Paris, France – World Cup Fever

I took this photo in Paris at a watch store, and I took it because the World Cup was happening at the time. The soccer World Cup, that is. And I was thinking that by putting all the flags of those countries near each other in the window, it makes me think that there’s harmony between those countries. But it also might be so that you can buy a watch for whichever team you’re rooting for or whichever team you think will win!

I watched a bit of the World Cup while I was in Paris. It was pretty cool. I also saw the crowds everywhere rooting for the teams. Some of them had some crazy hairdos!

I happened to get a watch at the store, but it was bright orange, without a country flag on it, but I think it’s still a cool watch.

I also didn’t realize that I would be taking a photo that showed a reflection on the glass. But it actually looks kind of cool.

It was exciting to be in a soccer-loving country while the World Cup was happening. We arrived in Paris just as the round of sixteen started, and we were disappointed that France lost in that round. But we kept up with the action as it unfolded, staying up to watch the final championship match between Germany and Brazil. Actually, you couldn’t miss the World Cup that summer; the games were on TVs in every bar, and in some cafés too. Crowds of fans often spilled out onto the sidewalks. And just like in The Kid’s photo, even the stores had (or exploited) World Cup fever.

This was a snapshot I took near the Pompidou Center — some kids playing a pickup game of soccer under a street mural of Salvador Dalí. In an age of video-gaming and cell phones, it was refreshing to see kids playing together outside, interrupting the throngs of tourists with a slice of real life. The game is so elemental — all it takes is an open area, a ball, and some imagination on where the goals would be.