Oolala!

Bonjour!

Behold, we have returned from the land of Brie, Bordeaux, and French Fries! Okay, two out of three isn’t bad…

As we return to “normalcy” (whatever that is) we take a moment to reflect on the city that has more Parisians than any other city on Earth: Paris. And let’s bring in our old, but recently neglected friend, to help us out: Messieur Bullet Point List.

· I/we have been to countless foreign cities in all of our travels, but this one is definitely unique. Beauty, excellence, high prices, and endless vendors trying to sell us glittering plastic Eiffel Tower replicas for a euro.

· We finally got sick of saying “oh look, another beautiful [fill in the blank] “after a couple of days and just stopped altogether.

· Never underestimate the importance of the following words in France: “Merci, Pardon, and Vin”. They will get you far.

· Napoleon thought way too highly of himself, as evidenced by his palaces, frequent appearance in art, letter “N” on many famous landmarks, etc. He probably had a complex, or something.

· Eating and drinking out will put you into bankruptcy within a few days. But the real issue is whether it’s too much to ask for a devaluation of the euro right before our trip so we can save some money? Hmm? Where were you when we needed you, ECB?

· Versailles: it’s huge, it’s ornate, and it’s clear that Louis IV was overcompensating for something.

· Crepes: good in any language.

· The city is definitely walkable, as many people have commented, but that definitely does not mean it’s small. Our feet hurt!

· Pigeons: they’re here too. Check.

· Parisians: they get a bad rap. With perhaps one or two minor exceptions, we found people to be polite, and patient with our lack of Frenchness. Oui.

· Parisians: they don’t all sound like Pepe Le Pue as I had imagined before visiting. Oolala.

· It was February, and we were able to sit outside at a café. Just like Chicago…*cough*

In all seriousness, it was a unique and wonderful city, and perhaps, in its own unique way, the most remarkable we have been to. And therein lies the challenge: to sample the rest of the world’s great cities.

You know, just to be sure.