So, yes, it’s May Day, and I should be writing about springtime in Paris and the scent of muguet, or better yet, the perpetual struggle of the working class, but I’m not. I didn’t end up getting the material I was hoping for in order to do that, but I got something else rather amusing.
May Day is a national holiday here in France, so I went out for a stroll around Paris this afternoon, expecting to see some May Day manifestations, the streets swollen with members of the Parti Socialiste mobilizing for Sunday’s second round presidential election. I guess I missed the big parades though because all I saw were lots of locals and tourists soaking up the sun and enjoying the musical offerings of various street performers … including one unlucky opera singer at the Louvre Pyramid.
It was quite a lovely moment when we arrived in the courtyard to the accompaniment of her dulcet cantation. But then — in what I think can accurately be described as situational irony — the poor woman had her May Day earnings stolen right out from under her nose by a marauding toddler! No kidding. Just watch the little bandit scout out the situation (at 0:15) and then swoop in for the take (at 0:30) …
To her credit, the singer didn’t miss a single note when it happened, and she kept her audience enthralled until the end of her performance. I guess if she didn’t take it too hard, we can’t either …
Happy May Day! Joyeuse fête du premier mai !
© 2012 Samuel Michael Bell, all right reserved
je parle américain 
you know Michael, this is just un-real!…..Well, actually, no it isn’t…….I’ve seen similar things happen……that woman was amazing to just keep on singing. Not me…I’d have whipped his ass…….like I did today (verbally) to a child that ran into me with his fricken skooter!! I was so mad at him and yelled like a bloody American, with a few choice french words – and others came to my rescue and scolded the boy for running into me. Sometimes, I just can’t keep my mouth shut. It might haunt me one day!!!! 😉
I have to say, I wasn’t even sure that’s what was going on until after it happened. While I was filming her, I saw the kids running around but didn’t pay much attention to what they were doing. It was only after I watched the video and say the kid come and go and come back that I realized what had happened. Crazy! Glad to hear that someone came to your aid … courtesy may be dying a slow death, but it’s gone yet! 🙂