PARIS RIOTS AND WEATHER
The rest of the pictures of Paris show odd shots of us and our rambles through the museums, sights and monuments of Paris. There is something about the light there on the marble that makes you understand why those buildings were labored over and constructed in the first place. I must admit that I have never seen Notre Dame not covered in scaffolding and it is incredibly gorgeous in autumn light. I loved the small garden outside of our window and the general French sense of style, although the Galleries Lafayette (Christmas tree and outside decorations) were again about as over-the-top as you can get.
I read that the Paris riots have expanded to other parts of the country and I do wonder about the outcomes for the tourist trade there. It seems strange that second generation kids are feeling compelled to trash their own neighborhoods for lack of employment, but then again, the inner city US problems of our youth were caused by the same pressures. Anyway, it was all out in the poor suburbs when we were there so we really saw nothing but police cars and vans with sirens going through the middle of town. There seemed to be very little problem with unemployed groups of people hanging out, but we did see our usual share of homeless people on the streets, including our very own doorway bum.
The weather in Paris in November chills right up, an average of 10 C high (50 F), 5 C low (40 F), but was not too bad while we were there. There were clouds, rain, wind and sun, but the thing that strikes me about Paris weather is how low the sky seems. Because we are used to gazing out at the sea and seeing both near and distant mountains here, the confines of the city were almost claustrophobic for me. Plus all the elevators, lines, and crowds that are normal in a city where everyone has to wait to get their needs filled. Nothing seems simple about fulfilling simple needs, from bathrooms to transportation and as for food, every meal is from products that have been brought into the city to service the masses. And it is a continuation of the process that has been going on for thousands of years in this ancient center of civilization. I just finished a book about the last days of the Roman Empire, and it mentions Pariss role in servicing travellers since the second century AD. A visit to the remains of the Roman baths in the Museum of the Middle Ages also brought all of that to mind.
That way of thinking about food is so different from our everyday life here in Sicily. I came home to my last tomatoes and peppers and all of the herbs and the lettuce and celery in full growth. I will start the carrots, peas, and green beans in the greenhouse this week as soon as I am sure we will get some more rain.
And of course our weather is so balmy in November. I looked on my clothes rack and noticed my bathing suit and cover up and remembered that we had been swimming up to the time that we left here. But the angle of the sun and the length of daylight changes of course. Nights here have become chilly, so I am getting out the comforters and washing them this morning. By the light in the kitchen in the morning I know that the sun now rises at a lower angle and its time to take off the small curtain that has to be there to make cooking on summer mornings bearable without the sun directly shining into your eyes.
I read that the Paris riots have expanded to other parts of the country and I do wonder about the outcomes for the tourist trade there. It seems strange that second generation kids are feeling compelled to trash their own neighborhoods for lack of employment, but then again, the inner city US problems of our youth were caused by the same pressures. Anyway, it was all out in the poor suburbs when we were there so we really saw nothing but police cars and vans with sirens going through the middle of town. There seemed to be very little problem with unemployed groups of people hanging out, but we did see our usual share of homeless people on the streets, including our very own doorway bum.
The weather in Paris in November chills right up, an average of 10 C high (50 F), 5 C low (40 F), but was not too bad while we were there. There were clouds, rain, wind and sun, but the thing that strikes me about Paris weather is how low the sky seems. Because we are used to gazing out at the sea and seeing both near and distant mountains here, the confines of the city were almost claustrophobic for me. Plus all the elevators, lines, and crowds that are normal in a city where everyone has to wait to get their needs filled. Nothing seems simple about fulfilling simple needs, from bathrooms to transportation and as for food, every meal is from products that have been brought into the city to service the masses. And it is a continuation of the process that has been going on for thousands of years in this ancient center of civilization. I just finished a book about the last days of the Roman Empire, and it mentions Pariss role in servicing travellers since the second century AD. A visit to the remains of the Roman baths in the Museum of the Middle Ages also brought all of that to mind.
That way of thinking about food is so different from our everyday life here in Sicily. I came home to my last tomatoes and peppers and all of the herbs and the lettuce and celery in full growth. I will start the carrots, peas, and green beans in the greenhouse this week as soon as I am sure we will get some more rain.
And of course our weather is so balmy in November. I looked on my clothes rack and noticed my bathing suit and cover up and remembered that we had been swimming up to the time that we left here. But the angle of the sun and the length of daylight changes of course. Nights here have become chilly, so I am getting out the comforters and washing them this morning. By the light in the kitchen in the morning I know that the sun now rises at a lower angle and its time to take off the small curtain that has to be there to make cooking on summer mornings bearable without the sun directly shining into your eyes.
posted by Sicilian Mama at 8:37 AM
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