Parisian musician wants visitors to slow down

PARIS — With the Olympic Games well underway, Paris seemed to be a little busier than usual.

And now that the rain has stayed away, the city’s streets are packed full of tourists. However, there was one man who wanted all those people to take it easy — Parisian accordionist Dragan Constantin.

Constantin told KSL TV that you can’t learn if you don’t listen. And with how busy Paris is during the Olympics, listening beyond the noise just might be the best way to truly hear the city.

Paris has always been busy. It’s a place many people dream of visiting, and a place millions do visit every single year.

Throw in the Olympics, and things get hectic fast.

With crowds standing in endless lines, it can be easy to forget the romanticism of Paris, which is where Constantin comes in. His is a sound that is as ‘Paris’ as the Eiffel Tower. And when Constantin plays, he hopes people stop being busy, even if just for a minute.

“People. I look, I play music. They just film and dancing, every, anytime, dancing here,” Constantin said.

English isn’t his first or even second language. But music, it’s a universal language where notes can make you feel something without a single word.

“I play heart,” Constantin said. “I play emotion. Very, very emotion, my music.”

He’s passionate about his music. About how his accordion can truly make people pause, even in the middle of a crowded Olympic city, and remember that the best way to see Paris is to simply slow down.

“For me, peace. Peace,” Constantin said.

There were also musicians playing a violin, a guitar, a saxophone, and even bagpipes on the city’s streets.

There is plenty of music on the streets of Paris. It’s easy to hear it, even in the middle of the busy crowds, if you just listen.