July 30th 2007
Tour de France 2007
If there was one place I would like to be in yesterday, 29th July, that would be a resounding PARIS!!!
Yesterday was the last day of the Tour de France and I was glued to the télé (’TV’ in France) watching the colorful cyclists bike their way round and round the Champs d’Elysées and back to the Place de la Concorde at least 8 times! Eight times because they had to tackle the required number of kilometers before a winner is declared. The winner is a 24 year old guy from Madrid, Spain and how composed and good looking he was yesterday, as if he just came out of the shower, a face so impeccable and nary a sign of fatigue!
Anyway, it was not the winner whom my eyes were glued at but rather, the breathtaking bird’s eyeview of Paris! And everytime a historical monument or a famous place is shown on TV, the TV commentator switches into that of a tourist guide informing the televiewers the name and history of such and such a place!
I am always utterly amazed about the beauty of my favorite city, especially that magnificent avenue, the Champs d’Elysées, for me the real symbol of Paris.
This year’s Tour de France started in London 22 days ago, crossing through Belgium then back to France. I haven’t really been following the game religiously but everytime I stumble into it while flipping channels, seeing those beautiful regions of France shot from a helicopter camera never fails to astonish me!
My mother used to talk about our very own Tour of Luzon in the 60s and how she used to get out of the house to watch the colorfully-clad cyclists drove past the avenue near where they used to live.
They should resurrect this friendly competition in the Philippines, not only to encourage sports among our PC/cellphone-obsessed youth of today but also to promote local tourism. The private sector and the Department of Tourism could work hand-in-hand in making this idea into reality and like France, make it a tradition for all generations to come. But no cigarette nor liquor advertising please!!
Some images of Tour de France 2007 from A.S.O./Amaury Sport Organisation:
