Have you heard the one about the King, the Pope and the President?
Guests enjoy scarf season in France
Dear Friend,
Now that’s more like it! This weekend has been perfect Paris autumn – blue skies and sun with just a touch of chill in the air. It’s a weekend to remind you why you put up with French administration because, actually, the pay-off of living here can be very good indeed.
Yesterday I had coffee at Dose, a coffee shop in the 18th arrondissement near Jules Joffrin Métro (probably one of the best micro-neighbourhoods in Paris) with my friend Sutanya. As young families did their Saturday ambling and relaxed errand-running, we remarked on how alarmingly well-dressed French children are — think muted colours, smart shoes and elegantly tied neckerchiefs. In fact, what we noticed is that French children’s look is not very different from French adults’ look, which makes sense because, as a rule, French children are less indulged than their ‘Anglo-Saxon’ counterparts and are, in some respects, expected to act like little adults. It’s not unusual, for example, to see a French parent sitting across a café table from their, say, six-year-old child engaged in discussion while they each neatly sip their drink. It’s a far cry from soft play!
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Here to enjoy the charms of autumn à la francaise, we’ve had two illustrious guests in France this week — Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, and King Charles, the head of British state.
The Pope spent two days in Marseille, the port city in the south. Though this wasn’t an official state visit, President Macron did come to meet his papal pal, and the pontiff presided over a huge mass at the Marseille football stadium. It’s occasions like these that make me think “hmm” about the French insistence on secularism ( laïcité). The separation of state and religion is always enforced most strictly when it comes to Islam, an example being the banning of the abaya in public schools, while representatives of the state seem to have a much more relaxed attitude when it comes to Catholicism (the religion that was the cause of the Revolution’s ire in the first place).
The Pope took the opportunity of his visit to Marseille to talk about migrants and refugees who make the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean with the hope of starting a new life in Europe. He condemned the general indifference to the plight of those who at best face a hostile reaction when they arrive, and at worst don’t survive the journey. Marseille has long been home to immigrants and populations of different origins. It’s France’s second biggest city but is quite different to Paris — less posh, more laid-back and historically more left-leaning overall, and this is clearly why the religious leader chose to make his statement there.
Back in Paris, King Charles also came with messages to get across. The first, and most important diplomatically, seemed to be that despite some heated back and forth in the last few Brexit-tinted years, the entente cordiale between the UK and France was still strong. The monarch was quite uniquely placed to deliver the message, which he did in a speech given to assembled politicians in the French Senate, as it was his great grandpa, Edward VII who first brokered that deal in 1904. (The main features of the original deal seemed to involve the graceful giving of permission for the other super-power to rule over different parts of North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Canada and Southeast Asia — which doesn’t seem that cordial, taken in the round).
The second aim, as far as I can tell, was to emphasise the importance of Franco-British cooperation in the context of fighting climate change, which chimed well with the eco-transformation-focused Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo. Together they visited the lovely Marché aux Fleurs (flower market) on Ile de la Cité near Notre-Dame, under a distinctly British-looking drizzly grey sky.
Charles in Paris didn’t draw the same kinds of crowds as the Pope in Marseille, but he was generally well met and the trip has been received as a success by the media here. French commentators were particularly impressed that the King speaks French and, to be honest, so was I (Charles will be relived to know). Watching the coverage of his visit through a French lens made the King seem more impressive and statesmanlike than he generally does at home (it’s as if at home he’s your same old embarrassing dad, whereas here he’s someone else’s suave, cool dad). He received a standing ovation after his speech in the Senate and was welcomed at a lavish banquet at the Palace of Versailles, i.e. the place where the French monarchy lived in opulent excess until rioters dragged them back to Paris and eventually cut their heads off. An interesting place to host a royal!
Thirty-second book club
Staying on a theme — I have been reading a novel called Matrix by Lauren Groff, which is set in the France and Angleterre (as it’s always referred to in the book) of the 12th century. It’s the time of the Crusades, Notre-Dame Cathedral’s early construction and the era of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who served first as Queen of France and then as Queen of England. Eleanor is the object of the affections of the protagonist Marie, loosely based on medieval poet Marie de France. Marie is an illegitimate French royal who becomes the iconoclastic abbess of a thriving nunnery (#girlboss). The writing is both lyrical and punchy, archaic and contemporary. Self-actualised, uncompromising and queer, Marie is a compelling main character, and I look forward to finding out what becomes of her nunnery.
Thank you for reading this letter about autumn and visitors all the way to the end. I very much appreciate you being my Pen Friend and hope you are enjoying our correspondence. If you are, please consider sharing this letter with more friends! That would be great. You can also scroll down to the bottom of the text and click on the little heart to ‘like’ the post.
Et voilà ! I hope you have a good week.
Yours,
Hannah
Papal pal. Love it.
I love a blue sky autumn day in Paris, so perfect.
The photos of Charles’ visit looked great. Wonder if there was some subtle subtext to hosting him at Versailles 🤣
I also used to find it strange that so many bank holidays are religious in France when it’s a secular nation.
Matrix sounds excellent.