Paris Shorts

(Note: my email server has been having difficulty and has been down more than up of late. For those of you emailing me, please be patient.)

fountains, everywhere; ponds, in gardens; the river, The Seine; love the gurgling sounds

gardens, strolling for hours in just one and still missing some of the beauty

bridges, a new favorite is the foot bridge near the Louvre; evenings bring groups out in mass -- small huddles of friends, musicians, ethnic dancing, ... beautiful!

a boat ride on the Seine, followed by a jazz concert in a boat that's anchored, ... ahhhhhhhh

streets start looking alike -- narrow cobblestoned roads; tall buildings with ornate sculptures and charming windows with little balconies and flowers, lots of flowers -- just another row of "concrete" from the 1500s/1600s with a little 12th century stone buildings thrown in now and then. So mundane and hum-drum.

giant department stores in buildings that are more beautiful that the things inside; six floors of men's clothing, even!

designer fashions in little shops and big -- everywhere, truly everywhere!

cafes, brassieres, restaurants -- all with outdoor seating (all with smokers, too!), some with live music, all with wine and espressos -- the two apparent drugs of choice in the city :-)

saumon fume' with toast (and an egg, if wanted); slices of tomatoes and mozzarella with basil and olive oil; shrimp cocktail; cheese plates; creme brule'; I do believe we've eaten smoked salmon (lox) at least once each day!

churches/cathedrals from the 12th centuries and up -- exquisite accoustics, stunning stained glass, organs -- real ones -- virtually empty but for the tourists; Ah, we're going to Hillsong Paris Church tonight. It's a new plant from the Hillsong London crew so they fly in here on Friday, do 2 Friday night services, fly back to London on Saturday. Soooooooooo excited!

walking, metro riding, more walking (on sunny days, who wants to be underground in a stinky subway?) -- a banged up big toe from when Jim stepped on it (he still feels pain, more than I do, even!), aches and pains from all of the walking but, hey, I've got Danskos!

The only real negative on this trip is that I had a list of "must buys" -- items for ourselves and many requests for people on the camp. So, shopping has turned into "hunting" -- I just want to make the kill and get out, so to speak. And I still can't find a couple of things after a week-long hunt. 'hope to make final conquests today.

Shopping mixed with peaceful moments is the best way to survive -- so today, I'll stroll through Le Jardin de Luxembourg -- that'll be at least 2 hours of peace!!! And when the shopping gets crazy, one can always step into a small side-street and find a charming coffee shop that serves tea.. Starbuckssssss are popping up everywhere, but I try to avoid them ... just 'cuz.

Oh ya, did I mention? -- Le Tour d'Eiffel with lights blinking on the hour every night, Notre Dame, The Louvre, L'Opera, Champs Elysee, l'Arc de Triomphe, ...

So, you can see why I haven't been sitting at a computer in a hotel room very much. I'll load photos when we get to the B&B in Antibes this weekend. Jim's meetings have gone well but he's truly ready for a slow-paced rest on the Riviera!! We plan on avoiding a lot of the "must sees," choosing to relax and stay put most of the days.