folder to select a photograph that was made a favorite by another photographer.

I love to photograph details on old French doors this one was a beautiful blue one, can you see the little person waving to you?

Beautiful Blue Door Details

So today's letter is the letter B, I thought of the oh so French head gear the Beret rarely seen these days on ordinary everyday people. However when I see an old guy wearing one I cannot help but smile.

Etymology for beret from French béret, Occitan berret cap, Latin birretum. A Birretum or Birretus was a cap or coif worn by judges in England. Wigs were worn as a status symbol, but also the original purpose of the legal wig was said to provide a form of anonymity and safety or disguise.

France is also famous for gifting the statue of Liberty to America, it was designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. The statue cost 4 million francs, $400,000, it was paid for by French and American citizens even French schoolchildren donated money towards the project. This symbol of liberty was was eventually erected in 1876 after many problems trying to raise the money required both for the statue and the base. Link to wikipedia

I am often amazed that money can be found for huge projects when times are hard; the Panic of 1873 or deep recession hit Europe and America after a series of banks had crashed in Vienna, and various economic setbacks. Europe and America were in a deep recession which lasted two decades!

A few B words,
barrette, a hairslide,
bosquet a copse or grove,
bouliste a bowls player

It is a beautiful day here, I hope yours is too!