paris
so paris has shaken up to be just as i imagined. at 6:45 i surfaced from the metro to walk my first street in paris...at 7:05 i heard my first 'me-moh' police horn, by 7:30 i had eaten my first baguette (with a panini 15 minutes later). today was the l'arc de triumph more later as my time on the net is winding down...
crazy guy phenomenon
so on my second ride on the metro this CRAZY french dude hops on the train singing at the top of his lungs (the french are generally really quiet speakers, especially on the trains) and then rambling and shouting in people's faces. so make the call... is he drunk? is he an evangelist? is he a drunk evangelist? after turning to laura for the translation it turns out he was an apocalyptic apostle... you know the world is ending so give me some money.
the bottom line is i am glad to know that the crazy guy on mass transit is not strictly an American phenomenon.
frankfurt airport
when you fall asleep in an airport in a foreign country and wake to find that the rest of your party has split to buy a coffee it can be a bit unnerving. normally when i wake into a state of airport layover semi-lucidity to the sound of german voices, i'm fine. when you aren't quite sure where you are and muffled german over a poorly EQed PA is your only clue, you can freak out. so be warned and don't take things out on the aforementioned coffee drinker. she didn't think i'd wake up.
so back to the frankfurt airport... i knew that having a four hour layover in germany would not be the most rewarding time on this trip so i thought that i'd at least step out onto one of the outdoor smoking lounges to breathe some 'german' air. to my surprise (and innediate recollection) the entire inside of the airport is the smoking lounge. how i have missed europe and the ashtray that is every public facility. it's amazing to think that the usa would be more progressive in an area than europe. we're such prudes that you'd figure we were behind in everything, yet not second-hand smoke. i can handle the smoking in restaurants and clubs, but the 24/7 nature of the airport puts things over the top. thanks for the memories germany.
'20 at all times'
i know it sucks, but just do it.
what were you going to do with the extra 5-10 mph? hit a kid?
