Daylight in Paris

I’m writing this newsletter on a bright Autumn day in front of the fountain at the Jardin du Luxembourg. The park is filled with people lounging in the metal green chairs, soaking in the soft rays of an early October afternoon. Sunglasses and berets, artfully wrapped scarves, puffer vests under sport coats, Converse high-tops, and the occasional striped bateau, which the French wear unironically. I watch people with their feet up, their eyes closed, their AirPods in, and their faces turned up to the brilliant blue sky. Some eat baguette sandwiches. Others converse with animated hands. The tech addicted stare down at their phones, cupping their hands above their screens to block the glare. In front of me, four schoolgirls sit together on the sand beside the fountain. Behind me loom two large potted palm trees, their wide fronds swaying with the breeze on these last balmy days before they are rolled indoors for the winter. The bell of the clock on the palace chimes every fifteen minutes punctuating the steady crunch of footsteps on the pathways. The soundscape is completed by symphony of chattering voices, bicycle wheels, children’s squeals, cawing crows, and stray digital ringtones. Continue reading…