August 25th, 1821.
At eight in the morning, Francis Bonaparte was aboard a flight to Paris.
From his vantage point by the window, the expanse of the city unfolded beneath him. The view highlighted Paris's architectural style, with its network of roads, alleys, and broad avenues intersecting among iconic Napoleonic buildings.
At night, the scene would be animated by the glow of streetlights, the movement of vehicles, and the lit interiors of buildings. Now, under the soft morning light, the city looked different—more subdued and functional, less about the grandeur of its illumination and more about the day-to-day life of its inhabitants as they commenced their routines.
As he was looking down below from the window, Francis noticed blimps hovering above the city. It's one of the go-to places for tourists visiting Paris. People say that Paris is beautiful when seen above. And those blimps, like aircraft, can transport people from one point to another.
