Hey Folks, I have not hit the blog recently because there has not been too much to tell. The chateau remains beautiful and the food remains spectacular. Yesterday we drove to Biarretz, whose sun drenched buildings and beaches were like something out of a movie. We had lunch next to the beach and walked around on the beach for a while. To tell the truth, I feel like we have been kind of lazy. We have pretty much been laying around the chateau eating and playing lots of pool and tennis. I still feel a little ridiculous, but whatever. I think we will try to drive to San Sebastian (which is across the border in Spain) tomorrow and see some ancient cave drawings. It would be nice to speak some Spanish ( I find being unable ... read more

Mike, to mine and Mat’s surprise, actually made it to our rendezvous point day before yesterday. We said goodbye to Paris, took a night train to Dax, and arrived at the chateau at 6:00 yesterday morning. Patrice, one of the chateau staff, picked us up from the train station. Paris was wonderful, but also a bit overwhelming. You could spend years wandering the streets, the history, the monuments, and the museums. The only places I managed to visit were the Eiffel Tower (to meet Mat) and Notre Dame, whose grandeur still inspired hushed awe despite the throng of tourists surrounding the cathedral’s walls. I begin to wonder what the Parisians do besides eat, work in restaurants, and hang around, since the city seemed to be filled with little more than streets upon streets of restaurants, bars, ... read more

Well, as promised, here is the blog. After a couple flights and an eight hour layover in Detroit, I finally arrived in Paris. The flight over really wasn’t so bad since you can mess with their little entertainment system, listen to music, doze, and, of course, write some IPE theory. I sat next to a Detroit native who was traveling to Paris to set up business operations with his power steering parts company. I guess that’s what Detroit needs to do to stay remotely competetive. The thought of John (that was his name) the red blooded American making his first foray into France since his days in the airforce was striking: the decidedly provincial man doing the decidedly cosmopolitan. Anyway, I made way to the meeting point at the bridge that crosses the Seine next to ... read more