Something Magical Appeared in the City

The 13th Arrondissement of Paris is an area that largely stands as uncharted territory on the tourist map. Although this neighbourhood even despite of all of its charming streets and quirky urban art works and murals has avoided the tourist invasion, this quartier is experiencing an invasion of its own but on a much more cute and cuddly level.

Walking around Les Gobelins at the moment is a bit like stepping into a teddy bear’s picnic (aka heaven for a girl like me because who doesn’t love to cuddle a bear the same height as you?) except these bears are living like Parisians. Spot them in shop windows, poised in hairdresser’s chairs and posing on café terraces as they bring a smile to the faces of even the most begrudging of passers-by.

I don’t think I need a reason to explain my delight when I was wandering around this area and came across the myriad of huggable friends all hanging out of each building and above the metro. (I even drank my morning coffee beside one of them and if that’s not the best possible highlight one can have in their day then I don’t know what is.)

What’s really heartwarming about this event is that all of the bears belong to one parisian man named Philippe who decided to lift the spirits of the locals by putting his bears all around the neighbourhood. The apparition of these bears has nothing to do with any organisation. It literally is just one guy who decided to share the joy. How cool is that?

When you live in a busy city such as Paris, it’s really easy to become accustomed to the monotony of everyday life and to fall into the cycle of the metro, boulot dodo (Subway, work, sleep, repeat.) lifestyle. Seeing a world filled with adorable teddy bears is such a pleasant relief from the stress of city living and it’s just one of those little silly things that reminds us that there are so many reasons in life to smile.

Hopefully you guys enjoyed this post and that it cheered you up like how it cheered me up!

That’s all from me for now and I’ll see you tomorrow for a YouTube video.

~Amanda xx