I always take more pictures than I can use - there is a thumbnail gallery of the entire set. Enjoy!
Two animations - one of James, and one of the mysterious steaming pile.
Click image for larger picture, click again for huge.
Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres
This web page is divide into three parts (loading of thumbnails may exceed your browser's timeout! ouch). The first (this) part describes our time in Paris, the second part describes the trip to Languedoc and the third part Provence.
So,
this whole thing started from James's two articles (see the initial
and subsequent articles).
He certainly generated a lot
of fan mail with the articles! I sent him a note
and said “Hey, you got the French all wrong! We should check them out first
hand!” He responded - and eventually took me
up on it.
We started our odyssey
in Paris, flew to the Languedoc region, hung out in José Bové
territory, and visited people in Provence before ending our stay back in Paris.
A cool on-line guide to Paris comes
from Timeout.
James arrived at Charles De Gaulle airport - a little tired. He checked in to our hotel in the fashionable and trendy Marais district. We did some walking from the Hotel Bastille Speria to the Île de la Cité - the island in the Seine - ancient center of Paris. We saw the Cathedral of Notre Dame and Sainte Chapelle (a cathedral of light - sigh).
We met my friend, Frederic Boulenger, a very French Frenchman. He drove his large SUV rapidly through Paris. He even took us through the largest - and most dreaded - traffic roundabout in Europe, around the Arc de Triomphe! Aki Ueno was with us.
We went to Frederic's home where his wife, Dominique, made us a memorable meal. His daughter Clarisse was gracious. His wine cellar was open.
A major topic of conversation was the 2000 Presidential Election debacle. Some people wanted us to explain the Electoral College. Several French people suggested we could learn from others about democracy. I think everyone can learn a little from us about dancing (pass your mouse over the pictures to read the captions).
We went to the Flea Market - Marché de la Porte de Clignancourt - and for some reason I have less pictures than I thought I did? Er...
We navigated Paris mostly with Rick Steve's Paris guidebook. We used the Lonely Planet France guide for all the rest of France (along with some Michelin maps).
The Museé d'Orsay is fabulous. The museum itself - a restored train station, is wonderful to roam around.
My colleague Céline Lelong took us to one of her favorite restaurants in the Bastille area, who's name escapes me!
