I spent most of today wandering around Paris looking for a memory card reader for a digital camera. Having located one at an electronics store in the Latin Quarter, I strolled down to the side of the Seine and popped into a small bar that had a big LCD HDTV on the wall.
In broken French I asked the bartender about the Tour de France and she replied that she would see if it were on.
IT WAS. The national television station here in France was running today's stage live. So the coverage began early and I got to see the racers in a more romantic and genuine atmosphere.
By the way, for snacks at the bar, they had boiled eggs. I had one just to be polite. Otherwise I would have eaten two.
I also found out that the reason more bars don't have the Tour stages on television is because people who care about the Tour - and she assured me they were legion - were either at the Tour or at home watching on their own television.
I decided to be like a Parisian and rushed home at 4:20PM to watch the final four riders finish.
Showing posts with label bars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bars. Show all posts
21 July 2007
19 July 2007
Stage 11
You'll notice that the posts on each Tour stage are coming pretty much on time, but not exactly. That's because I'm in Paris enjoying myself and trying to fit this blog in between my other pursuits.
Today I combined the two for a little bit.
In a tiny bistro/cafe in the Latin Quarter, I watched a bit of the Tour and was enthralled by the crowd that had formed to see the race. On the day after a Frenchman won a stage, the turnout was amazing.
AMAZING IN A BAD WAY!!
I'm am beside myself in trying to understand what has changed over here. Perhaps I'm expecting too much of the French, but I thought that the city of Paris ground to a halt for 21 days during the Tour de France. I was wrong.
After searching all over the city, I only found a handful of bars that had the Tour on television and in those bars I found only about half a dozen people watching.
OK, in the interest of full-disclosure, it is a school day and people have to work. But Eurosport doesn't run the Tour as a repeat and I'm not sure how prevalent Tivo is over here. SO, wouldn't you think that a three-hour lunch might happen daily for a couple weeks in July?
Me too.
I'm disappointed but will continue this experiment for a the rest of my stay.
Next few posts are about the race. If you're French, leave me a comment and tell me what's going on. If you're not French, give me your thoughts and ask me your questions.
Today I combined the two for a little bit.
In a tiny bistro/cafe in the Latin Quarter, I watched a bit of the Tour and was enthralled by the crowd that had formed to see the race. On the day after a Frenchman won a stage, the turnout was amazing.
AMAZING IN A BAD WAY!!
I'm am beside myself in trying to understand what has changed over here. Perhaps I'm expecting too much of the French, but I thought that the city of Paris ground to a halt for 21 days during the Tour de France. I was wrong.
After searching all over the city, I only found a handful of bars that had the Tour on television and in those bars I found only about half a dozen people watching.
OK, in the interest of full-disclosure, it is a school day and people have to work. But Eurosport doesn't run the Tour as a repeat and I'm not sure how prevalent Tivo is over here. SO, wouldn't you think that a three-hour lunch might happen daily for a couple weeks in July?
Me too.
I'm disappointed but will continue this experiment for a the rest of my stay.
Next few posts are about the race. If you're French, leave me a comment and tell me what's going on. If you're not French, give me your thoughts and ask me your questions.
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