Our trip to Paris somehow turned into two weekends instead of a week. The original rationale for the trip was that Alan and Amy were both out of school and Amy particularly wanted to see Paris. But . . . Deanna wasn't off school and Mike needed to save leave and . . . and . . . and . . . and somehow our lives are always too complicated. Anyway the first weekend, we picked Alan up at Charles de Gaulle airport and did some sightseeing. The second weekend we took him back and did some more sightseeing. In between we came back to Heidelberg for a few days.
Driving in Paris was very intimidating. We were told it would be - this time the naysayers were right. We basically just drove to our hotel each weekend and parked the car until time to go home, but even that was intimidating. Maybe it's my imagination, but it seems like lots of streets have no lane-markings and everyone just sort of crowds in wherever they can find room. Mike didn't seem to be too bothered by that - maybe his experience in Korea helped - but I was scared to death. I'm sure I have several dozen more gray hairs today than I did 3 weeks ago. The second weekend Deanna and I drove back from Paris alone - horrors! - because Mike had to return to Frankfurt early to leave for a TDY in San Antonio and Amy went on to Madrid for a class. We managed to find a hotel right on the Peripherique (French equivalent of a loop) so all I had to do was make 2 left turns and I was on the access ramp to the Peripherique (it had lane markings!). Then all I had to do was find the right exit to Autobahn 4 and follow it home to Germany. That was enough excitement for me. Actually the French countryside was beautiful. Bigger farms and fewer towns and vineyards than Germany.
When one is not riding in a car, Paris is delightful, too. The first weekend was pretty cold, but not unbearably so. The second weekend was warm --- shirt sleeve weather. The first weekend, we stayed in the French Officers Quarters - a French Army Hotel that allows American military as guests if there is room. It was nice and really convenient -- just a few blocks from the Champs-Elysees -- but a little pricey. The second weekend we stayed in an Etap Hotel - the European version of a Super 8. It was definitely economy but adequate for our purposes. We were out a ways from the sights but the Paris Metro is excellent so that was not problem.
We've heard mixed reports about Paris. Some people say "It's a dirty, crowded city. See the biggies like the Eiffel Tower and get out." Others really like Paris. Having now seen Paris, I guess we probably fall somewhere in between. I wouldn't call it a dirty city and we did really enjoy it, but I think that we've seen what there is to see and with all of Europe at our doorstep I doubt that we'll go back.
My first impression of the Eiffel Tower was that it was rather ugly - a steel monstrosity, but it rather grew on me each time I saw it and the views from the second level were incredible. The lights on it at night are also pretty neat. We ended up climbing the stairs to the second level - 700 steps maybe? - mostly because we didn't want to wait in line to ride the elevator. It was quite 
a trek but well worth it.
The Arc de Triumphe also is pretty spectacular - at least twice as tall as the trees around it. The place where you get the best view of it is standing on the "island" in the middle of the Champs-Elysees - a busy 6 lane boulevard. While you are waiting for the walk light you can take a picture.
Our first day in Paris we took a boat tour on the Seine River. (Someone please help me - how do you pronounce "Seine"? Is it like "I'll SEND you to the store" but without the "d"?) The boat tour was nice and helped us get oriented. The second day we did the Louvre and Notre Dame Cathedral. . I'm not much of a museum buff but the Louvre was interesting -- though I wasn't impressed with Mona. ( I couldn't get close enough to verify whether or not she winks.) The third day we did a short tour of Paris's underground sewer system in the morning and drove back to Heidelberg in the afternoon. The second weekend we did Versailles.
My favorite part of Paris was walking along the river - just soaking in the sights and watching the people, etc. There were performers of various kinds set up on the bridges and they were fun to watch - a small jazz combo, a clown that did bicycle tricks and some guys doing stuff on roller blades, etc.
The outstanding feature of Paris architecture is the wrought iron balconies at every window on every floor of every building. The French Quarter in New Orleans is truly a miniature of Paris in that respect.
A friend of ours in Colorado (that's you Debbie) has challenged us to find some favorite spots of our own and not just always do Rick Steve's stuff and I think we met her challenge in Paris. The second night we were there, we happened onto a street named Rue Severin just off the Left Bank of the Seine River across from Notre Dame. It had all kinds of
neat, reasonably priced eating places. We picked a crepe shop and went in for supper. It was really good. I had potatoes, cheese, and eggs all wrapped up in a crepe -- a different folding technique than burritos and a different texture but sort of the same concept. I think I could really get into crepes - Amy and I had chocolate-filled ones from a street vendor one other day and they were really good, too. We went back to that same street 2 more nights for supper. The street itself (Rue Severin) reminded me (as many European streets do) of a slot canyon in Big Bend National Park in Texas. The walls (either rocks or 6 story buildings whichever the case may be) are really tall and the passageway between them is relatively narrow. From a distance you don't even see that there is an opening.
I must say that the French language is a mess. Alan commented at some point that English is only messed up to the extent that it borrows from French - unfortunately it does A LOT of borrowing from French. I've decided that French is the exact opposite of Hawaiian. In Hawaiian, you pronounce every single consonant and every single vowel. Period. No exceptions. In French at least half the consonants in any given word are silent. And how you get "wee" out of "oui." I will never know. I took a picture of a sign at a rest stop that said "pique-nique."
The French are not unfriendly as some have told us in the past, but they do seem less willing (or able?) to speak English than people in other countries we've visited. For example, at Charles de Gaulle airport there were NO signs at any point in English. Finding the right terminal to pick Alan up was a challenge. At a lot of the tourist sights, however, things were written in English as well as French.
So, a quick update on the kids and I will sign off. Alan has signed a job offer for Google in Kirkland, Washington beginning the last week in May. He seems excited and glad to have that settled. He's given me permission to ride with him from LA to Seattle after graduation and see friends there under the guise of helping him get settled. So I will probably be in that area for a week or two the end of May.
Amy is in Madrid this week taking a class from the University of Maryland on Ernest Hemingway. She has called a couple of times and it sounds like things are going well. She likes the class and her Spanish seems to be serving her well. Deanna is still enduring Heidelberg High School - somewhat more cheerfully than a few months ago, but enduring nonetheless.
My arm is improving steadily. The challenge now is to NOT do things that I shouldn't - like lean on it or lift heavy things. I still can't extend it quite all the way or scratch my back, but hopefully that will come with time and physical therapy. The level of discomfort is minimal
Mike just got back from San Antonio from some sort of Family Life chaplain training - something related to post-traumatic stress disorder. He was going to go to Lawton, OK afterwards and move his mom from the assisted living center to a nursing home in anticipation of the day when medicare will have to take over paying for her care, but he decided to postpone that until another trip.
I don't seem to be doing very well at responding individually to your e-mails, but I do really enjoy them. Please don't quit!!!!
Nancy
