Rain Rain go away, Paris Day 5

Today was RAINING! The expression of cats and dogs definitely comes to mind. What to do today was hard to figure out. I definitely didn't want to just walk around outside (too much rain). I also couldn't go into any of the big museums (where the other 5 billion tourists were sure to be). I decided on some smaller museums: two of Perfum and one of crystal. I also did a little shopping, but mostly just window shopping.

La Tour Eiffel, Day 4

Sunday. I decided that I wanted to go for a walk, so Alex and I decided to climb the Eiffel Tour. We took the Velib... but we couldn't find a bike rack near the Tour Eiffel. (Later, when I looked at the map on line, it turned out we passed 10 bike racks that were parallel to us one block over! Ack) Eventually we found a bike rack and headed back towards the Tour Eiffel. We were very happy to have NO LINES! Quite amazing, even if you just want to climb the stairs. It was a work out, but it was worth it. We could only climb to the first and second levels. The third is accessible only by a spiral staircase and it is not "safe" enough. I guess if you fall, you continue falling for 300 meters. Ouch!

Here are some of the views:

While we were up at the top, Alex and I decided to call home and have Leo wave to us from the balcony. We couldn't believe it, but with the camera super zoomed in, and the binoculars, we saw him! We put together the photos to get an idea of what we saw.

You can see the different pieces we zoomed in on. In the middle is Leo, waving to us. How funny!

Getting around Paris, Days 2 and 3

Friday was spent walking around town and seeing the schools. I played monopoly with some of the kids... I'm embarrased to say by how much I lost. I just don't have the mind for taking over whole blocks of real estate. We finished the evening with a movie. (I went to bed early... jet lag.)

Saturday was spent doing the weekly shopping. I took the Velib (rent-a-bike) to the grocery store with Claudia. Later, we stopped by the bi-weekly market. The sold everything there. Of the most concerning was the fish on ice with their crazy eyes. YUCK. Which brings be to saturday lunch. I ate fish. Eww. As far as the taste and texture goes, it wasn't bad. It was the idea of have a fish in my mouth. I do not refute that my "allergy" to fish is entirely in my head. I'm ok with that. Saturday evening, we ate out at the Indian restaurant. I feel as though I'm going to be trying many new things while I'm here!

Bonjour, Paris Day 1

I was very happy to arrive in Paris after a long (and with a cold, somewhat grueling) trip. I left New York and flew to Paris. I'll be here for 6 weeks, and I'm trying to get the most out of the trip. I took the redeye from New York to London and the a short plane trip from London to Paris. I didn't sleep at all on the very short (only 6 hours) flight to London. In between them feeding us twice, you didn't have any time to sleep. Aside from not sleeping, British Airways is a very nice airline to fly. They retain some of the class in flying from the old days... like I was alive to experience it. It was great. I was overwhelmed with all the personal entertainment choices. Where have I been when all these movies came out to the theaters? I hadn't even heard of many of the choices. After a (extremely) short layover in London, I arrived to the gate (out of breath from running) to catch my plane to Paris. I can't tell you how long that flight was; I slept during the entire thing. Next, I caught a bus into town and walked to the house. At this point, I didn't really care I was in Paris. I was just thankful to have a comfortable bed to pass out on. We all know I like my sleep. I had been deprived for WAY too long! Jet lag is always worse when you travel East.

So I slept, met the family, and slept some more!

40 degrees, what's the difference?

It always amazes me how different 40 degrees can feel on each end of the winter season. In the fall, 40 degrees feels so cold. These days, it feels so warm and I'm so thankful for the 40 degree days. (Sometimes, it even gets warmer than that! What a treat.)

Like many things, its all relative!

Becoming a New Yorker

I could never truly be a New Yorker, although a few habits are developing.
If you've ever crossed the street in New York, you know the people here don't wait for the crossing light. I've started to cross the street when I want, too... only in doing so, you can easily tell I'm not a native. When I jay-walk I'm still concerned about getting hit by a car, so I run or do a little jog. The natives, they just casually crossed the street, on-coming traffic or not. I could never do that.

You can see me running across the streets.

Open your windows

It used to be, in times past, that windows were opened year round to air out the house. This daily airing helped reduce the spread of disease. In our times, windows are shut air tight, and the air/"energy" loss is considered problematic. Is keeping in the old, stale air in the name of energy conservation making us sicker?
Italians still open their windows. In fact, a good friend of mine, while living in Atlanta, was convinced the air conditioner was making him sick. Italians are raised on the concept of airing out the house. So much, to the extent while living with an Italian family in Switzerland, the windows were opened in the mornings for an hour or so. It was cold as the average temperature was about 10 degrees Fahrenheit. The cold air introduced fresh air into the house and helped kill any germs already there.
So, open your windows. Try it. It feels so good to have fresh air in the house. You don't need to live in 78 degrees.