On the left bank overlooking the River Seine is a beautiful domed building that sits at the end of the Pont des Arts, my favorite bridge in Paris. The building never has long lines of backpacked tourists waiting to get in, and if you watch for a bit you won't even see many people coming and going and sits rather lonely with a view of the Louvre, Pont des Arts and the end of the Ile de la Cite. It may look familiar to fans of Sex and the City, for it was on this bridge with this majestic building with a tint of gold on it that was in the background as Mr. Big and Carrie had their final moment in the city of love.
This building is the home of the Académie Française, the keeper of the French language that was founded 382 years ago today by Cardinal Richelieu "to labor with all the care and diligence possible, to give exact rules to our language, to render it capable of treating the arts and sciences". To this day the forty members hold close the French language and admonish the usage of Englishin official documents, advertisements and daily use.
One of the many things that makes Paris and France so amazing is how they hold their culture so tightly. They cherish their buildings, history, art and language in a way that America never has. America is too busy or to care to type out entire words in a text, they shorten words when speaking and even the leader of the country can barely speak English.
Bon Anniversaire Académie Française