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| Place des Vosges on a busy Labor Day |
May 1 was Labor Day in France and in most countries except the United States. Most businesses were closed (except restaurants/cafes) so we took the opportunity to visit the Place des Vosges with Bob and Linda Thomas.
The Place des Vosges is one of our favorite squares in Paris. It is a favorite spot to people watch, read, people watch, window shop in the art galleries, and - did I mention people watch?
The square was originally Place Royale due to a former castle on the site. After the French Revolution, everything "royal" was removed - not only the name was changed but the bronze statue of Louis XIII was melted down - a copy is in the square today. Place des Vosges is named for a province in France that was the first to pay taxes to the new Revolutionary Government.
The square is the first planned square in Paris and the first royal program of city planning in Europe - Henry IV built the square between 1605 and 1612. What was new for the time was that the King ordered all of the 35 buildings to follow the same design. The square has been the home of many famous people in French history - Victor Hugo's home is in one corner of the square and is now a museum. Cardinal Richelieu lived here until he built the Palais Royal - reportedly because he got tired of all of the dueling under his window on the Place.
Since we were near the Place de la Bastille, we decided to watch one of the traditional Labor Day marches that was ending in the square.
This year the marches and rallies had a political overtone since the Presidential elections are May 6. The Bastille was the site for the Socialist rally with a few "Parti Communiste" members thrown in for good measure. When the march arrived in the square, they circled around the column in the middle - a symbol of different events of the Revolution of 1830 - (also know as the Second French Revolution). The entire Square is a commemoration of the First Revolution when the Bastille Prison was stormed by the people on July 14, 1789. As a result of its history, the Place de la Bastille is a traditional place for protests, marches, and political rallies.
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| Place de la Bastille Labor Day March |
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| Labor Day |
Politics continued on Wednesday night when we watch the televised debate between Sarkozy and Hollande - three hours of debate - mostly one on one - no sound bite questions from bland moderators. Actually it was 3 hours of name calling - they obviously don't like each other very much - no pretending otherwise. Realism in French politics? I still love the fact that there are no ads on television or radio - only news and this is strictly monitored so each candidates gets exactly the same amount of time in "like" time periods. The election is on Sunday but all campaigning must end on Friday night!!! And I thought I was avoiding political rhetoric by coming to France.....!!!
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