Paris Update

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Bonjour.

We are having lots of fun here in Paris. We've had incredibly beautiful weather, which helps alot, as we are doing tons of walking. We've seen all the major sites, and also just wandered around a good bit. We're staying in the 10th arrondisement, which is a working-class neighborhood about a mile north of the Seine and the tip of the Island that Notre Dame is on.

One of our highlights was having dinner last night at the house of Marine's parents. Marine was our au pair in Minneapolis three summers ago; she is now a law student here in Paris. Her parents live about a mile from our apartment, and they very graciously invited us over last night. We had an all-French meal: pate, bread, cheese, sausage, champaigne, red wine, macaroons, etc. Both her parents speak English, so we were able to have a very pleasant conversation about a number of topics, including yesterday's first round of voting for the next President of France. There were about 16 candidates, but only 3 major ones. The top two ended up being a conservative and a socialist; the run-off will be in two weeks. Very interesting times.

We spent some time at the Louvre today and saw the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and a number of large paintings by Delacroix and some other French artists. The kids tired of the museum scene very quickly, which is understandable given the crowds. But at least they've sampled the best art museum in the world.

We have two more days here, and then on Wednesday we fly back to Madrid. The kids start school next Wednesday in Sevilla; Angie and I will have lots more free time once that happens.

As always, we appreciate your emails. Keep in touch.

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