Paris

What an amazing place. It does not seem like it should work but it seems to very well.

Everyone is always in a hurry. A big hurry. Except me. I have been spending most of my time getting lost, somewhat on purpose. Rather than hitting all of the top spots, some of which I have already seen, I just wander around, trying to get a sense of the city and how people here live.

The plusses - great food, drink, culture and mass transit - the metro is a wonderful way to get around.

The minuses - it is very warm, time is short & it is expensive. But how I love this place. I can imagine living here - at least for a while. Also, these keyboards are about to drive me crazy.

Yesterday I walked & walked. Many do & they mostly seem in good shape. Even though the metro is very handy, you still do a bunch of walking.

I have been putting together a list of ideas or suggestions for Jerry & his friend Kevin who may visit this summer. It is somewhat staightforward but there are several hints I hope to share with them.

Antoine was my host for the past 2 nights. He was very friendly but since he has hosted so many surfers he has certain ideas about how it should go. I tried my best to be a good guest & hope it was OK for him. We just met for lunch near the Bastille. It was excellent food at a resonable price. Coucous with sausage or chicken, some kind of soup that went over everything, coffee & wine for 18 euros.

He sells different kinds of food to grocery stores. Last night he was delayed so I had a couple of drinks in his town - Chelles - while waiting for him. It seemed like Cheers, everyone knew each other, except yours truly. It really made me want to learn French.

Today I have been wandering around, just trying to learn the city. It has been here for over 2000 years. The history just jumps out at you.

I leave this evening on a night train to Milan. From there I plan to go right away to Turin. Then back to Milan before heading to Florence.

It is so cool to be able to stop at a cafe, have a coffee while resting, watch the people streaming by & then back to it. Most restaurants are open to the outside, so it seems like you are always eating in the open air. I really like it and wish there were more outdoor eating places in the States.

More later.