The Paris Traveler

 Pétanque, is a game that captivates Frenchmen ( I am alluding to the male species as I have never seen women playing).  If you see a gaggle of men looking at the ground in various parks and gravelly areas throughout Paris and France, with very serious and concerned looks on their faces, you can pretty much bet an intense game is going on.  Cigarettes are usually involved which accounts for the haze surrounding the area.  It is a unifying event, bringing men of all ages, socio-economic backgrounds and cultures together to have their moment in the pétanque sun.  

The game is simple, not inferring that one must be simple to play, but not much goes into it.  It is a form of boules, where one must stand with feet together in a small circle and throw, toss, pitch whatever, metal balls as close as possible to a wooden ball called a cochonnet.  The game needs to be played on gravel which is why parks throughout Paris are perfect.  

That’s it.  That’s the game.  Men spend HOURS doing this.  And not only that.  They spend YEARS spending HOURS doing this.  Do you think they want to be out of the house or Madame wants them out of the house??

Photo credit:  Zobocop@flickr 

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