France – Meet President Barack Obama

To say that President Barack Obama is more popular internationally than his predecessor would be an understatement of monumental proportions. Obama, staying in Paris with First Lady Michelle Obama and his daughters, seems to have made a successful sojourn to places around the world in what was largely seen as an attempt at mending fences with U.S. allies and would-be allies who were left wanting during the previous presidential administration. The Obama family also seemed to touch Parisians on a personal level. After the president departed a luncheon hosted by President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Michelle and the girls stayed in Paris, choosing to go shopping at Bonpoint, a high-end children’s clothing store.

The personal visit by the Obamas merely confirmed what is already know, i.e. – that the French, generally speaking, love the Obamas. Michelle is often featured on the covers of French magazines and her wardrobe is analyzed ad nauseam by writers of that ilk. Perhaps most impressive to the common folks of France, however, was the simple way that the Obamas presented themselves, a stark contrast to the highly-formal ceremonial appearances by French politicians.

Jacques Boudon, who owns a no-star restaurant called "La Fontaine de Mars," was honored to host the Obamas, who he said were served water, Coke and wine to go along with a meal of foie gras, lamp and steak. Boudon, clearly delighted to have had the Obamas in his establishment, noted that the group paid for their meals "like any client. It’s just what they wanted. And I think they were very happy since they stated three-quarters of an hour after dining. I saw God before me, because saw this smile that a million people have seen around the world. I saw her [Michelle] radiant. It’s idiotic, but it’s like that."