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Paris In The Fall. By Uncle Monty
At Dar Es Salaam, After His Serengeti Visit.
Paris Photos By Gary Day & Alex Albion.
Part 1 of 2.
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Autumn leaves were fast falling at Paris in the Fall. The
Sinatra melody of "I love Paris in the Springtime" will
romantically ring bells for many. And also Gershwin's
jazz idiom of "An American in Paris" will do much
the same for those romantic and ubiquitous Americans.
But fall has now come with the end of summertide at
the French capital as this Englishman explored a very
different French ambiance to that of springtime
or that of an American in Paris.
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Nevertheless, France and America seem closely tied
historically with each other. Although referred to dero-
gatively as "frogs" by some Americans, the French have
always been more or less leery of the low American
culture compared to France. Politically, they opposed
the Iraq War and everything to do with odious George
Bush and his vile war pal Tony Blair. Such an anti-war
stand didn't endear the Yankees to the French. Nor did
the French feel endeared to the pro-war Yankees.
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And yet again the French and Yankees have been at
loggerheads in the latest cultural clash between America
and France over the alleged sex rape arrest and brief
who was then head of the International Monetary Fund
(IMF). Unlike the French, the Yankees always seem to
shoot first and ask questions later like a bunch of hot
heads. Americans so oftentimes lack tact, finesse and
grace in dealing with so many matters that the French
tend to wring their hands at how ignorantly the Americans
behave even to someone like Strauss-Kahn as then a
possible future French president against the present one
Nicholas Sarkozy. And the lying woman Nafissatou
Diallo against Strauss-Kahn should be the one jailed
and deported from the US for her earlier
immigration falsehoods.
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Despite all of this, American organizations flourish in Paris
with some 65 Yankee ones compared to a mere 40 of
British ones. From the American Cathedral to the American
Hospital to Comite France-Ameriques to the American
Aid Society they're very much at home in France.
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Americans of distinction have also felt at home in Paris
from Ernest Hemingway to John Singer Sargent to
Ezra Pound to Mark Twain to James Baldwin to
Isadora Duncan and even Thomas Jefferson!
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But perhaps the greatest gift of friendship the French
ever gave to America was The Statue of Liberty, although
most Yankees today don't give a damn if the French did
or didn't give them such an extraordinary gift. Though most
Yanks, I suspect, are totally ignorant anyhow of the history
of the Statue of Liberty. So sad, but so true!
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As for this English Anglican blogger with many years of
abode inside America, I also feel very at home at Paris
in the Fall like so many Americans of the past and present
who also seem to do so for reasons of personal empathy
and inner emotion for the whole City of Lights. And the
more I get to know Paris, the more I reject London as
a city blighted emotionally and spiritually it seems to me.
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As for romantic Paris of days long gone, such has been
sadly choked off and replaced by today's raw reality of
masses of French-speaking African immigrants dressed to
the 9's in their dizzy native costumes and foreign-speaking
Muslims slovenly attired in their Islamic regalia and
crude Eastern European gypies clothed in their dirty
ethnic skirts that now crowd the capital's sidewalks
and French avenues. The only thing I didn't see at
Paris in the Fall was Muslima wearing their hideous
burkas that have been thankfully outlawed under
recent French law. What I did see, on the other hand,
were young French white women dating and courting
Africans by the scores. Paris, like ghettoized and fore-
ignized London, is now full of mixed race babies from
such interracial and out of wedlock relationships. Such
sees Paris with mixed race offspring popping out of the
woodwork from nowhere like crawling worms.
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While for me, my Paris in the Fall is this Englishman's
encounter of the City of Lights as the fall leaves shame-
fully told their own story that it was indeed the end of
yet another summertime at Paris. My best impression is
that Paris is also more American in character than British.
Americans hold a special sway that that British don't.
For many Parisiens the English are buffoons at
best and at worst outright unFrench! Quite true!
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As for the French attitude toward the English they
seem neither hostile nor friendly, but rather aloof and
indifferent for the most part. Most English don't
speak French and most French don't speak
English so there's a cultural and language stale-
mate and barrier between us. Once that is
bridged, if ever, then things will only get
better for both of us ...
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I now leave you all with a few images of Paris that
are not "tourist" shots per se but rather of a few
things of the day to day sights and sounds I saw
at Paris in the Fall, 2011. My next story is called:
"Postcard From Paris" that will highlight more of the
City of Lights for you to read and hopefully enjoy ...
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Fancy Shop Window Seen At Swanky
Fancy Shop Window Seen At Swanky
Rue du Faub. St-Honore, Paris.
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Inside French Presidential Palace - Palais de L'Elysee
- When The Gates Suddenly Opened! And with armed
Gendarmerie nationale everywhere. When I went
to photograph the nearby ornate British Embassy I was
forbidden by the street cops from photographing such.
What they didn't know was that before they could
"NO," I'd already photographed it anyway ...
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Paris in the Fall Shown So Well In This Image.
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Paris River Ride on the Seine. What A Crowd!!
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A Favourite Spot For Paris Newlyweds
To Be Seen & Photographed.
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At Rough Rue du Fbg. St-Denis Is Where Gangs of
Paris African & Asian Immigrants Hangout.
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Lady reading her daily prayers on the Paris RATP No.
42 bus (on the left) and at The American Cathedral is
lovely volunteer Vermonter Elizabeth de Lyrot, 74, who
lives happily in Paris and serves the cathedral well.
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Cathedrale de Notre-Dame From My Paris No. 47
Bus Window as the bus whizzed by with crowds all
jammed and abuzz visiting at the reknown cathedral.
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Noted At Paris Sotheby's Display on Rue du
Faubourg Saint-Honoré, The Philatelic Collection
of Lord Steinberg Is Up For London Auction. The
British Solomon Island Pane (shown) is among many
othe rare stamps in Steinberg's stamp collection that
includes The De Pindeo 60 Cent stamps that
are expected to fetch 150,000 quid!
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View Looking Outside From Inside Nord
Paris Train Station For Eurostar.
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See You All Soon, Uncle Monty.
+Harvest Thanksgiving, 2011.
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Caption Photo By Gary Day: Uncle
Monty At The Awesome Paris Statue
of Sir Winston Churchill.
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Feedback & Comments
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Parc Du Champ De Mars:
Paris 2011 Homeless World Cup.
By Uncle Monty.
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Coming Next:
Postcard From Paris.
By Uncle Monty.
Part 2 of 2.
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{ Click any image to Enlarge }
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