"les français n'oublieront jamais"

The two sand-colored wings of the Palais de Chaillot stretch out from either side of the Place du Tracadéro like an art deco train station missing its central dome.  Atop a hill and and just across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower, the Champ de Mars, the Ecole Militare, and the distant eyesore of the Tour Montparnasse, the Palais de Chaillot and the Trocadéro occupy the primest of prime real estate.  The panoramic view of Paris from the Trocadéro is perhaps the most photographed vista in the world, as cliché as it is breathtaking.   

The Palais de Chaillot was built for the 1937 Exposition Universelle and currently houses two museums, the Musée de la Marine in the west wing, and the Cité de l'Architecture in the east wing.  Atop both of these buildings one normally sees a large tri-color French flag.   This past Sunday, on September 11th, things were different.  Above the Cité de l'Architecture, flapping in a stiff wind, were the stars and stripes of Old Glory, a small part of an impressive French commemoration of the tenth anniversary of 9/11.   Down below, on the Place du Tracadéro a stage was set up, flanked by two towers symbolizing the World Trade Center.  The message on the banners draped from the towers was simple, and in both English and in French: "The French  Will Never Forget" and "Les Français n'oublieront jamais".   The program for the day included a children's choir singing songs, French high schoolers reading letters of condolence from other students, a live report from a French CNN correspondent in Kabul, and the presentation of a medal to a NYFD firefighter by the US ambassador to France.   I showed up a few minutes after the ceremony started and just as a heavy rain began to fall.  The street in front of the stage was closed to cars, and several hundred people, as many French as American, huddled under umbrellas trying to keep dry.  The stage did not have a roof, and the moderator, musicians, and school children took a good soaking.  The moderator's enthusiasm never flagged, and he pointed out that this commemoration was the largest in the world outside the United States.  He repeatedly made reference to the close and long-standing relationship between France and the US, even mentioning that the relationship cooled after the two countries differed on the war in Iraq.  He made this observation with a refreshing lack of pretension, as if it were ok for there to be a difference of opinion between governments.  

After two hours in the rain I retreated toward home to dry out and to have lunch. While I ate leftover pasta I listened on my computer to the reading of the names at Ground Zero.  At 8:30pm I headed back to the Trocadéro for the evening concert portion of the day-long commemoration.  As I rounded the corner outside my apartment, walking toward the Eiffel Tower under the trees flanking the Champ de Mars, it was just getting dark and a full moon was rising over the Paris skyline.   After climbing the steps to the Trocadéro I crossed to the small park in the middle of the traffic circle which was already full or spectators.  I found a place to sit next to the statue of Ferdinand Foch and then the concert began.  The weather had cleared up nicely and a full orchestra and choir were assembled on the stage.  The program began with the Star Spangled Banner, and I joined in singing with others in the crowd around me.  Next came the Marseillaise and then the orchestra played Mozart and the same moderator from the afternoon made remarks.  On my way home I snapped a photo of a woman draped in French and American flags.  

It has been a difficult ten years to say the least, and I never dreamed I'd pass this somber anniversary as a temporary resident of Paris.  I wonder where we'll all be ten years from now.