La Grande Arche de la Fraternité, in Paris.
Art, War and Peace in France
We have both regularly travelled in France, on our own and together. Hanne has been on family holidays as a child and young person. Lars has hitchhiked when he was young, and as an employee of the Ministry of Culture, he has been to a conference at UNESCO´s headquarters. Our first trip together was a romantic holiday to Paris, and we have since returned to France several times.
In the spring of 2024, we were well into packing for a Volkswagen tour of the large European country when it started to rain in our bedroom. We chose to stay at home and focus on renovating the house and garden. This gave us television time to follow the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games and their spectacular use of Paris' urban space.
In the summer of 2025, we managed to carry out the plan. The route started in Strasbourg and went over Paris, Normandy, the Mont Saint-Michel Bay, central France, Provence and southern France. It ended with a visit to Danish friends in the Pyrenees.
Inspired by the current situation in Europe, we focused on war, peace and artists who create images for a changing world. Along the way, we got an impression of the French's sense of meals made from local produce accompanied by good wines, the country's dramatic history and beautiful nature. We were also reminded of climate change by a heat wave.
The French may seem reserved and outside the larger cities, it is often difficult to find people who speak more than tourist English. Unfortunately, our French is no better. Luckily, we found English speaking people and interpreters so that we could communicate with locals.
President Emmanuel Macron has major economic and political challenges on the domestic stage. Despite this, he has contributed to European leadership towards the strategic autonomy that he was an early and significant advocate for.
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