I've had a flying trip back to Paris (for new followers, I lived there for a year last year), and took some time to visit the site of the shootings in and around the Charlie Hebdo offices. It's an area I know well, as when I was a nanny I picked up children from a school just round the corner.
The first shot is of the memorials left outside the offices - they cover the whole road, making it impassible. The next is one of the usual street signs with a new sticker over, declaring it the 'Freedom of Expression Square'. The third is one of many signs hanging off a balcony in the area. The final shot is the tributes to the police officers killed in the attack.
Although many things in Paris are the same, there is also a heightened sense of security (you have to show the contents of your bag in most shops, and there are armed police everywhere), but also a feeling of solidarity. Despite the tragic events of a few weeks ago, Parisians are pulling together.
Thank you for you comment and you sympathy on my surgery and recover. Much appreciated