randomduck

When last we saw our hero, he was still enjoying France.

And I really, really enjoyed France!

Paris has a scale that’s very human, thanks in no small part to the self-imposed building height restrictions that affect almost all of the Parisian arrondisements. Like DC, the place is of a scale that’s not superhuman (save for churches and monuments), and it preserves the place in a former era: the skyline today largely resembles that of Hemingway’s Paris, which is really terrific.

Whoever came up with the idea of “French rudeness” was obviously an American or British lout, as the French people we encountered were exceedingly friendly and polite. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that we exercised common courtesy: greeting shopkeepers as we entered and exited their shops, knowing a little bit of the local lingo, and being modest and contained. We witnessed a few other Americans there who clearly didn’t understand and entered into the L-O-U-D A-N-D S-L-O-W speech pattern, and they stuck out quite a bit. But when we dialed into the culture (took all of a second), it was all good.

France is a place where life is a lot slower than in the States. The café culture prevails and affects almost every facet of French lifestyle: soak in ones surroundings and drink up life as it happens. I admit that slowing down like this was tough, especially in areas that are so new (and yet so old) and fascinating, but when I did it was magical.

Provence showed this laid back lifestyle in a most grand display. Though we didn’t have time to explore the small, countryside towns that Peter Mayle idolized in A Year In Provence, our short stays in Aix-en-Provence and Avignon definitely left a positive impression on sprite and me. The old towns move slowly and embrace this easygoing pace, and it was easy to enjoy a drink, a meal, a walk or a basic sit-down in such tranquil settings (even with the fierce winds that come with the season).

You can see my photos from the trip here, and sprite’s photos are collected here. Give ‘em a look-see and leave a comment or two if you’re so inclined.

And now we’ve been back for a bit more than a week, and seem to have brought back some of the laid-back lifestyle with us. Perhaps that’s why The Burrow’s cleaning goes ever-so-slowly.

Now it’s off to Connecticut and New England for Thanksgiving. It’s been one heck of a 2008, and the thanks are many. So to those who have contributed to the wonder of this year, a tip ‘o the hat, a toast of the glass, and most heart-felt thanks.

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Bonjour a Avignon!

Today is our penultimate day in France. We wake to a sunny (and still quite breezy) Avignon, which is going to see us do some power shopping this morning, then a quick visit to Pont d’Avignon (the famous ruined bridge). After that, we head back to Paris on the TGV, and fly back to the States on Saturday.

Provence has been a nice addition to the trip, though it would’ve been nice to have a few more days down here to see the more rural parts (i.e. the parts that Peter Mayle wrote about in his books), but that’s best done when time isn’t such a limitation. Of course, this means another trip is in the cards - can’t argue with that!

I’m still posting almost-daily updates on my Twitter feed, so read those is you want to stay current.

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In short:

Beautiful city!

Seen a lot, yet so much more to be seen!

Experienced pickpocket first-hand (bye bye, digicam).

Bought new digicam (hello, new camera - and the price was better than at home)!

Eating well, relaxing…. all good!

Will recount in detail later….

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I’m very jet-lagged as I type this, but sprite and I made it to Paris early this morning. We flew into CDG on a very foggy morning, which stayed misty and damp all day. So what did we do? Walked around a bit, just to keeep our legs moving. I managed to sleep fairly well on the aircraft, so I’m feeling less haggard than sprite, who was falling asleep in Notre Dame (as well as at the cafe afterward). But it’s great being here, and Parisians are really stoked about Obama’s victory.

Will write more later, once my brain is more functional.

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sprite and I fly to France this afternoon for a well-earned (and celebratory, given yesterday’s Obama victory) holiday. Thus, my posting may be even more sparse than it’s been (shock!).

To keep up with my day-to-day stuff more easily, click on the Twitter link at the top of the page. I’ll be updating my Twitter feed more regularly, since it can be populated by SMS text messages.

Have fun while I’m gone!

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Much more to be said once I get some sleep.

Canvassing in Virginia was good - and Obama won both the state and the county where I volunteered!

And Obama won the presidency by running an active race in all 50 states, showing that the only way to win is to show up. Howard Dean and Bill Bradley deserve a lot of credit for refocusing the Democratic party on rebuilding local party organizations and getting out the vote all over the place, even in traditionally inhospitable locales.

And the street party in downtown DC was simply incredible: we ended up driving home in the middle of an exuberant, giddy convoy, with horns honking, high fives, cheers and smiles all around. It’s as if a great weight had been lifted off the shoulders of DC, and folks were celebrating the liberation.

A good day, and a good night.

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