The Last Revolution

After our disastrous excursion into Spain, I am nearing the end of my story ("at last!" you say) and of course every good story needs a dramatic conclusion! As it happens, I have no lack for inspiration because the final destination on our tour was Paris. Just like a cyclist in the Tour de France, I am going to change gears rapidly to reach the finish line. Excusez-moi!

In July 1989, it happened to be the 200 year anniversary of the French Revolution, the beginning of "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité" and we were there for the celebration!

Paris was filled with reminders particularly in the places that existed for that amount of time like Le Jardin des Tuileries and of course La Place de la Bastille, the very starting place!

First of all we needed somewhere affordable to stay and that was the Moulin Rouge. The woman at the hotel gave us one of the cheap rooms up a narrow flight of stairs. The double bed was very small, I'm not sure she thought we were brothers.

By this stage we had virtually no money so almost anything to eat was good. I don't think our hotel had enough stars for a free breakfast so we went looking for some cheap options of the food kind around the hotel. The croissants in Paris are amazing and of course fruit and cheese can make a good meal.

The city is very beautiful but like all the big cities, if you don't have money, you need to be creative. We went to see the famous churches of Montmartre and the Notre Dame and walked along the Seine. The museums and art galleries are very cheap but we couldn't afford the time or money. Instead, we enjoyed the street artists and the skill of the skateboarders near the Eiffel Tower. Even the con artists and tricksters were entertaining to watch. Of course, we had to climb the Eiffel Tower which in 1989 was 100 years old! It's virtually free and it's a must to view the city from up there.

My ginger beard was getting more ridiculous by the day and our shirts and shorts were completely out of place in stylish Paris. Probably we looked more like the Sans Abris than tourists. At least we had a ticket home. We might have looked and smelt bad, but we had a place where we belonged : )

By the end, it was a relief to go home. There is only so long to live as a stranger. I remember the French school kids on the train to Calais singing popular songs in perfect English bringing us some comfort but it wasn't until we finally crossed the Channel that we could truly relax.

Playing in my head now is the sound of a French Revolution song from a very good vintage year of the 1960's ; ) It is a version of a well known anthem that captured the optimism of the times.

"Où que vous soyez, accourez braves gens.

L'eau commence à monter, soyez plus clairvoyants.

Admettez que, bientôt, vous serez submergés

Et que si vous valez la peine d'être sauvés,

Il est temps maintenant d'apprendre à nager

Car le monde et les temps changent!"

From Les Temps Changent

In July 1989 the waters were once more rising. Within a few months, a Revolution was going to bring down Communism throughout Central and Eastern Europe.

It's more than 25 years since the Revolution of 1989 and we live in a World which faces challenges on an even greater scale. Then the enemy was Communism, now it is Terrorism. The walls of stone around people's hearts are even thicker and higher now. But change is coming and it's not far off now.

The World is heading for a Final Revolution and like Jeremiah, I have to tell you it's going to be more traumatic than we have ever experienced before. Open your eyes so you will not be taken by surprise!

Try as people will, the next Revolution won't be won with guns and tanks nor by people mobilising against the governments of the world because into that vacuum will only step something even worse. After all, we all have conflicting ideas of the way the world should be : )

This Final Revolution is not physical against flesh and blood. It is against the unseen principalities and powers that built and fester inside those walls and rule over this World with an iron fist.

And when The Last Battle is won, we won't recognise the World we have lived in, because a New World will dawn where the last will be first and the first will be last and a Worthy King will reign...forever.

"Et le sort et les dés maintenant sont jetés
Car le présent bientôt sera déjà passé.
Un peu plus chaque jour, l'ordre est bouleversé.
Ceux qui attendent encore vont bientôt arriver.
Les premiers d'aujourd'hui, demain, seront les derniers
Car le monde et les temps changent!"

Au Revoir!