It was a long weekend in Paris. Monday 14th July was Bastille Day to remember the beginning of the French Revolution. What a perfect Monday off after World Cup Finals and fireworks in Paris! Parades and military/defence show ups etc to commemorate the day were perfect!
Well, as much as it was tempting to get out of Paris for the weekend, all senses in my head and heart concluded I should stay. It was wise. To cut the long story short, after a shopping experience in Rue de Rivoli and Le Chatelet, my beautiful heaven sent friends in Paris decided we should go to Chateau de Versailles (The Palace of Versailles). It was the best treat ever. I am not going to waste time here saying how magnificent the palace is because I will do injustice to it and besides you can plan to visit it or read and look up images of it even in Wikipedia.
So while walking and talking around the palace with my eyes enjoying the scenery of beautiful! Beautiful! mini-forest, trees, gardens, man-made lakes, fountains, and arts, I could not stop my ‘corrupt- ever running and a calm failure’ mind from thinking about Peace…who can guess why? Ok…because of the Treaty of Versailles, which I know of very well from a certain modern European history book my dad got us when I was in A-levels. Lessons from the book and my dad’s decorated/dramatic explanations to some of those key events in European history have never departed my subconscious mind and funny enough they are closer to the conscious part than the many fairy tales he would narrate to us before evening prayers. (may be ‘Ali Baba and the 40 thieves’ is an exception…)
Anyways, there I was, walking on the very ‘land’ where world leaders in 1919 sat and signed a peace treaty. I started linking the event with the previous day Germany World Cup victory because the treaty stripped them off colonies…and the treaty culminated into the League of Nation…what is more influential by the way? – The successor United Nations or the World Cup? (uuugh, stop! RED LIGHTS… I’m getting into a dangerous zone now… BUT IT’S SUBJECT TO DEBATE for those who are still on the same thinking vein with me here). Then this same running mind flashed back to the ongoing #GazaCrisis…can you guys link all these things up…I think as much as the UN could have been busy with what was happening in Gaza last week and over the weekend (even if it’s rhetoric), a lot more attention was on the World Cup!
I feel like am DeJavuing here and may be I should stop this entry all together….
But where is PEACE? My diary asks….! How can we hold it when we think we have found it?
Well, at least I will go back to the Palace for a solitary walk and prayers!!!! Or to take a walk with someone I love there with me… (mmmh, for those who may like this…Kanye and Kim did their wedding party in the palace)
To end, peace starts by simple actions such as saying thanks…and I want to say thanks to my heaven sent friends in Paris who very lovingly took me to the place…Justin, Laura, Jaden, and Abigail…I love you guys my heart out lots of Bisousssss to Jaden xxxx
Ooh! We love you too Aikande. The visit to the ‘château de Versailles’ was indeed a great experience on a perfect day (the french revolution day).
The world seems to diverge from peace as days pass by. I wonder what it will take to spread love to all and in all nations to make the world a better place.