Les Touristes

Over the weekend I had a great moment when I was sitting on a bench reading in Odeon while waiting for a friend. Meanwhile, a gentleman and his grandson sat next to me. I could see them struggling with their neatly filed xeroxes of maps the grandfather had packed. So I leaned over and told them where we were and helped them get oriented. The brilliant moment then came when they told me “your English is really good.” I couldn’t help smile and laugh, and responded, “thanks, I’m American.” Still, this came as a great compliment to me. It was one of those moments to remind you that not all tourists are bad, and sometimes they just need a helping hand or a tip from a local. So in honor of this encounter, today’s post is an ode to the tourists around Paris (a series inspired by the Martin Parr show I saw at the Jeu de Paume this fall [my photo of his photo above], which I hope to continue).

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