"Giant Meeting" Under the Eiffel Tower

On Sunday, I went to an event that had been circulating on Facebook: "Rassemblement Geant Sous la Tour Eiffel" ("Giant Meeting Under the Eiffel Tower.) Apparently last April, 15,000 Brits came together in Trafalgar Square... to sing "Hey Jude." That's all. No other reason. (Here's the video link if you're interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orukqxeWmM0.)

So the French decided to have a little rendez-vous to sing an iconic French song right back at them. Here's the French video (a few seconds long:) http://fr.video.yahoo.com/watch/5320034/14025987. (The text reads: "Do you remember.... what the English did... in Paris... we will do better! Meet under the Eiffel Tower at 4:00 on Sunday, July 5!")

The Facebook event listed the following three reasons to attend:
1. Prove to the entire world that we can do better than the English at Trafalgar Square
2. Make other countries want to continue this Battle based on sharing and good humour
3. Live life with an exclamation point!

I thought the third reason was pretty good, so I went... along with 20,000 others! So we win. We sang a song called "On ira tous au Paradis" (people are wearing blond wigs and white sunglasses because that's the signature look of the artist of that song,) then "Champs Elysees," which was fun because I know that one by heart, then one called "Emmenez-Moi," which goes super-fast.

Here's the video I took during "Champs-Elysees;" you can watch about the first 30 seconds to get the idea because if you watch the whole thing you might get dizzy at my inablilty to hold a camera straight above my head while dancing.

There were camera crews all around us, and I felt like a camera was in my face most of the time, so I don't know if I'm in some kind of footage that might turn up somewhere. It was fantastically well organized, with speakers stationed throughout the crowd so everyone could hear the music, and people walking around with microphones so you could sing in them.

After we sang the three songs, then all 20,000 of us sat down and did the wave. Then we sang an impromtu version of "La Marseillaise." I am amused that Facebook can mobilize 20,000 people to come hang out for no particular reason.

In other news, I stumbled upon a beautiful cathedral while walking in front of a park yesterday.

If you look closely, you see something funny:

Too bad for Saint whoever that is.

Also, I am collecting pictures of expensive-looking cars for you, David Graham: