Paris Nuit Blanche (Paris All-Nighter) 2015

Once a year, Paris holds an all-nighter of art.  From 10PM to 7AM, temporary art installations open their doors to the public.  This year, they actually painted a blue line on the sidewalks that stretched miles across the city, linking together the various art installations, passing cafes, neighborhoods, and food trucks along the way.  We were lucky enough to get excellent tacos from one of the best food trucks in the city  - California Cantine.  We had excellent tacos, a rare treat in Mexican-food-averse Paris.

[For incredibly cool clips from La Nuit Blanche Paris 2014, check this post from last year.]

Around 12:30 AM, after having walked a few miles, we came to the main attraction. There were about 3000 people in line.  There was a brief discussion of giving up and going home, but our friend Pringle rallied our spirits.  We're all glad she did, as it turned out to be a pretty amazing atmosphere of blue, laser-ised waves of clouds.

This installation was designed by Dan Roosegaarde, a Dutch aritst.  Since he's from the Netherlands, he's representing how his country may be under blue waves some time in the next fifty years due to the impact of climate change.  The Netherlands is already being kept above water with a system of dikes and pumps, sort of like New Orleans before Katrina.  So, the threat looms large in the Dutch psyche.

If the photos are too large for your screen, click on one to get a resized slide show.