Post by Ella
A few last notes about Paris. On our last day in Paris, after a fun time with Méliès in Bercy and admiring the joyful grave of Simone and Jean-Paul (I need to reread Simone and wouldn’t you know it…I live with someone who owns all her works 🤷🏼♀️), we headed into Luxembourg Gardens before the search for dinner began. I heard a commotion as we stepped inside the gates. Following the noise we found a Pétanque game, well several Pétanque games in play. On a large rectangular area of packed fine gravel, were 6 games in progress. We knew it was Pétanque because a sign said so.
What is pétanque? It has some characteristics in common with bocce ball. Two teams compete to throw hollow metal balls at a small peg or jack (small colored wooden ball). The goal is to have the most balls (boules) closest to the jack.
You are not allowed to remove obstacles like stray rocks, leaves and twigs. There are strategies that involve knocking the other team’s boules away from the jack. The throw is not like an underhand lob. You hold the ball with palm facing down, giving the ball a little back spin as it sails throw the air.a
https://www.wikihow.com/Play-Petanque
Green metal chairs were positioned around the perimeter for onlookers. We grabbed a couple and settled in to watch.