Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE CIRCLES OF FRENCH LIFE
In 1787, English statesman Horace Walpole complained
of the French 'insistent airs of superiority'. Back then, they
had a right to them. For 200 years, all civilised people in the
Western world spoke and read French. International business
and diplomacy were conducted nearly exclusively in French
up until World War I.
Today, the French have graciously learned some English,
and even some Japanese, yet they do retain a great sense of
dignity about their country, a love of their language and a
joie de vivre
, an enjoyment of life—making France special.
Dress and architecture in France say a great deal about
how the French relate to each other and to the world. And
where they get that sense of superiority. One of the fi rst
things you will notice across France is the unique radiating
star patterns of the streets and boulevards, especially in Paris.
The whole country is organised in these wheels, or circles.
And all roads eventually lead to Paris. To some extent, the
French operate in circles. Interlocking circles of relationship
link the private worlds of family, sex and friends, with the
public worlds of art, work, architecture and politics. There
is a
grand philosophie
for living among the French and these
circles help remind us of that.
The supreme example in Paris street planning is the circle
around the Arc de Triomphe, affectionately known as the Etoile,
the Star. A dozen grand boulevards lead to this Star. Each offers
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