Postcard from paris - the fisherman of the Louvre

Sunset at the Louvre. All day tourists have been displacing water in the fountains by tossing in coins. When I first saw the Fisherman of the Louvre I thought it simply somebody who was either drunk or warm, as he was wading in the fountains in the fading light with his trousers rolled up.


Soon though, I realised that what he was doing was retrieving coins from the ponds. Not all coins though, as there were still many left in his wake, glinting golden like the discarded scales of a mermaid. I presume that he was only plucking prizes of a certain denomination or above and, frankly, good luck to him. If somebody is stupid enough to toss a Euro in some water, then it’s eventual fate should be to bring good luck, if not to the caster then certainly to the Fisherman.