Today in Paris

Today we toured the city on multiple public buses, and made it to the markets at Clingancourt, which were full of old furniture and many other bricabrac items. We found our way to Sacre Coeur, which is on the top of a hill called Montemarte (hill of the martyrs). It was beautiful today, with the sun out, and with thousands of Parisians out to visit the church and surrounding neighborhoods. Paris is full of little cafes where people sit and talk with each other for many hours, and they do so at all times of the day. Many French people also smoke. It is not unusual to see many French women smoking, especially younger women, and I have seen more than a few men smoking pipes. Both sights would be unusual in the U.S. The men also wear scarves in all sorts of weather. I saw one man wearing a t shirt with a scarf. We are in a neighborhood right next to the Sorbonne, which is the university, and there are dozens of bookstores around us, as well as a chain bookstore. I am surprised at how many books are on sale in the city. In Los Angeles there are only a few serious bookstores left, and in the South Bay, I think only Barnes and Noble is still open, and that chain may close in the next year due to competition with Amazon. In Paris there are many, many little stalls along the river where people sell used books and posters that predate WWI. At Sacre Couer we met my brother Matt and his girlfriend Judith along with two of her children, Finn and Anika, ages 8 and 9. By that time most of our group was tired, and we took the metro back to our neighborhood, while I, William, accompanied Matt and his family to the Eiffel Tower. Judith and the children climbed up to the second platform while Matt and I and about 5,000 other Parisians sat on the lawn in front of the tower and chatted. The crowd was filled with people from every corner of the world: high school students from Spain, Americans touring on bicycles, Chinese newlyweds, Muslim families from Lebanon, Africans from Nigeria, etc. We had a lovely dinner together at the French restaurant where we have eaten three times. Tomorrow some of us may re-visit the Louvre and some will head to Notre Dame and the parks. Tuesday will be our last day of the trip, and Wed. we will be travelling back home through Chicago. Goodnight to all. William