The Paris Traveler

As everyone probably knows by now, the votes are in and Nicolas Sarkozy has become the new President of France. 85% of the registered voters showed up to let their voices be heard in a very divided election. Sarkozy, the conservative right candidate received 53% of the votes, 47% went to Segolene Royal, the liberal left.  While half of France is happy and celebrating. The other half is disappointed and demonstrating.
The elections remind me of Paris. Paris is a city that is divided by the Seine River with the Left Bank and the Right Bank. The Right Bank of Paris …read more

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If you’re in France right now, you can’t help but know that the elections to vote for a new President are being held tomorrow. As a tourist you might say it really doesn’t matter who’s in office when you’re visiting the Louvre, or climbing up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, but it does matter to the French.
Conversations with a lot of my friends boil down to something like this: “We need major changes in France, but….” The underlying message seems to be, ….”but, don’t make changes that affect me.” The first round of votes were clearly divided between …read more

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