Paris!

So here I am...In Paris, France...sitting in my hotel room at around 10 at night. You may be asking why I am here instead of out there...partying, drinking...especially on July 14th (look it up why don't you? It's a freaking holiday!)

The problem is I have no money.

OK, let me explain. Because I do have money. Honest I do!

The problem is that the money I have is American. And it appears that the French don't want American money. They don't want our cash, they don't want our Travelers Cheques (to use the lingo). They want Euros. Bah.

Considering today is a holiday there are no exchanges open. Of course I could have done it at the airport...and yes, I did consider that...and it seemed (at quick glance) that the exchange rate was decent. But I figured (forgetting the holiday) that I'd still find someplace...perhaps the hotel.

No.

No exchange. No desire for American currency.

So here I sit writing this. And ladies and gentlemen...be prepared for a looooong post.

Considering that I emailed most of you once I first arrived I won't go into details about the hotel or the flight. For you new folks...it's cool. Not super cool, but does the job. I've got a fantastic view (of which you will see pictures of) and it does suit my needs...for the most part.

But enough about that...

Let's talk about the French!

They are pretty much what you all expected.

They do dress "funny". I can't quite put my finger on it but it is different. Perhaps it is the heat (it's pretty hot here, like California hot)...but there is something about the style that sets them apart. I didn't feel as if I looked all that different, but on some unknown level I felt I did. We aren't talking pure designer labels on the population here...just "different". Eh, perhaps I'll have more insight on this as days pass.

Secondly...there is a staggering shortage of SUV's on the road. I don't mean that in a bad way of course...I'm just so used to seeing Jeeps, Exploders, Tahoes, Suburbans, etc etc. Although the Rav4 is fairly popular, there are no "real" SUV's to speak of. But there are a HELL of a lot of 2 door hatchbacks. Seat, Pueguot, Citreon (I spelled those wrong and simply don't care)...Audi station wagons, Volvos, and the occasional Mercedes sedan. But sedans are rare. VERY rare. But you know what is simply glorious?

They are all manuals.

Seriously...all of them are. Every car I peered into had a clutch. Every...single...one. Gas prices were at 1.40 Euro for the good stuff (91 octane? 93? I dunno...and how much...1L? 20L? Didn't stop to ask). Anyway...obviously the French and/or Europeans much prefer driving with a manual. I appreciate that.

But back to the French being French...

I spent some time at a little restaurant down the street. Pictures follow. Anyway...a lady walked by, dressed nicely...with a baguette. Yes...a French long stick of bread wrapped in paper. I chuckled, and drank my beer. The next people to walk by? A couple with a bag of baguettes.

Amazing...so French!

But the one thing that defies the stereotype...so far...is their friendliness. They are so nice! They all greet you, they all smile, they all try to talk a little and quickly give up once they realize I can't even say "Merci". It's VERY hard not to slip into Spanish...in fact, I may try that soon just to see what happens. But the cafe on the corner...such nice people! I struggled trying to get food from them.

"Food?", says Neil.
"Shrug", goes the man.
"Dinner?", says Neil.
Shrug", goes the man.
"Luncheatfoodhungrysupper?", says Neil....and you know the reply.
"Menu?"
"Ah! Menu! Unknown words replied that is interpreted as to mean they stopped serving a little bit ago!"
"Merci"
"Tomorrow!"
"Yes...tomorrow, sigh"

So unlike the people who walked by...I have no baguette. I have no anything. But I do have smokes and water. Men have lived on less, no?

Which leads me to priorties for tomorrow:
-CURRENCY....ah yeah, freaking Euros. Lots of 'em.
-FOOD....please yes. Airline food was good (more on that later)...but I need MORE.
-Wandering...that is key. I must wander. This is truly a neat lil section of Paris with many little stores around. It appears that everything is for sale. I don't know why. That may be discovered later.

A couple other notes....

-I LOVE airline food. Seriously...it is so freaking awesome. Sure, it may not be super tasty. The bread and butter is too cold to spread. The fork, knife and spoon are silly small. There definitely isn't enough. But I LOVE the containers! My dinner was a bread roll...in it's own little package. A square of cheesecake...in it's own little package. Two crackers (packaged). Cheddar cheese (you know). Beef stew with carrots, peas, potatoes and onions (yada yada). Cup of "Canada Spring Water" (ahem). Salt/pepper/sugar/cream/hand wipe (lemon scented!)...all in their own little packages. Such fun that is! Mix this...add that...compare these...Save this....Eat this...ah, the variety of it all!

Perhaps that is a reason why I am so excited about this career, no? I love the whole idea of the "crafted meal". I love "food". I love the eating experience. We all need to eat (duh) and although some of us prefer the same things over and over...variety, as they say, is the spice of life. And I find four hundred and sixty-two individually wrapped packages with an endless number of combinations to be extremely spicey. Glorious!

---------------------------- (for those of you that don't know Neil...."----" indicates a break in thought, an extreme subject change, or a break in typing that is greater than 5 minutes...but less than 20. Now you know.)

Bill Byron's book "A Small History of Nearly Everything" is excellent. A must read for sure. Do it now.

This hotel said there is A/C, a TV in every room, and WiFi access. Yes...that is true, to a point. The A/C is pitiful and I can't see any way of making it work "more". Oh well...the window is open and the air is nice. There is a TV in my room, but I have to pay to activate it...therefore I will have no TV. No great loss if you ask me. I had to pay an additional 10ish Euros per day to have WiFi...and it only works well when I lay down next to the door. Oh well...that's the breaks.

Note to Parents: I need MORE of those 220-110 converter thingies. Especially one that can handle my laptop with it's 3 prong plug. I had to craft a strange device of multiple thingies to keep this thing working. I'm mildly worried about that...but I'll keep an eye on it. A device from Dell specifically for European use would be greatly appreciated...much more than extra shoes or sweaters.

My room is lacking a bidet and I am EXTREMELY disapointed by that. I really wanted to pressure wash my ass. Not that it was exceptionally dirty or anything...it was just such a French thing to do. Another time perhaps.

There is obviously so much more to talk about. I can't though. I gotta save some stuff for later. This I will say...EVERYONE smokes and I've yet to see one homeless person. Interesting. Quasi-expected.

I'm going to call it quits for now. Pictures will follow this post.

Thanks for reading all...and here is to what was, and what shall be.