Last full day in Paris

It is hard to believe that we are ending our stay in Paris. It seems like just yesterday we arrived. I was telling Geoff that according to my history with this awesome city, we should be back in 6 years. I was first here as a starry eyed high school student in 1973. Because my name is Jean-Marie, a very common name for boys, I was assigned to a hotel room with the guys! I was all for it, but the chaperone was "Mais non!" :( I returned in 1997, 24 years later, as the chaperone of my very own crew of kids. We had fun and I have heard various stories since then of hijinks that went on in the wee hours without my knowledge. C'est la vie! Now, 12 years have passed and I have returned to show this place to my husband and daughter. 1/2 of 24 is 12..1/2 of that is 6.......hmm...

Spent the day reading newspapers and getting the drift of the world from the French journalists view. It is always good to see the world through something other than an American centric lens. As you may know, we are in the midst of crisi talks here in Europe regarding the fate of the Euro countries and their economies. Apparently,Geithner was here yesterday. As we walk around this city and in Rome previously, it is amazing how small the world has become. Where even 10 to 12 years ago, the cultures of Rome and Paris were more clearly different from one another and from the USA, today about the only difference is language. And there the gap is closing as more of us speak, or attempt to speak, each other's languages.

Caterina is off to Montmarte today to meet friends from UChicago who have been studying in Paris. Geoff and I wandered the Left Bank finding a Carrefours and bringing a late lunch of baguette, ham, cheese and Bordeaux wine back to the hotel. We also bought some French honey. I brought a Hannaford's bag with me which we used to carry the groceries. In Europe, you bring a bag or you pay for one. I think that is a brilliant idea! One more way in which Europeans are way ahead of us. I also noted that there are doctors offices everywhere and learned that the ratio of doctors to population is significantly higher here than the US with its tightly controlled access to medical school. That, alone, leads to better access to care let alone access to Universal Care. So much for the free markets, my dear country!

But, I digress......Geoff agrees that coming to Europe has been a great chance to experience America from the other side of the pond. Without such an experience, one cannot begin to appreciate our own lives, and appreciate how critical it is that we all recognize just how small the world really is!

' til later!