Day of REST

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The day after our Tour de France outing - "Do you need a nap?" "YES!" "Do you?" "YES!" So, the decision was made to let this be a day when nothing much more than washing clothes and taking turns napping would occur.

Very Necessary.

So, in lieu of exciting travel commentary, I offer up the following random observations:

1) Smoking - Wow. The last time I was in Paris, the smoke was visible and palpable. Now, you rarely ever see anyone smoking and, when you do, it seems kind of illicit.

2) Coffee- You can find coffee for takeaway (a emporter!) fairly easily in Paris, maybe because everyone is in kind of a hurry, unless they happen to be sitting in front of a cafe, in which case they will not move until Kingdom Come. We found a great place for cafe au lait just underneath our apartment. Hank went there almost every day, bringing us ridiculously hot coffees, and little gingerbread cookie thingies, which Fea became obsessed with, calling them CROGGHERS! We went to this little cafe a couple times as a family unit, and the proprieter was so enamored of Fea, she always gave her a chocolate madeleine. EVERY time. And yes, I let Fea have a little of the madeleine, every time. This may have something to do with the fact that the woman told me I had a very good French accent for someone with only un peu of the language. Every time we travel, Hank has several people who come up to him asking for directions, recommendations, and who knows what else, in the native language (e.g., Italian, Croatian, Hungarian, etc.). This has never happened to me until we traveled in France...and just yesterday I directed a Belgian couple, with my limited French, to the tourism office. Ahhh. OH WAIT, I was talking about coffee - so, as we have traveled, the availability of a coffee to go has dwindled. At this point, I get really strange looks when I ask for a cafe to go - yes, I can have it THERE, but, TO GO???? Non.

3) Moustaches - Apparently, the giant, waxed, curly mustachios are back in style. Or maybe they never went out of style??

4) Short Pants a la Hank - I remember when Hank got his first pair of man capris several years ago when we traveled. People made jokes. They were derisive. Hank was calm and cool and confident in his short pants-ed-ness. Now...every dude in Western Europe has man capris. I kid you not. I would take pictures but then I would be photographing all men in their short pants. Better to let them be happy and free and comfortable. And Hank can wallow in his "I told you so".

5) High Heels - I almost fall down on a flat surface in my Danskos. The women of France wear high heeled shoes on the cobblestones, on bikes, on gravel pathways, everywhere. My favorite sighting so far - in Strasbourg, an older woman with high heels, bright red lipstick, a cigarette, pedaling off on her bicycle. Ah, tres chic.

6) Public Urination - At this point, I recognize the distinctive pattern a public pee-er leaves on the sidewalk and am able to step over it and carry on. More public toilettes, sil vous plait!

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Comments

[Pat]

Yum!
I'm really enjoying the food pictures and descriptions! That pizza looked delicious. I bet the bike tour was amazing. Best of all (for me,as a grandmother)was Fea feeding flies and telling them hi! Your commentary is so good I feel as though I am seeing these wonderful sights with you all!

[Krista]

I noticed that you did not comment on the hundreds/thousands of piles of dog dodo all over the city. Have the french started curbing their dogs?

[TBoo]

No poo-poo!
Actually, I rarely noticed dog poop on the sidewalk, which is a huge difference from the last time we were there! Maybe all of the crazy posters and bag stands are working...??

[Jaime]

French Stache
The giant waxed stache is definitely big in Philly, I think the circus ring leader look is coming back! Your blog is great, have to read more but I loved the updates from Ireland and photos of the fam, thanks! Enjoy the rest of your time, who knows...maybe you'll come back in stilettos, hehe.