Paris (July 6-12, 2013)

Many people refer to Paris as the City of Love. I’m not sure why. Paris does have a nice pathway along the SeineRiver, fine for a romantic walk. Good wine is abundant and reasonably priced at the hundreds of restaurants with outdoor seating. And there are the Eifel Tower, a 1000’ phallic beacon visible from much of Paris, the Arc d’ Triumph, the Louvre (do Mona Lisa – if you can see her through the crowds – and Venus de Milo inspire love?) and many more impressive sites. On the other hand in one month over 1000 people lost their heads but not their hearts in the guillotine at one street corner in Paris during the Revolution. Perhaps worst of all, many Parisians live in un-air conditioned apartments requiring them to open their courtyard-facing windows when sleeping during the summer. This provides a deep knowledge of your neighbors’ lives as you listen to their personal discussions and I have to think that it dampens some professions and expressions of love. Overall, I would not rate Paris as any greater City of Love than Austin, Texas. At least in Austin, you and your love can lay a blanket down on the grass at ZilkerPark or any of the other parks and enjoy a romantic spring or fall evening. In Paris, signs forbid you to walk on many of the beautiful green grass covered parks. I have no idea where kids kick soccer balls in Paris, but it is not in the “no walking on the grass/no laying down on the grass/no kicking soccer balls on the grass” parks we saw. Although Paris does not surpass Austin as the City of Love, my stomach will confirm that Paris has available much bread superior to that found in your average HEB. There is so much good bread in Paris that it takes a day or two just to learn the names of the different loaves. Yet, I have to think that the increase in poundage/kilos resulting from the wonderful Paris bread combined with the very tasty butter outweighs whatever role the bread plays during romantic discussions over dinner in the City of Love. In addition to the bread, other impressive parts of Paris include the Museum of Natural History (thanks, Kathleen!), the botanical gardens, the subway, and the apartment boats on the Seine, along with lying down just to the side of the Eifel Tower and looking at the thousands of pieces of metal required to make it (how long does it take to repaint that thing?).