They Speak French Here

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I know how stupid it sounds, but Istanbul and Prague were a bit of a surprise as well -- nearly everyone has a working knowledge or more of English. Asking for directions, other questions, ordering in restaurants ... for none of this do you need the local language in Istanbul or Prague. Here -- some know English, but it's good that Adrienne can take the lead in French, and I do a fair job of it as well.

Walking around the city, we see a tremendous diversity -- Asian, African, Middle Easterns and Caucasians -- and they all speak French. It seems crazy to walk by a diverse group and hear them all speaking French to one another, especially after our language experiences up until now.

Yesterday we were walking back to the hotel when a young French woman asked us for directions to the nearest post office. After our initial surprise, we pulled out our maps, which show symbols for each post office in the city. We found one right down the street and off she went -- conversation all in French.

The Paris streets are filled with men and women on motorcycles -- the mode of transportation of choice. During our arrival at rush hour, there were literally hoards of them all over the city. Most of the riders are wearing business suits -- even the women. The cycles have a 'skirt' on them to keep the rider warm and protect from the rain.

There are two prices for most foods one can buy here: emporter (carry out and eat it on the street as you walk), and an eat-in price (nearly double the emporter price). Makes eating on your feet very attractive and cost-effective.

Yes, we did the Louvre today. My estimate is that in six hours we saw about 20 - 25% of the Louvre collection. After two days of heavy walking, I suspect we'll have a light - medium walking day tomorrow.

Adrienne says to tell everyone that she LOVES Paris!

Our theme for Paris so far is reminiscent of the Austin area Norwalk furniture commercials ... "This is a fountain!" "This is a painting. It's a reproduction, but it costs MORE than the original!"

We've had themes for each city, but the others are tougher to explain in this blog.

Cheers to all, Wendy

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