Paris: Initial Reaction

Okay, I was a bit facetious. Paris was already on the short term agenda when I posted my destinations a couple of days ago. The good news is that I got to see everything I saw back in 2004, and it's all still there where I left it. The bad news is that I didn't get a chance to find the one geocache I'd hoped to find, nor did I really see anything new. It was also extremely hot - I may not be fully rehydrated for a few days; and I tore up my legs something awful - like, Unst awful, but without the blisters on my feet.

This was my window to hit Paris, and unfortunately, that window didn't coincide with the schedule of the longtime family friends I had hoped to run across. All in all, though, it was a pretty good trip. One of my favorite things was confusing just about everyone with my crazy linguist skills. France is full of people who speak French, and they're always astonished when an American guy can speak any French. Well, I took two years of French in high school, and even though I've probably forgotten more words since '04 than I had between graduation and '04, I was probably better with my French this trip than I was the last time. Whenever I have occasion to speak French, native French speakers - not known to be the most accommodating people on the planet - repeatedly and independently tell me that I speak it without an accent. I suppose I could do with a refresher course? Maybe I could start listing it as a professional skill!

Anyway, I'll try to post a few pictures from my trip over the next few weeks, but since Paris is so cliche, I'll probably stick to the stuff that doesn't usually get posted... For example, the picture of me imitating my favorite Borat pose in front of the Eiffel Tower. Eiffel Tower? Cliche. Borat pose in front of the Eiffel Tower? Comedy genius, and not at all derivative. Ahem.