Paris Journal 2014 – Barbara Joy Cooley Home: barbarajoycooley.com
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Back to the beginning
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I never forget that August is the month for the anniversary of the Liberation of Paris in 1944. That makes this the 70th anniversary. When I left the apartment for a walk yesterday afternoon, however, I wasn’t thinking that much about exactly what day it was. I did a mundane errand, going to Monoprix to buy soaps and shampoos without metholisothyozolinone. That chemical, in combination with the high levels of calcaire (limestone) in the water here is wreaking havoc with Tom’s scalp. And it isn’t great for my skin, either. I stood in the shampoo and soap aisle for a while, reading labels, alongside a young man with very long, thick, dark hair. He was just as concerned with the ingredients as I was. Good boy, I thought; protect that gorgeous hair! Choices made and paid for, I exited the store and decided to walk farther, up the avenue de la Motte-Picquet, toward the Champ de Mars. As I approached the intersection of the avenue du Suffren, a fascinating scene appeared before me. Many vintage military vehicles and people in vintage military uniforms were assembling in front of the École Militaire. Naturally, people with cameras were gathering around them. I joined the fray. As I snapped photos, I heard someone say that the vehicles were headed for the Arc de Triomphe. Soon enough, they started the engines, one by one, and took off, single file, turning up the avenue du Suffren toward the Seine and the Champs Élysées beyond. I continued my walk up through the peaceful, shaded edge of the Champ de Mars, turning back down the avenue du Suffren when the bag containing the shampoos and soaps felt heavy. As I began to walk down the rue du Commerce, I felt many eyes upon me. They weren’t really looking at me; they were waiting for the military parade to come back. Evidently, it was supposed to go down the rue du Commerce, right through our neighborhood. I realized that there would be at least several minutes yet, if the parade/convoy was coming back all the way from the Arc de Triomphe, so I hurried home to deposit my bag and to tell Tom what was happening. Then I left the apartment again and he followed me out, to watch the parade from around the corner, in front of the Café du Commerce. Many more people were assembling along the curbs, waiting for the show, but there weren’t so many that it amounted to any more than one or two people deep along the edges of the street. There was plenty of space for taking photos. Tom tired of waiting, so I told him I’d call the apartment when I could see the convoy approaching. He left. Finally I saw the front motorcycles approach, signaled Tom with the phone, and got ready to take video first. You can see that video on my Facebook page. After the video, I took more still photos. So the still photos are in two groups: first, the ones I took up by the École Militaire, as the parade was forming, and then second, the ones taken on the rue du Commerce, after I made the video. I think there are about 70 photos that turned out well enough to keep. Click here for more photos on my keepandshare page. Each year, when this anniversary happens, I think of my uncle George White, my dad’s oldest brother, who died in France in October 1944. He was in General Patton’s army, advancing toward Germany, when he was shot by a German sniper near Fort Driant, which was near Nancy. My grandmother was devastated; she had his body returned to the U.S. for burial. I’ll never forget about him, and I hope others in the White family will always remember this, too. Someone who saw the video I posted yesterday remarked that the re-enactment of the allies coming into the liberated Paris was seemingly accurate, but the mood was more solemn than it must have been in 1944. I suppose that is true; but maybe it is solemn because so many people watching yesterday are remembering relatives who were lost in that war. Family life is very important in France. This weekend, we’re seeing families and friends gathering together as they return from vacations. We saw much of that yesterday at dinner, at Bistro 121. We were in the mood for a simple, weekend-style roasted chicken and vegetables dinner, and Bistro 121 has just that, in the form of a double plat for two to share. It was good, simple food, which we followed up with a crème brûlée for me, and a rich chocolate lingot (fudge) for Tom.
We were downright chilly on the way home up the avenue Félix Faure. Tom buttoned up his raincoat, and gave me his long scarf to warm my neck and shoulders. I thought about how many people back home are complaining about the blistering heat, yet this August in Paris, we never seem to see 80 degrees F, or even 75, anymore. This morning, it was only 48 degrees F at dawn! But this was good news for all the people wearing heavy uniforms in the convoy/parade yesterday. Maybe I need to run up to the market to buy socks . . . . No heat wave for Paris this year!
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Sunday, August 24, 2014
Doesn’t the guy in front look like Leonardo Dicaprio?
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