Autumn in Paris - Jesen v Parizu

On the first day of autumn summer came back to Paris. And not just for a day. After a just too quick change from summer to rainy and grey autumn, we apparently got a second chance, the one letting us slowly get used to the autumn and its beautiful colors. Walking to the university and riding a bike elsewhere on the streets of Paris – the winning combination.

Na prvi jesenski dan se je poletje vrnilo v Pariz. In to ne za samo en dan. Po čisto prehitrem preskoku s poletja na deževno in sivo jesen smo očitno dobili še eno priložnost, da se jesen počasi obleče v jesenske barve. Peš na faks in s kolesom po ostalih ulicah Pariza – najboljša kombinacija.

Boulevard Saint Germain is between 12h and 14h, when I go home and prepare lunch, extremely lively. And I don’t mean lively in the sense of hysteric running and hurrying. Not at all. In France, this is the time dedicated to lunch. Even if people are enthusiastic, they are calm. Restaurants get filled up, cafés with a “terrace” on the sidewalks change to a place, which reminds me of a box of sardines, and everywhere the atmosphere is lively. Add to that super great sunny weather – you get the picture.

Boulevard Saint Germain je med 12h in 14h, ko odidem domov in si skuham kosilo, izjemno živahen. Pa ne v smislu brezglavega tekanja in hitenja. Sploh ne. V Franciji je namreč ta čas rezerviran za kosilo. Čeprav so ljudje navdušeni, so umirjeni. Restavracije se zapolnijo, kavarne s “teraso” na pločniku se spremenijo v konzervi s sardelicami podoben prostor, povsod pa prevladuje živahno vzdušje. Dodaj k temu še super sončno vreme – you get the picture.

The queues in the supermarkets are infinite. Lunch only rarely means real lunch for French people. This real lunch comes later, in the form of an early dinner. In between people just eat something quickly. A sandwich, a salad, in a restaurant or in a park, on a bench or simply on the way back to work or university.

Vrste v trgovinah so neskončne. Kosilo za Francoze redko pomeni pravo kosilo. To pride kasneje, ko se pozno kosilo združi z zgodnjo večerjo. Vmes pa se poje nekaj na hitro. Sendvič, solato, v restavraciji ali pa v parku, na klopci oziroma kar na poti nazaj v službo ali na faks.

The streets too are full of cars and scoters (French really drive lots of scoters. I guess they see it as the best way to avoid traffic and are at the same time still quicker than cyclers), but I am going with a bike. After a year in Copenhagen I cannot imagine a city without a bike (even though the cobbled stones in Paris sometimes become just too annoying). In the beautiful weather and hundred of cars everywhere I feel extremely light and extremely happy on a bike on a cycling lane.

Tudi ceste so polne avtov in skuterjev (Francozi se res veliko vozijo s skuterji. Najbrž se jim zdi najboljši način, da se izognejo gneči, a so še vedno hitrejši od kolesarjev), a sama prisegam na kolo. Po letu v Kopenhagnu si mesta brez kolesa ne znam več predstavljati (čeprav so sem in tja tlakovci v Parizu lahko precej nadležni). Ob čudovitem vremenu in vrstah avtov se na kolesu na kolesarski stezi počutim izjemno lahkotno in z vetrom v laseh izjemno srečno.

A sunny day like that finishes with a sunset in the same style, of course. Oh, Paris.

Tak sončen dan se, seveda, konča se s sončnim zahodom v podobnem stilu. Oh, Pariz.