Never the one to miss the action I decided to move forward to get a better view...
Unfortunately the media soaked it up as well. Yes, the Champs Elysées were off limits but the rest of the city bustled away as usual. Paris' main department stores unveiled their Christmas windows and with that the holiday shopping season has officially begun. The retailers had record sales on Saturday I might add and not only due to the new French phenomena of "Black Weekend".
As for the luxury boutiques on Avenue Montaigne and the global flagship stores along France's most famous avenue, they were not happy having to close shop on a weekend but then neither are the "gilets jaunes" protesters who were planning to demonstrate against rising petrol prices and Macron's politics in general ...
... their march was totally highjacked by a few idiots who were just tempting to wreak havoc and managed to seize control of the worldwide media by doing so.
As for me, I took myself off to a calmer place ... and found some Japanese serenity inside the Musée Guimet, established by Emile Guimet in 1889. Magnificently renovated in contemporary style, it is the largest European museum devoted to Asian art.
Intrigued I ventured down a very empty Avenue Montaigne
This is were the actions starts!
Most of the gilet jaunes had peaceful intentions...
... but the mood quickly changed.
What to do? Stay or leave?!?
Just look at that last truck racing up the avenue... scary!
Firefighters are on the job throughout the area.
Hiding behind George V fancy plants!
Enough is enough... I'm leaving!
Musée Guimet
Marking 150th anniversary of the Meiji Restoration
Textiles,
photographs (Ginza in the 1880s),
bronze pieces,
paintings, to illustrate the changes that happened during this period.
No comments:
Post a Comment