A Parisian pal of mine talks about France in the summer, Paris mostly but because I asked him to. When I lived in Europe, I didn’t make it to Paris often enough and typically it was to stock up on wine or shop.
He spoke of Marselle, the World Cup, and the response to it, beautifully giving me a visual to remember about European summers…..so much so that I easily travel back in time and remember so many wonderful moments about living and traveling there.
On Marseille: I’m here in a very popular neighborhood with a very large number of “Cafés-Terrasses” which are full of people crying and jumping… simultaneously, there is a strike by the local garbage-men. When will Marseille be a clean city?
Paris without cars. Paris without Parisians. Paris without stress. That’s Paris in August. So quiet. So smooth. So hot.
A kind of mirror. Good moment to think about ourselves. The weight of a great history appears so clearly against an individual. We have to be proud. That’s an invitation to innovate. History as a gift for another future, for other things, for improvisations, for games.
You know: in France, all things end in songs. But also in dances. As soon as sun appears, it’s possible to dance under it in the quays of the Seine river at the end of the day until nine or ten at night.
There is a large place for young people (rap, rock’n roll , …) and another great place for tango dancing. Just in front of the Arabic World Institute and the “Saint-Louis” Island. Paris downtown. And, because all serious things in France are business-less, the aristocratic touch of poetry.
I have to keep reminding myself that English is his second or third language. Yet, he has captured a few fabulous moments of France in the summer, at least for me. Thanks for the dance down Parisian streets on a hot July day.
This post was published on my personal blog several years ago but I am republishing it here.
Photo credit: naadytravel.com.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
