Montaigne

I had a really nice dinner tonight with a student I've known for a number of years now who just arrived in Paris. I hope he enjoys the rest of his stay here!

On the way to the restaurant, I passed this statue of Michel de Montaigne in the Square Paul-Painlevé. Rubbing Montaigne's foot is supposed to bring good luck. A lot of the students in this area do it before their exams. I like traditions like this... like the wild boar in the straw market in Florence whose snout you should rub to guarantee that you'll come back to Florence.

This is the second time that I've passed Montaigne when he is holding a bouquet of flowers. Maybe they are thank you gifts from students whose exams went particularly well?