Tuesday 1 January 2008

The Emptiness

I know I’ve been getting all existential of late. But the emptiness is meant to describe the roads in Paris. They were fantastically clear today. Perhaps all the revelry on New Year’s Eve left everyone a bit too groggy.

But the main hazard was the tourists who appear to be unaware of cycle lane etiquette.

I thought the sign for a cycle path was a universal motif. But the amount of people clogging up the way makes me wonder if the sign is different in Italy or Japan.

I particularly like those who decide to take pictures of the Eiffel Tower on the path. That I can understand especially when it starts to glitter and gleam in the evening on the hour mark.

As for the ones who try to get a panoramic snap of the memorial over the road where Diana and Dodi died in 1997, they seem to be oblivious to the cyclists and actually rather keen to join the princess and her chum.

But this is still the season of good will to all men. And that I guess includes tourists on the cycle paths.