Fighting progress

France is a country that will resist change, even when being led by a new dynamic president which the French themselves are responsible for electing.

The flak that Sarko receives for being young and dynamic is puzzling, compared to the phlegmatic Chirac. Sarko is criticized for jogging instead of walking, and each positive proposition is met with an outbreak of criticism, reasons why it can't or shouldn't be done, and fear-what will he do next? He is moving so fast that it is certainly hard to predict.

Predictably, the hard-core Francophones are still fighting the adoption of foreign words- predominantly English words, now thanks to the web, the influx even greater, a battle they will lose and has kept me giggling for the 15 years I have been observing and trying to understand this country.

They are at it again, proposing that citizens replace 'web' with 'toile', as in spider's web'toile d'araignée', and determined to spell blog with an e, bloge.
Catchy, isn't it? Harumph.

Instead of fighting the wave, why don't these naysayers just put their energy into going with the flow and creating new ideas, new applications, be leaders instead of begrudging followers?

I am definitely noticing more and more people living on the street. Not sure if it is because of the relatively comfortable temperatures, the open borders, but I see a defnite increase in bodies huddled in building entrances, even since June, and find it curious, especially in a country so renowned for its social services.

However, they are outnumbered about 5 to 1 by the amount of security and police one passes daily. I hear this is due to the amount of rising terrorist threats, thanks to Sarko's growing friendship with Prez Bush.

Un summer-like return to Paris in August

If you arrived at CDG Airport this morning, you would have witnessed unprecedented lines snaking from arrival gates to the immigration checkpoints. I've never seen lines this long in France. Once upon a time, I remember seeing similar lines for foreigners at JFK, but that was before Homeland Security managed to scare any willing tourists off to more distant lands. But NEVER in France, where the border police desultorily glance at passports as arrivals slip through.

I thought I had timed my return before 'la grande rentree' but hadn't counted on this year's culprit- the bad weather. August, and most of July, has been so un-estivale, that vacationers have literally thrown in the towel, or left it on the beach if they even made it that far, to come home early.

Fortunately, my brand new hip enables me to order a wheelchair, bypassing the thick crowd of grumbling impatient travelers not moving forward in the line, directly to my waiting (!)luggage and empty taxi stand. I warn the taxi manager to start lining up the taxis for the inevitable crunch that is about to hit, as nothing irritates me more than seeing mash-up of taxis sitting in a holding pit below while we wait for their far too leisurely emergence from taxi purgatory.

It's 65 degrees, overcast, and drizzly and I see alot of glum faces heading back to the capital.

This being France, the inclement weather has had its impact on the eternal discussion - gastronomy. Reports state that the bad weather has ice cream and soft drink vendors complaining about the lack of commerce. Tourists have traded their usual desire for salads and frosty drinks for comfort food-warming soups and legumes, finished off with copious helpings of chocolate, whose sales have surged-no doubt to help depressed vacationers up their dopamine levels from the dismaying weather.

At least, there's still a few weeks left of Paris Plage....although someone should tell the weatherman, because today looks like another drizzler.

Paris Mayor's National Tourist Day

Monday, July 9th was National Tourist Day as declared by the much maligned (and for cause) Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe. Delanoe is kicking off a campaign to change the image of Paris as arguably the most beautiful city in the world but sadly offset by a reputation of having the grumpiest and rudest denizens.

As Parisians don't feel they are rude, and the director of the Paris Tourist Office claims that they are simply too shy to speak English because of their funny accent, I an doubtful, yet curious to see if this 'awareness' campaign will result in any noticeable difference.

I am pretty sure they should be starting a lot earlier-namely in the early school years when one first learns how to treat others, so I remain fairly skeptical.

That said, for every grincheux Parisian encounter, there is generally a follow-up with a helpful Frenchman with a sense of humour to boot, so it probably balances out in the end...

Fall weather in July

That's funny. I just learned that in French, there is a song that goes 'il pleut bergere'. The literal translation would be 'it's raining shepherdess(es)'.

I suppose the image is no more strange than 'it's raining cats and dogs', and haven't a clue as to how one or the other were adopted!

But that's just a nursery rhyme. In fact, we say 'il pleut les cordes', it's raining ropes', slightly easier to imagine, especially lately.

I am enjoying the weather in Paris, which is cool enough to feel like fall, but it is starting to wear everyone down, me included. There is no proper comfortable way to dress. Within a half hour, and every half hour, we get a burst of sunshine and heat, rainfall - sometimes quite tempestuous, and plenty of wind. It is impossible to leave the house without an extra sweater, a lighter t-shirt, a Macintosh (not the computer) and brolly. Wellingtons would be useful, as well as a pair of sandals. And a helper to carry it all!

Crazy weather!

I heard something on France Info this morning about a small manif today-something to do with immigration over by place Stalingrad. As it is Sunday, as half the parisians have already left for summer vacation, and as Stalingrad is not a major thoroughfare, it doesn't sound like it will be terribly disruptive (or productive).

Louis Vuitton Champs Elysées (finally) allowed to open Sundays

Victory for Louis Vuitton Champs Elysées who has finally won the right to open Sundays, starting today, July 1.

But not for the reasons you would expect. Not because of its superb location at the angle of the most touristic and perhaps expensive street in the world and the Avenue Georges V - smack-dab in the heart of the Triangle d'Or. Not because this enables tourists to fly in for a week-end and shop till they drop-especially the Japanese.

Louis Vuitton is allowed to open because the courts have classified it as a 'Centre Culturel'. Yes, there is a browsing library as well as an exhibition space with currently, an exhibit of Philippe Starck. I imagine that 90% of the traffic will be for shopping.

As this is France, there is organized opposition to this concession. Law dictates that no more than 30% of the Champs Elysees be open on Sunday-this is still a Catholic country, and and according to the Catholic Church, Sunday is still a day of rest. But the real reason for this protection is supposedly because the smaller businesses can't afford the extra labor and will be driven out of business.

The real battle lies who between those who wish to preserve their vision of the traditional French lifestyle, and those who are trying to expand flexibility in the workplace and bring France into the 21st century.

Read about the debate