Paris holiday

Eiffel Tower, Disneyland, Vulture Capitalism and heat waves.

I've just got back from a big family holiday in France. 18 of us drove down in convey from Swansea, crossing from Folkestone to Coquelles on the Eurotunnel to visit Paris and Disneyland.

It was lovely to spend a whole week with my parents, my siblings and their partners and kids (and even some of the kids brought their partners). It's so difficult to get all of us together these days.

Eiffel Tower

I really enjoyed climbing the Eiffel Tower. I was surprised how much was going on there, especially on the first floor – shops, bars, restaurants etc. We didn't go right to the top though, floor 2 was enough for me. We also saw the Arc de Triomphe and walked along the Seine. We'd like to try a river boat next time.

Intricate geometric metal structure with clear blue sky in the distance.
Looking up at Eiffel Tower from the ground below
Looking down towards a busy bridge full of people, the road leads to a sprawling city in the distance.
View towards Palais de Chaillot from Eiffel Tower

Disneyland

The new expansion at Disneyland was impressive. My favourite bit was Adventure Way – a lake surrounded by a picturesque prom and gardens. Probably showing my age here that I preferred the bit where you could sit and relax, rather than any kind of thrill ride.

Vulture Capitalism

To balance things out, I bought a copy of Vulture Capitalism by Grace Blakeley to read whilst I was there, much to my family's amusement.

It's a difficult but interesting read so far. I'm expecting it to get more hopeful later, but for now it's focusing on breaking down the history of capitalism and neoliberalism since the Second World War. (Is it just me, or have worker's rights not really moved on much since those early post war gains?)

I'm enjoying Grace's reframing of capitalism, as summed up in this quote…

“A capitalist society is a class-divided society in which power is monopolised by capitalists and their allies. A socialist society is a classless society in which power is shared and decisions are made collectively.”

Heat waves

Luckily the weather was slightly cooler than it had been. The dry, warm weather suited us and enabled us to walk around and enjoy the sights. But, it was scary to read about the wildfires near Bordeaux. My thoughts are with people affected by it.

When we arrived back in Wales, all the grass had turned to a dry, yellow which was a depressing sight to return to.