Had a bit of a stroll around the latin quarter early this morning. Theres an old roman amphitheatre in the middle of a park where a young boy and his dad played badminton and where perhaps centuries before gladiators may have battled or poets read aloud. the streets are small and obviously escaped the Houssman renovations. They have the feeling of an Italian town with its cobbled streets and stunted buildings. They are full of christmas decorations, lights and tourists.
I head through the park and have a man invite me to see the museum with him as his wife is pregnant and could not make it…Okay so either this is a weird stunt or go home and look after your pregnant wife dude..Parisian men! either way I feel like im being conned.
French men.. I shouldnt lump them all together but they do seem to stare at me like I have something written all over my face. Its difficult to decipher and because most Parisians don’t smile is it seems like you are constantly running into to psychotic killers scoping out their next victim. Ive read a bit about it and apparently its cultural but its feels really confronting and makes me feel extremely vulnerable. It in no way feels like its a compliment or flirtatious it feels gross. At least in Italy you’d get a hello or a smile so you have a point of reference for such a stare but here its patriarchal and culturally embedded and just another language I don’t understand. There is a new law that men can be fined 90 euro for making sexist comments on the street so perhaps this is a sign of change because It feels like im living in the 50s. Its no wonder women walk around with their heads down not smiling.
I walk to the end of the park and cross to the garden along the Seine I should get a good view of the protest from here. Id like to walk in solidarity but Im a bit uncertain and just when I was decideing Mat sent me a picture of Neska so I decided it was more important to make sure I get back to spoil her! Anyway I digress… I thought I may have mucked up the times for a bit and then I heard a rumble and then drums and then whistles and chants. You could feel the air reverberating with excitement and revolution!.. It was amazing hundreds of people flanked by police marching together. The gilets jaunes have been protesting every Saturday for 12 months now. There were several marches organised and if this one was anything to go on it was an inspirational and peaceful demonstration of unity and the right to voice.
Headed home and grabbed some dinner which ended up being snails not cheese and spinach pastries as i had assumed ..fuck it! so they’re in the freezer for Mat!
Im exhausted and my feet have currently more gaffe tape then skin showing. Pecan ice cream and an early night calls! I miss everyone so much. x