The terrible events of Friday 13 November in Paris in which so many people lost their lives and were wounded have shocked me to the core as they have so many people around the world.
My thoughts are with those families who have lost loved ones and whose friends and family members are injured.
Such terrible actions against innocent people have the ability to stun us all and stop us in our tracks and it is hard for any of us to know what to say or to do to try to help our friends who are suffering. Many of my French friends have said how genuinely moved they’ve been by the outpouring of messages of support and the show of global solidarity. Whilst in Paris the Eiffel Tower was dark, it’s lights dimmed, in mourning, around the world major monuments were bathed in blue, white and red in homage to a nation that was suffering. This show of togetherness has made people in France feel less alone in these terrible times. The photo above was sent by my friend Wazim, a Paris photographer, when the lights went back on.
My French friend Geraldine Lepere said “I felt like – let’s cancel everything”. But that is to let the terrorists win and as Geraldine says “it may hurt, but we have to carry on”. She is right, it does hurt, today, tomorrow, forever, but if we don’t carry on, then we lose. As a travel writer and a Francophile who loves France, the best way I can help is to keep on sharing features and photos from France. The great places that you can go to, the things you can see, the wonderful food, language and culture, the history and heritage, the traditions and above all the spirit of France.
Bisous from France
Janine
ps to all of you who posted your memories of visits to Paris and France, the things that you love about Paris – thank you, it was wonderful to read those words and several comments from French readers of TGLF showed just how much it meant.
Latest features on the website:
The Bouquinistes of Paris – the second hand book sellers with UNESCO status on the banks of the Seine…
Is the British National Anthem a French tune? It seems that this is a definite possibility – oh la la!
Coming up: The Festival of Lights, Lyon, an awesome light festival in which the whole town participates from a single candle in the window to the most incredible light displays
The town in the Languedoc that’s painted purple and red: When a wealthy Belgian couple fell in love with the town of Assignan and bought a chateau there, they decided to jazz it up!
A guide to the Paris to Nice night train: if you ‘re thinking about an overnight journey, read this guide to find out what’s involved
The Museum of Medical History in Paris: Gruesome, horrible and absolutely fascinating in a stunning location, this strange little museum is very quirky and rather riveting…
