It was by chance that we crossed paths with Jeffrey, rue Jeanne-d’Arc. Equipped with a pencil and a notebook of white sheets, this art enthusiast drew the curves of the Sainte-Croix cathedral.
“People talk a lot about Notre-Dame-de-Paris, but Orleans Cathedral is just as beautiful“, considers the foreigner, in perfect French. At 68, Jeffrey lives in New York but has a taste for travel. This month, he granted himself a few weeks of vacation in Paris, a city he knows well and whom he admires.
At 76, this Orléanaise has found traces of her American father thanks to his DNA
“The Tranquility” of Orleans
But wanting to offer himself “a little peace and breathe”, he took the train towards the Johannine city to rediscover Orleans culture.
“I came here with my parents when I was younger. It’s a city that appeals to me. Orléans has had a lot to do with the history of Europe, it has a deep history.”
Jeffrey (traveler in love with France)
–
This lover of France and its inhabitants, would like to settle in the city that Joan of Arc liberated during the Hundred Years War. But why leave the United States and New York, where he has lived for more than ten years? “That changed a lot with Trump, which brought back fascist ideas. Things are better with Biden but the damage is done.”
New York, “not a perfect city to live”
The pandemic also confirmed him in this choice. His fast-paced New York life suddenly came to a halt during confinement. “We cut off relations. You know, the French dream of New York but it’s not always a perfect city to live in.”
Pointing to “the big towers” and the effervescence of Wall Street, this future ex-inhabitant of Manhattan awaits more solidarity in human relations.
“Ukrainian flags on this street won’t stop Putin from going to war, but it’s a nice gesture“, smiles Jeffrey, pointing to the blue and yellow flags floating on rue Jeanne-d’Arc.
–
An Englishman who has traveled a lot
The English-born also has no plans to return to London or Oxford, two cities where he has also lived. “For a long time, I have been a Francophile. I do not necessarily recognize myself in the cult of the Queen of England. The royal family has a lot of influence there and the monarchy no longer necessarily corresponds to our time.”
Time for him to take up his sketchbook and model one of the rose windows of the cathedral. Anachronistic, he invites us to read books and not take pictures of the monuments. “A photo lasts only a moment but when we observe things, they remain anchored in our memory.” The cathedral of Orleans will remain in him all his life.
Nicolas Bontron
–
