Field Day, or Sarkozy: The Butt of Every Joke

This morning, we checked out the exposition Nature Capitale that has covered much of the Avenue des Champs-Elysées since Saturday night (the expo ends this afternoon). Normally the only thing growing on the so-called "Avenue of Elysian Fields" is the revenue of well-known luxury brands (Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Gucci). But for this exposition, France's Jeunes Agriculteurs (a unionized version of the FFA?) laid down fields of wheat, goldenrod, and lily of the valley; planted oak and pine trees; and herded in sheep and cattle.

We were among roughly 2 million visitors to this (unfortunately temporary) display of nature's bounty and celebration of  the Journée Mondiale de la Biodiversité (International Biodiversity Day). Little did we know that out of all of those people, we would see two major French celebrities.

We know what you're thinking: "Oh my goodness! That's the mascot of La Vache Qui Rit!"

Yes, it is. But look again and you'll also see Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and Nicolas Sarkozy just behind Madame La Vache. They drew a big crowd while examining the livestock, meeting the farmers, and showing their support for French agriculture in general.

With the Arc de Triomphe as your back drop, how could this photo-op go wrong? And I was lucky enough to have a perfect view of the whole thing.