Practicing my graffiti, and now have given up and am trying the keyboard. This frankly strikes me as an awkward way to take notes  on the road, though I suppose it avoids transcribing. The folding keyboard is neat, but requires effort, and attracts too much attention. Oh well. Got to JFK with only an hour to spare.  But unsurprising, though security was thorough there weren't a whole lot of people going anywhere to clog up the pipes. The three people on line at security started to make me a little nervous about traveling on the presumed eve of war. Still en route to Munich, before next leg. Don't know if we're bombing yet...  

So made it in, barely made connection in Munich. As is de rigor, trains were on strike, result of which seemed to be were running infrequently and couldn't buy tickets, the machines weren't accepting credit cards. An officialish looking person told Nick it was free as a result of strike, had sneaking suspicion it was some kind of joke played on Americans, but nobody checked when we were finally on a (massively crowded) train. But then usually nobody checks in Europe. Found hotel, looks ok, small room, but has curved door, that’s cool. Deirdre later said she had worried we'd gotten someplace that charged by the hour, but such was not the case.  Took walk down to St Eustace, somewhat sleepily, barely slept on plane, is luckily nice and warm, not quite as warm as at home when left, but didn’t need a jacket. Admiring vaguely African tie died stuff in Africanish clothing store across st, maybe I need some. Back, D showed up, went for wander and dinner, caught up. Was kind of scholar trip flashback, striding through the streets in her wake. Saw her hospital which is rather cool old building, central courtyard garden. Walked along Champs-Elysee, catching up on various people. To arc de triomphe Then up to Sacre Cuore where we slogged up all the steps, admired the view, with a full moon rising, went in, oddly there was some guy, not American from the accent, sitting on the steps of church proper, with a guitar, singing that song by I cant remember who the 'inside you're ugly, ugly like me, I can see through you, see the real you" song.  Head to dinner, had nice pasta. Back to hotel, checked mail, sent Doug my half witted half asleep message, first place I had tried closed at 10 two people were in the closed place, seemed to be playing quake head to head.  Place near us, every single other person was Chinese, most playing games, paid 3 euro for hour but was only there for about half.  Hate European keyboards. All surreal to be wandering Paris with D, after so long.

~19 e metro tickets,

42e dinner

Relatively late start, got raisin roll on go, to Cluny museum, a very nice place with all sorts of medieval bits and bob. Got me thinking about trying to do a medieval hair comb. pretty pair of little bone or ivory griffons, Once again enough to make one redouble one's resolve to not own a stick of contemporary furniture. Absolutely beautiful unicorn tapestries which of course put in mind an over the top pendant pair of tapestry style pictures of innocence lost and regained, I won't describe it, if I ever do it and people see it will be embarrassment enough. Lunch from sandwich shop then onto Notre dame Which again I only vaguely remembered, quite nice, did the treasury, which was interesting, especially the crown of kneeling angels, but probably missable on a return visit. Waited on line to climb tower,  my favorite, spiral stairs, First thing you hit is the gift shop, where I got b a poster of a falcon that looked kind of neat for B, no earthly way it will get home unscathed. The view is quite nice, are right up close to the gargoyles, was closed last was here. Then San Chapel which is still quite impressive, though light not as strong as I remember it presumably because later in the day.  Then went to the big mall Samaritaine. Went up to see panorama from it.  Then in, Corrine poked around, I looked at arts and crafts, they seem to be very into beads, and furniture, all universally ugly and modern, not cheap though. Ugh not a piece of it you could pay me to live with. Wandered through most of the place looking for something interesting, and failed, they didn’t even seem to have a men’s dept. Did see an interesting weird hair accessory, big filigree ornament with series of linked segments you threaded your ponytail though, sort of like skeletonized hair amour. Walked along river bank for a bit, then back looking for food, one place reputed to have vegetarian didn’t, had left the full listing at hotel. wandered, hit a vegetarian place but would be an hour without reservations.  Were all getting a bit desperate. Just up street hit a Jewish area, and couple Israeli falafel places, One we ate at was very good, and proclaimed itself recommended by Lenny Cravitz. Heard alot of English, very busy, casual place, just across the street was a NY style kosher deli. Falafel and a mixed Israeli salad appetizer, currently holding prize for best Paris meal so far. Back to hotel, getting lost yet again.

breakfast 1.80 *3

~7 cluny

1.60 card

2.50 poster

6 treasury and tower under 25

14 lunch

35 dinner

So started out for Versailles, ticket machines still don't seem to be taking credit cards. Followed a bunch of other people who couldn't get tickets out of machine to desk past barrier, and off to Versailles, wandered to palace, through usual dispersion of authority, everyone saw but nobody actually went to information to ask about horse thing Corrine wanted to see, so after standing on line for what we knew wasn't it, backtracked to the info place, and found it was across the street, Horde of French sr citizens going in  before us, big building with horse ring  and rough lumber bleachers, you  sit while they do a bit of leading the horses in circles and riding them about, was interesting not sure if 7 e interesting, white horses with scary pale blue ghost eyes. Then you walk through the stables, and look at the horses, kind of neat, Corrine promptly had allergic reaction, kind of inconvenient for someone into horses.  So we did the rooms, the painted ceilings are sometimes interesting the rest I could take or leave, big and alot of it, but all kind of tacky if you ask me, though listening to people going through, some people would apparently still love to have it, assuming someone else was paying for heating I presume. Wandered through the gardens, which were kind of nice, some stuff starting to sprout, daffodils coming up. Again weird to dredge up memories of doing it with D+A so bloody long ago, think this is the first time I've revisited a scholars trip locale. Frankly twice to Versailles is once more than I fancy, and hope never to set foot there again, but it is an experience. Back, and to the Orsay, which I hadn't been to before. Some quite famous paintings and sculptures, didn’t know Burne Jones' Wheel of Fortune was here. Think he and Morris were the only non continental artists I noticed in the collection. . They have an incredible art noveau room, (puts rivendell to shame) that is just fabulous, alot of nice art noveau stuff   probably the highlight of the collection, the Impressionists I could have missed, though the do have van goughs picture of his room.

Nick and Corrine were going to go back to hotel but then didn’t because close to dinner anyway, sat by river till got cold, then heading for cheese place from guidebook, got caught in a anti-war protest around the obelisk Police cordons with riot gear not letting anyone through most of the plaza, headed out corner  near river toward Louvre and had to walk all along outside wall of gardens inhaling exhaust to be back where we started. At about which point Corrine rebelled and we ate at tourist dive near Louver. Made our way back I went in search of sustenance and got 3 pieces of pie. But I am now back in a good mood, being quite lousy mood before, all it takes is food

1.50 breakfast

5 tickets versail

7 horses

7 versaille

5 orsay

6 dinner

5 pies                                               

So morning to Invalides, I'm thinking alot must have been closed when I was last here, have this vague recollection D+A passed and I went into the military museum with Mara whose family was military or something so she also thought of visiting military museums as just one of those things you do wherever you are. Anyway spent longer than seemed reasonable in the resistance part since it was all in French. A slow circuit through the quite impressive amour collection a pretty large Japanese collection, with light levels set way below what I'd have .though necessary, large collection on racks, very impressive. Did the modern parts resisted (barely) urge to start singing The Green Fields of France in WW I. they have two whole sections on the holocaust, though downplayed  how enthusiastic the Vicy were supposed to be about it.  WWII unlike everything else had English labels. It looked pretty new, and unlike the exhibit dads notes describes the split division of Vicy and Free French forces, with various weird politics and the fact they actually engaged in battles with each other.  Did Napoleon's tomb, I'd forgotten just how bloody funny it was. This giant marble coffin which was impressive, but all the marble low reliefs of him bare chested as a Roman god type stretching out his finger like Jove in a make it so gesture were just hilarious. Having taken most of day with that, ran back to catch up with Deirdre back at hotel.  Sent off Nick and Corrine to acquire food since by 3 we hadn’t eaten yet. Left them eating and ran with D to the Musee Jacquemart-Andre which a friend of hers from the hospital had recommended. We rushed without them because were meeting him there and arrived 35 min late, bc D was running late. She'd actually just day before got match info for where she's interning and she had got Columbia. So another 3 years, of the place for her.   So we met her friend there, whose name I've forgotten already, nice guy, who tended to forget I was a foreign devil and start addressing me in French. The house belonged to a very rich bachelor in late 19th century, he sat for his portrait with a famous painter of the time and married her, they spent the rest of their life traveling Italy, and in the best fashion of the time, buying large portions of it and bringing them home. A quite impressive collection of sculpture, beautiful group of pictures by the original Medieval pre-raphaelites (seeing as it was the late 19th  century would have been fun if had supplemented with a couple of their contemporary followers )  3 or so Mantegnas various other stuff, you can really see the resemblance, what laters were trying to copy. Nick and Corrine met us there but hadn't gotten the audio guide so we were going a little slow for them, was interesting, how rich collectors of the time functioned. From there to a gourmet tea place suggested by D's friend. Had a quite impressive array of teas, overwhelming in fact, organized by country of origin and type, I didn’t realize so many countries grew tea, there was even Bangladeshi tea. I took a recommendation and got Yunann or a very black smoky tea, which was quite good, not sure if it was 9 dollars good.  Not a cheap tea place, you got a reputedly 1 liter teapot for your 6-12 bucks.  Some gesture of chivalry caused me to offer to pay, 50 e for tea for 5 and 1 piece of pie it was served by waiters in immaculate white though. Interesting experience drinking gourmet tea in Paris, Having been out of touch discovered that we started bombing the night before, war it is then, goodness knows. Don't remember how it happened, but D asked the guy what he wore around his neck, and he pulled out a chain, was some kind of religious medal, I'd presume with a Madonna on it. He commented it was his christening chain, he'd gotten christened two years ago, that his parents weren't religious so he'd never been, and they didn't think it was a good thing, but he thought it was a good thing. Interesting. Talk of the war and this and that. Out to get a torte, Nick and Corrine finally got to buy fresh fruit, and head back to D's place. Nice little student apartment, albeit with peeling ceiling. Hung about, talking, D showed off the new belly dancing costume she's working on beading, interesting really.  Hung about waiting for friend of D's from Spain that was driving in from Dusseldorf.  He showed up quarter after 9 just as we were heading down to try and call him. Fabian, very nice guy, We went to this north African place, which was pretty good, they had a belly dancer, who Deirdre seemed none to impressed with but was definitely working up a sweat. She'd commented earlier I should paint her in her costume, there must be something cool you could do with it, some way to give the finger good and proper to all 19th century orientalism. Dinner starting at 10:15 is just too much for me. Back to apt, where had apricot tart and champagne in celebration of D's placement. Hung about, talking, Corrine’s description of Nick drunk at Fall War went over big, laughing till some old guy who lives on the floor knocked on the door to complain, The subway had stopped running so we got dropped off in car, carefully.  As he explained earlier it would be a little hard to explain driving in Paris with over limit blood alcohol, in a Spanish car, with no license and a letter from the German police explaining his wallet had been stolen. God bless the EU. He said he'd drive slowly, Corrine piped up with, you'd better because you're drunk. But had only had a little champagne hour or so before we left, and he's medical neuroscience type so must know what he's doing, right ? As we got back, commented to nick that feel a bit cheated America seems to have bred the Latin good humor out of us, though may just be the Santellas never had any. Nick concurred that he's never met an Italian or Spanish person that wasn't fun.

roughly 150

9.60 tickets 5.5 invalides 4 lunch 50 tea,  17 dinner

Sat Nick and Corrine went to go see San Deni while I got an early (relatively speaking) start on the Louver, out at 10 not that bad considering a 2 :30 bedtime,  good to finally get to give it a thorough once over, some quite nice stuff,  furthered my resolve to do crazy projects and spend more time on art and less on work, though of course when back will be in middle of academic hell. Sat outside after closing till got too cold, then in search of cheese place from Vegetarian listing, which a wall of French riot police had prevented us from getting at two days before.  Got fondu which was quite nice, though I couldn’t see doing it on a regular basis especially at the price. Brief moment of panic after guy had double checked we wanted fondue really, and left, that were going to wind up with meat thing, because thought Savoyard was the cheese, not the meat chunks, but couldn’t swear, had gotten right thing. I have at last had fondue, one day left.

 9.6 tickets, 7.5 louvre 17 fondue 1.6 ice cream.

So after went out for brief walk to look for ice cream. Came close to doing traditional once a vacation visit to the golden arches but instead visited le Quick for the more authentic Parisian experience.  they were out of milkshake, then once rung up didn't have Nicks pecan pie, so we all wound up with ice cream and took quite a while for guy,  traditional befuddled teenager plus a sophisticated French accent to figured out how to cancel an order and rering it up.  All the joy of Mcd's with that special European flavor

So back to trying to write with this in the subway not the best way to avoid looking like an American imperialist swine. So a rather late start Sun between 9:15 wake up and long delay as guy at front desk though we were scheduled to check out and had only booked through last night, Nick in fact had paid for an extra night before we worked out it couldn't be right and went back and it wasn’t so got that refunded. Then had to go back for guide which we'd forgotten, Boulangerie we'd been going to was closed so found another one and I got stuff while they argued with hotel. Deirdre was supposed to have left word on when to meet her, but wasn't any so we set off for sewers, which were interesting, and stunk, got some nice pictures of rusty industrial pipes then to the Eiffel tower, Nick belatedly wanted to walk up but we'd already put 10 min into line, and I wasn’t thrilled with idea of heights. So took elevator up. Is quite a view, but not something I'd feel the need to do again. We walked down from the lowest level, which wasn't actually bad, broad well enclosed straight steps, Called hotel, no word from D. so walked in direction of decorative arts museum, hoping to find food on way, though didn’t till almost at Louvre, Only Medieval and Renaissance part was open as well as a(to me) boring collection of advertising posters from 30's and 40's  Out again called and again no luck, when we got back to hotel  guy spontaneously volunteered that there were no messages, he remembers our room by now though. Now fiddling till way too late before eating. Ate near square at pub type place, got pie from street vendor and headed back, To bed early.

sewers 3.5 lunch  4  art 5.5  dinner 7 + .5 * 8 2 pie.