A glam flash mob of 5,000 clad all in white invaded Paris’ Place de la Concorde last week for a surprise sit-down dinner on the street in one of the city’s most picturesque locations.
Within minutes of arriving at the square at the bottom end of the Champs Elysees, the crowd dressed head to toe in white had set up tables, chairs and china plates for a meal washed down with wine and champagne.
“We do this for a laugh every year in June, and always on a Thursday,” said Nicolas Godard, adding that the location was texted to participants at the last moment.
“It’s an elegant rendezvous aimed at enjoying French art de vivre,” said another diner named Helene.
The organization, she added, “is very military. We come with rubbish-bags, clean up at midnight and leave everything spotless, as if we’d never been here.”
Last year’s event took place on the Champs Elysees and the 2007 dinner party at the landmark Arc de Triomphe.(AFP)
上週,五千名盛裝打扮的白衣快閃族出奇不意地湧入協和廣場,在街道上享用正式晚餐。協和廣場是巴黎最美的景點之一。
這群全身白衣的快閃客來到協和廣場(位在香榭麗舍大道盡頭處)不到幾分鐘,就已架好就已架好餐桌椅,準備一邊品味紅酒、香檳,一邊大啖佳餚。
尼可拉斯•高達說:「我們每年六月都會舉行這項活動,時間多選在週四,就開個玩笑嘛。」他還說,地點都是在最後一刻才傳簡訊通知參加者。
另一名參與晚餐的快閃族海倫說:「這是場旨在享受法國生活藝術的優雅聚會。」
她還說,這個組織「非常軍事化,我們帶著垃圾袋前來,午夜時進行清理,不留下一絲痕跡,彷彿我們從未到過這裡。」
去年的晚宴地點在香榭麗舍大道,前年則是在地標凱旋門。
(法新社�翻譯:林倩如)
An outbreak aboard a cruise ship of a rare rodent-borne illness called hantavirus has left three passengers dead and sickened others, but global health officials say the risk to the general public remains low because the germ does not easily spread between people. “This is not the next COVID, but it is a serious infectious disease,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness at the World Health Organization (WHO). “Most people will never be exposed to this.” The virus usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings. Hantaviruses have been around for centuries and are thought to
Have you ever wondered how people navigate the world when they can’t see a map? For individuals with visual impairments, conventional maps are nearly impossible to use. This is where tactile maps come in — essential tools that allow people to “see” the world through touch. A tactile map is specially designed with raised lines, textures, and symbols to represent geographical features such as roads, rivers, and buildings. Users explore it with their fingertips. However, these maps are not exclusively for people with visual disabilities. They serve as valuable multisensory learning tools that enhance spatial understanding for everyone, making
1. 他病了三天。 ˇ He has been sick for three days. χ He has been sick since three days. 註︰這裡現在完成時態 have / has been 表示從過去某一時日到現在的一段時間存在的行為或狀態,與它連用的時間副詞應為 「for +若干時」,如 for a year, for three hours 等,意思是歷時多少。 2. 他自從星期三以來都很忙。 ˇ He has been busy since Wednesday. χ He has been busy from Wednesday. 註︰「自從……以來」,該用 since。說從某一天(某一時刻)到某一天(某一時刻)才用 from,如 from Monday till Friday。 3. 房間角落裡散放著一些零星物件。 ˇ There were some odds and ends lying in the corner of the room. χ There were some odds and ends lying at the corner of the room. 註︰「在房間角落裡」該用介詞 in。例如: He stood in the corner. There is a lamp in the corner of the room. at the corner 指房子外部的拐角。例如: A little boy
A growing green movement allows hotel guests to fund tree planting projects simply by opting out of daily room cleans. This approach turns an ordinary hotel stay into a direct contribution to nature. Founded in the Netherlands, the nonprofit “Hotels for Trees” operates on the principle that one skipped cleaning equals one new tree. It has planted more than 750,000 trees since 2021. Similarly, Sarnia Hotels in Guernsey donates £2 per refused clean. Since 2024, over 3,300 services have been cancelled, raising sufficient money to plant 1,100 native trees and hedgerows. Simplicity has been central to this success.