Hong Kong...just ordinary crowds not related to the protests.
Something Rick Hulbert focused on was how crowds of tourists ruined places and photo opportunities. It got me thinking about "good" and "bad" crowds.
As much as I loved the city of Hong Kong it was pretty crazy for crowds. One day Sylvia and I got up about an hour before full sunrise just to experience the city without the crowds. There were people in the park doing Tai Chi and walking their birds in cages. It was so peaceful and then the sun came up and the whole city was packed with people in what seemed like just minutes. Bangkok is even crazier with contant honking of vehicle horns. In fact, when we came back to Hong Kong it seemed like a quiet village after Bangkok.
But at least most of these people were locals going about their business so it was not so bad for me. The crowds I find really distressing are the hordes of tourists in the wonderful cities like Venice, Florence, and Paris. At least we saw Paris in the days before the hordes. I do feel sorry for the residents of these cities. We often avoided downtown Victoria in the summer because of the tourists and it was nothing like what these very popular tourist places experience.
The weekly market in Carqueiranne was pretty crowded but that's ok somehow. Again...mainly locals. And the French at their markets are such a delight to watch. They get such pleasure from chatting with the sellers they've known for years and such a pleasure tn buying wonderful food. I was about the only one who asked the price of things that weren't priced. It seems money is no object when buying at the market.
The crowds are ok at the cafés of Paris and the pubs in the UK and the incredibly crowded pubs in Amsterdam where the locals seek out the most crowded pubs where you barely have standing room. I guess that isn't happening at the moment. And there's nothing like a full house for concerts and sports events.
I wonder how I'll feel about crowds after the pandemic is over. Perhaps I will love all crowds...who knows?
