Paris Stories & Happenings That Have Me Hooked This Week

...from the flashy return of Notre Dame this December to Seine swims & homeless Parisians being "relocated" ahead of the Olympics

Dear Subscribers,

Today’s post will be a bit shorter than usual— I’m scrambling a bit to cross my T’s, dot my I’s and pack before heading off on a much-needed summer break to the Pink Granite Coast in Brittany. You can bet that I’ll bring back some intel from the region on my return, though, whether it’s on crepes, salted butter and local ciders, guidance on where to walk in a region reputed to gush with wild natural beauty, or reports on whether I managed to see/befriend any puffins (something that’s near the top of our wish list).

Before I sign off for most of July, I wanted to leave you with a few stories that have captured my (flagging summer) attention this week.

First, the Olympic torch is making its way through Paris today after it arrived in time for the Fête de la Bastille over the weekend. One of its bearers is a 94-year old former French weightlifting champion named Léon Lewkowicz. He also happens to be a Holocaust survivor.

Today, he is commemorating the thousands of women, men and children who were rounded up between July 16th and 17th, 1942 in a Parisian sports arena— with the majority sent to transit camps outside the city before being deported eastward by train to Nazi death camps.