30 Days of Me: Lou's Day 5

Posted by Lou. The time is 11.55am here in London UK.

A picture of somewhere you’ve been to


This is the Sacre Coeur in Paris, last May.

(taken from the perspective of me lazing on the grass, of course)

I picked this because it was taken during what turned into one of those perfect afternoons of being in a city you do not know well and being sort of lost and then everything coming together so that you end up in exactly the right place at exactly the right time.

The weather in London in May is generally shit, but in Paris it was beautifully sunny with blue skies and just the right temperature for walking around in a summer dress. We walked up to Montmartre and got slightly lost, then finally found our way to the Sacre Coeur where we climbed to the top, turning a new shade of red from the heat and exertion.

Afterwards we decided to pick-up supplies for a French picnic - baguette, cheese, meat, and delicious pastries. This proved okay - I even had a fully en francais conversation with the (amused) patisserie lady.

But then we could not find anywhere to sit and eat. Which seemed strange coming from London where there is a bit of green to be found everywhere. Eventually we ended up back at the Sacre Coeur and grabbed ourselves a bit of lawn, and indulged in the most delicious of foods whilst basking in the sun.

Then a whole gaggle of young men in tuxedos turned up. Then two more turned up with a wheelbarrow full of cold drinks - water and beer - to cheers from the rest of their group. They were evidently American, and were eyed by everyone else with that suspicion that they might become Trouble for our peaceful afternoon.

Then suddenly they all gathered in formation at the bottom of the slope, with all us tourists laid out on the lawn in front of them more than a little curious. Their teacher blew a note on her tuning whistle, and they began singing. Beautifully.

It became a real impromptu show - singing and dancing to a delighted and enthusiastic audience.

But then the French police came along and asked them to stop! (boo!) But the crowd became outraged - people shouting "let them sing!" [and probably also the French/ Italian/ Spanish/ Icelandic/ Farmvillian versions of same] and restlessly moving towards the police.

The police relented (is this a first in French history?), and the boys continued singing, and it was brilliant.

Ooh look, I have a crappy snippet of video: