Day 0 - Departure

Tiny snowflakes are falling very slowly from a cloudless sky. They shine like diamonds in full sunlight and give this setting an unreal side, which ultimately goes very well with this trip to South Korea, which is as surprising as it is unexpected. I find myself once again on the platform of this station that I know by heart. But no start is alike. This one is a mixture of excitement and sadness. Brave the cold, the regular nostril cleanings, but above all people. They are the ones that worry me the most. Interacting with this company that I no longer like is costing me. But like almost every time, the train of time is doing its job and the landscapes pass before my eyes. I capture a few fractions of seconds that I like. These tiny satisfactions make life a little less difficult.

I still enjoy these French landscapes. The grime of the windows makes them more beautiful. I capture them in Color with my Ricoh GRIII.

The Loire, sometimes low and calm or very violent, has always been for me the natural border between the City and Life. Between Paris and the air that smells good. Here it is once again for a leap into the unknown. But every day is a new adventure.

We are approaching Paris Gare D'Austerlitz, I recognize the work never finished, the world hidden and crowded on the platforms of the RER station where there is obviously no risk of contamination ... Suddenly my gaze is attracted by a nice reflection, like a smiling ghost, like this world which walks on its head, and has lost a lot of common sense. I grabbed my Leica M8 and locked it forever in my memory box.

I think it's important to keep your eye and your heart open enough to let in a little light, a little beauty.

After a very pleasant but too short lunch in the company of my long-time friend, this time I set off for Roissy Charles de Gaulle for the real leap into the unknown. Traveling to South Korea in these complex pandemic times requires if not a little madness, at least a lot of energy. The tone is set by Chinese travelers, completely covered, camouflaged, ridiculous ...

This boarding is like any other, except for the accumulated paperwork. No less than ten pages are needed and checked by several people.

It is a relatively short flight with 10 hours to reach Seoul, flying over Russia and China.

I have always loved photographing the Russian and Chinese steppes from over thirty thousand feet above sea level. We can guess the sensual curves of our beautiful Earth and we are all so close to each other. Seen from above, quarrels between states or religions are even more nonsense.

Two small clouds have strayed above these immense arid plains. We will soon begin our descent towards Seoul.

I still check the three additional papers coming to complete the collection because the slightest error would be fatal.

End of the film, belt fastened, the approach is stormy. The sea seems just as raging as the sky. So one last little photograph before the ultimate test. See you tomorrow ... T