The two second glimpse of le nouveau Président Hollande

The wind picked up speed, the gust forcing a current of pollen into the crowd. The flare- up of coughs followed suit, a precursor for the downpour of rain and hail that clouded over the sky.

But then, the rain let down, the wind slowed its course. French flags replaced the umbrellas waving among the sea of supporters.

Security lined the gates surrounding the perimeter of l’Hotel de Ville, Paris's town hall. An air of excitement layered thickly as the anticipation for the president’s arrival grew.

The rumble of motorcycles neared, the blue of the headlights growing larger, concealing the car tailing behind.

The whispers among the crowd disappeared as a roaring applause replaced. The car pulled up, the window rolled down to reveal a beaming President Francois Hollande. He waved to the crowd. It all seemed to move in slow motion.

The mayor of Paris stepped out of the car first, turning his back to l'Hotel de Ville. A stately wave and then a pause, taking a few steps behind him as France's new president stood out from the car, the spotlight all on him.

The crowd applauded; No opposition group spoke out, no cheers, chants and whistling overtook. Hollande walked ahead, his girlfriend a few steps behind him-- the two surrounded by the scrawniest of bodyguards. The president worked his way through the route, shaking the hands of supporters before disappearing behind the grand doors of the city's town hall. The two TV screens, positioned to either side of l’Hotel de Ville, switched to the interior scene, streaming the live procession continuing with the officials within. Inside, the bise (a kiss on either cheek) replaced the shake of the hand. The crowd whistled-- the first and only break to the calm atmosphere-- after Hollande bised one of the women. I asked a lady next to me, “Why?” She answered that the woman has a scandalous, sexual past.

I laughed: how French.

In the past few months, I haven't followed the election thoroughly, merely getting my snippets of information from the French news and occasionally from Madame (house mama), a big time Sarkozy supporter.

She looked surprised when I told her I went to the procession. You don't support the opposition, in France. And for the French, just turning up counts as support.

But I wasn’t there to support. I couldn't support, given I haven't followed it all well enough to support. I went to take part in an event—a historical one, as such-- and one that America, eight months from now, will have as well.

But in America, the cheers will be noisier, the crowd far more energetic. The weather will be justifiably cold, given it’ll be January. The president will walk with his wife-- or perhaps she with her husband—and no one will whistle if the president bises a woman with a scandalous private past. Because we don’t bise. And scandalous pasts are kept on the DL. There won't be room to stand because all of America will seem to show up and both supporters and non- supporters will turn out.

Paris isn’t based in its political scene, unlike Washington. A different history has shaped the two in their own rights. Not better, just different.

The news articles this evening described the afternoon’s procession as low- key. It won’t be low- key come January in the states-- no matter the results of our elections. There’s a difference between the manner in which American voters and French voters respond.

Not better. Just different. 







No Response to "The two second glimpse of le nouveau Président Hollande"

Post a Comment

 

Followers

Labels

100th blog post 762 curves Alice Springs Alipura Amsterdam Anne Frank House Art Fair attractions August vacation Australia Ayers rock Ayuttahaya backpacker backpacking bamboo rafting Bangkok Bangkok hospital of Phuket Barcelona Bastille Day beaches beggars Berlin Berlin Wall Blue Mountains blue shoes Bondi Beach bucket list camp Cathedrale Notre- Dame cemetery Chabad Chabad Champs Elysees Chabad of Bangkok Charles Bridge Chartres Chartres Chathedral Chateau de Vincenne Chiang Mai Chiang Saen chicken thigh Christo Claude Francois Cloclo Cold War Cultural differences Czech Republic day trek day trip DC travel definition Dengue Fever developing connection East Side Gallery Eiffel Tower light show elephant ride elephant trek England Festival Fnac Live Florence FOAM Museum Fragonard France French culture French friends French presidential inauguration GAdventures Germany ghats Giambologna Giverny Golden Triangle graduation graduation travel Grand Temple guesthouse hairdresser Hales St. Pierre Hall of Opium heritage Hinduism Holocaust homestay hundred step staircase identity India internship introduction Israel Italy Jardin de Tuilleries Jardin du Luxembourg Jeanne- Claude Jewish Quarter Jewish travel Jubilee Judaism Khao San Road King Solomon restaurant ko phi phi koi samui kosher Krabi La Defense La Grande Arche Lesser Town Lido life thrill London Louis XIV Louvre Mae Salong Marmottan Monet Melbourne metro Milan Munich Murano Nazi Germany New York City northern Thailand Oktoberfest Old Town Orchha Overnight train Pai Palazzo Grassi Palermo Parc Montsouris Paris Paris Statue of Liberty Paris summer sales Passover seder people watching Peru Petrin Tower Photography Phuket Piazza San Marco post-graduation Prague Prague castle President Francois Hollande publication Ram Raja Rape of the Sabine Woman Ray Caesar returning abroad Rome Rouen San Spirito school Seine Shabbat Shavuot Siam capital Siam capital city solo travel Spring break St. Chapelle studies study abroad study abroad program summer friends Sydney Thailand Thailand elephant Thailand historic capital Thailand hospital Thais The Pont Neuf Wrapped thrill of life Tiger Airways time off from work toilet Tordi Sagar Tour de France transportation travel travel alone travel blog travel essay Trocadero tuk tuk USA TODAY College Varanasi Venetian Jewish Ghetto Venice Versailles Versailles Light and Sound show Vincenne white water rafting Yoga Jardin du Luxembourg Yom Kippur in Berlin zip line

All Rights Reserved © 2011 The Girl with the Traveling Blue Shoes All rights reserved.
Converted To Blogger Template by Anshul Theme By- WooThemes
This template is brought to you by : allblogtools.com | Blogger Templates