My 2 year old grandson Luc and I facetimed today for quite a
long while, largely due to his fascination with Parisian traffic (and his accommodating mom!). It’s the
first thing he asks me about: “Show me traffic,” he says. And of course I
oblige (after all, I started it!)! I hold my laptop out the window very, very
carefully, aiming its camera six stories down toward rue Alexandre Dumas so
that Luc has a bird’s eye view of the Parisian street where I live. Today, a
special treat: he got to hear the distinctive “woo-ee-woo-eeee” siren of a
sapeurs pompiers' truck careening toward an emergency. Hopefully all turned out
well for those in need of their services.
Luc’s other favorite traffic moment is when the garbage men
arrive in their large green and yellow truck and stop every 50 meters to empty
overstuffed trash cans from the apartment buildings lining the street. The men
wear bright yellow vests over their lime green jumpsuits so are tiny yet
visible from our 6th floor vantage point as they noisily load and
empty the trash cans. Cars, trucks, and an occasional bus line up behind the
garbage truck, and the ones furthest from it often blow their horns in vain,
much to Luc’s amusement. The garbage truck advances 50 meters, and the parade
behind it follows. Did I forget to mention the mopeds and motorcycles? They
tend to precariously weave around the rest of the traffic, entertaining my
grandson even more!
