Dudes, I actually did some of my reading today in a new petit parc, after a musee visit didn't pan out [looong line], and had a decently comprehensible conversation with a stranger about frisbee, and a much shorter conversation about the oil spill in the gulf. Today's new words: 'oil spill,' 'blister,' and the French equivalent of 'it doesn't make any sense.' Apparently at least some Parisians have heard of it [frisbee], and of Ultimate [to the uninitiated, it's kind-of like football rules-wise, so it's not totally lame], but yes, it can be difficult to find a game. To make things shorter, because I'm tired, the most major things on my wanderings were getting a ticket to l'Arc de Triomphe and taking les escaliers [stairs] up to the top. Today was a day of spats of hard rain and cancer-conducive sunshine, but I was glad at least for warmer weather. Taking my usual mantra 'pack lightly' possibly, just maybe, to a bit of an extreme this particular trip, you could, in the next universe over, say that I didn't quite pack just enough clothing and that I've been cold since Wednesday, but I would never, ever admit something like that, ever. ANYWAYS, I got lucky and stayed dry and saw lots of large objects and tourists and really enjoyed it up there, I'm going to have to start a ranking system for vista points I've visited.
After walking down les Champs Elysees, because it's just fun, I eventually made my way to the school. Misleading metro signs culminated in my arriving last [half an hour late, nbd people] but still managing to mingle with the help of salty snack foods and faces I actually vaguely recognized from past classes. We jammed the metro leaving as a group and made people unhappy, but ended up at a nice pocket traditional French restaurant with carafes d'eau and vin at the ready. I ended up at the table with the professors, which was nice, and with the daughter of one of them who was tagging along for the summer, and ate pate [just to say that I did], a sort of baked chicken and a fabulous chocolate cake, fabulous, warm and swimming in cream, but I didn't dare to lick my plate; the waiters were unexpectedly friendly and taught me table manners, reminding me that it was rude to put your hands beneath the level of the table, showing me how to place my silverware to signal I was done, useful stuff, but I didn't need to excessively debase myself in front of people who would be shortly giving me numeric values on the quality of my French. Afterwards, I went to the apartment of two other students to check it out with a group of people, and we just chilled and drank wine [or unfermented fruit juice, in my case] and you know, it was nice to be around Americans, unexpectedly nice. I like to think I can get by fine alone, and I can, but yeah, it was nice.
Weird things about France: The groups I periodically see who stick together in approximate phalanxes via the visual aid of eccentric headgear. Today's notable lots included one formation of youths wearing, I don't know, they looked like mushrooms, stuffed felt red fungal caps with large white polka dots, I should have taken a picture, and a loud group of supersized sombrero-sporting Frenchmen.
l'Arc de Triomphe, doi!
la Tour Eiffel
la Defense, the business area, with the modern Grande Arche [think concrete National Geographic logo] visible straight down the boulevard, going to visit there in the near future
Sacre Couer visible up on that hill
part of les Champs
it having just rained, I had to get all Artistic on my walk back from Saint Michel, because my handheld camera, though not a perfect person, does night pictures with fabulous colours [I think]; these are among the more digestible, less abstract pictures: Here you can see a bit of the spotlight atop la Tour Eiffel and an illuminated Notre Dame
a bit of Ile Saint Louis to the right there
the column of La Bastille as seen from the quai along the Seine
a bit of the Blvd Diderot, I guess I have a thing for glass, I'll get over it
Ask your family what they think about the Burka ban!
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