SusanofO
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Joined: 12/19/2005
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Thanks for the interesting post, Vendeval.
I was in France (Paris) last Summer, and have to say I think it was just such a beautiful city, and very clean, too (at least the parts of it I saw, and I saw a lot). I loved how they sold flowers on many street corners there. The people also seem to love chocolate a lot, too (so do I) - and also just appreciate everything being designer-beautiful. And of course, my hotel room had a Bidet (not that I used it - I had no need - I was with my immediate, very "vanilla" relatives during the entire trip).
Amost everything I saw or remember in Paris, France was artistically designed, it seemed to me - from the designer cut of the shruberry, to exotic, beautifully planned gardens, to the architecture of many buildings, to the door-knobs on hotel doors, and chandeliers on ceilings, to furniture, and of course - clothing. People always just took pains to look their best, it seemed - especially the women.
**I must say my impression of Parisian women is that they do seem to enjoy (or at least not be offended by) being viewed as "sex objects" - because they enjoy sex as much as any man, and seem less inhibited or "repressed" about this, generally, (to me) than American females are. They seem to think it's part of their job as a female to look good, and they do - they really look great for men, and for themselves, too (the Parisian women, in general - from what I observed, anyway).
**French men are very chivalrous. They are very flirty with women in general, and pretty chauvanistic (or so I heard, when I was there) as far as what they consider women's "role" to be - (not that I care, I am a submissive, I can appreciate chauvanism). However, even a French man who is a total stranger to a woman will come to her defense in public, if she is, say, being harrassed by another man and it's clear she does not want the attention. They are notoriously chivalrous in that way (which I think is nice).
And the French art! Beautiful pictures and artists studios everywhere, plus lots of great museums (I loved the Musee' D'Orsay the best, as fart as museums - it has all of the great Impressionist-era artworks. I just poked my head into the Louvre' - I was short on time, and there was so much else to see)!
**I saw the Moulin-Rouge stage show (which is a real tourist-trap type of attraction) - still, seeing the dancers dance the "Can-Can" as they had done a hundred years ago, was a treat. The fact the female dancers were nude from the waist up didn't seem to shock any of the audience - that just seemed to be "business as usual" in Paris.
**The dancers at the Moulin- Rouge were so flawlessly talented - I think many of them were graduates from the Paris Ballet academies. Nudity, or semi-nudity, seemes to cause about as much of a stir in Paris, as someone taking their garbage out to the curb-side for pick-up; nobody thinks it is unusual. The beauty of the human body is something that is celebrated there - especially the female form.
I can imagine the people there (France) having few inhibitions when it comes to sex - and wasn't that where the author if "The Story of O" was from? I think so.
I also saw London last Summer (for the first time) - and also appreciated the British culture very much. The people there were very polite to Americans (at least they were to me), and I also thought that London was charming, interesting and a very beautiful city. I loved all of the sights I got to see there - I saw the Tower of London, Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, St. Pauls Cathedral, and many others. I got to take a cruise along the Thames river, and ate at some fabulous Pubs. I saw some fantastic museums (the Victoria and Albert museum was my favorite - I could have spent weeks in there - the place is absolutely huge).
***If I had not been with my "vanilla" relatives in both Paris and London, I'd have been very tempted to seek out a Dominant to meet for dinner, and to meet for an evening - but my relatives and I were all together all the time, and it was too risky for me to attempt - oh well!
**Alas, I have no specific kink reports related to my travels to either environ, only wishes re: What I'd have done if I'd been alone there (or with a gal pal who understood my bdsm inclinations) - but I will say that each city has a distinctly different "feel" than the other. Paris, France seemed to me to be more obviously un-inhibited, but - I got a feeling of an under-current of sexuality from viewing some of the art at British museums, and have a feeling the Brits are maybe just as "kinky"as any French person, although perhaps not as up-front about it, is my guess.
I woud love to visit Japan someday. I know a man who spent a year there when he was in graduate school, and he really came away with an appreciation of their cutlture compared to ours - he thinks the Japanese are a very thoughtful people (as in contemplative - much moreso than Americans, generally, he said). I am under the impression this thoughtful attitude probably extends to the area of love-making and sex in general (bdsm included, in whatever variation it exist there), too.
- Susan
< Message edited by SusanofO -- 2/6/2007 6:44:15 AM >
_____________________________
"Hope is the thing with feathers,
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all". - Emily Dickinson
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