City of light(s)

Paris was originally nicknamed The City of Light because it was the European epicentre of enlightenment in the 18th century. Later on, from 1828, Paris began lighting the Champs-Elysées with gas lamps. It was the first city in Europe to do so, and so earned more broadly the nickname "La Ville-Lumière" or The City of Light.

This stop-motion video is a great showcase of that later definition with a scenic tour of the French capital by night and through the lens of its day and night glows... Enjoy!


PARIS, THE CITY OF LIGHT (FULL LENGTH HD VERSION) from Trak on Vimeo.

Massive destruction cheeses

I recently wrote about the different perspective of the US and France on the military through the prism of children toys, but we could talk at length about the ambiguous relationship to weapons of that martial nation. The recent Oregon shootings, combined to the subsequent debate on the validity of the contemporary US Constitution second amendment interpretation highlights that at least/at last there is a realisation that something is not right... Such a debate is healthy and so are the interesting partisan campaign for the different parties. Loved that one, wonder why!

Continent hoping

Around the globe.

I have shared already the adventures around the globe of Seattle-originated jigger Matt. He seems to have a converted some followers to the why-travel-like-everyone-with-a-cheap-camera-around-your-neck-when-you-can-do-more-stupid-things philosophy. Let me indeed introduce you to another fantasist traveller, Sam, who has decided to go continent hoping... Literally.

 

Backflipping Around The World from SamTheCobra on Vimeo.

 

Around me, myself and I.

During a 107-day summer tour, he was able to backpack and backflip around the world. That body-spinning arguably led him to reflect about himself, as if going around the world, around his own centre of gravity allowed him to give a new spin to his life...

After all, French poet Joachim du Bellay (1522-1560) had it nailed down in the 16th century when he came up with the prose: "Happy the man who, like Ulysses, has made a fine voyage, or has won the Golden Fleece, and then returns, experienced and knowledgeable, to spend the rest of his life among his family!".

So what to think about Sam? Arguably one need a goal in life, whatever it is. He found his path, a gimmick, and turned it into a video. It is nicely edited, exotic at times, and it makes your own head spin, not only because of the somersaults but also because of the tons of memories his wanderings recall in the mind of other travellers (like me for instance). Yet, as eluded to in the introduction this is just another variation of what was a brilliant idea by Matt Harding and his Where the hell is Matt? franchise. So nice, but just nice.


To read further:

• Around the world in 80 seconds, a stop-motion video (check out the painstaking exercise of the globe manual animation)
• Walk around the Loch, walk around the world or how Robert Carlisle makes you travel beyond Scotland
• Rock around the world the original adventures of Matt the backpacking dancer

The Saturday Shot #28: at my finger tips

Tick, tock, tick, tock... Captain Hook may be scared of that repetitive sound, but I am personally delighted. Each iteration is another second that gets us closer to my annual highlight. Although a couple years back I could have cursed that frozen water which stranded me twice in twelve months in France and the US, the white powder has since regained its place in my heart. I was in Seattle last week for what was the second anniversary of my crazy flight back home, my heart skipped a beat when I heard of snowfalls in Europe. An ambiguous mixture of anxiety and anticipation. But since the UK was spared for now, the earlier gave easily way to the positivity.

However Some say that positivism is always a tiny step away from lunacy. I think that this video speak for it. Best watch in full screen mode...

GoPro HD: Avalanche Cliff Jump with Matthias Giraud from GoPro on Vimeo.

So let's conclude this weekly post with a philosophical touch. As a way to reassure myself that my fixation on snow flakes is nothing but enlightenment:

"The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself." Lao Tzu (6th Century BC)