And speaking of Bastille Day....visiting my friend's apartment, I am right across the tiny alley from the Procope, a cafe visited by Voltaire, Rousseau, Benjamin Franklin, and a few other folks you might have heard of. It was an important meeting spot for planning the French Revolution. And just across the alley, in my friend's building, is where the guillotine was perfected. It's a tiny spot, not on many tours or special maps, but it certainly holds a big wallop in terms of historical importance.
One of the things that's so fun about Paris, especially as an American, is the history -- the old stuff, the really, really old stuff -- that is just everywhere. In the courtyard of this same building is a metal stool. By this point, it is quite unusual in Parisian architecture, but a couple hundred years ago, these would have been everwhere, as steps to help people mount and dismount from their horses or horse-drawn carriages. I am told there are only two remaining in public spaces in Paris.
All over Paris you'll see paddles with historical information (in French only). In the center of Paris where we live, in the 4th, 5th, 6th arrondissements, they pop up seemingly everywhere.
There are the old streets, the informative paddles, the hidden architectural gems, but history hits you in unexpected and more personal ways here in Paris, too. For example, there's the Piscine Pontoise where Pippa's class goes every week and where her friend is the fifth generation to learn to swim in the same pool.
...And then there's the law office of Jim, an American friend here in Paris: There is one e-mail address for the firm, and when the secretary receives the e-mails, she prints them out, then walks them over to each lawyer's desk. To respond to e-mails, the lawyers can type up documents at their own computers, then have them printed out and faxed back. Or, the secretary could re-key it all and e-mail it back. The lawyers in this particular firm are supposed to respond by fax or phone. They do have phones to call out, but they don't have direct numbers in: Each in-coming caller must be patched through the receptionist. Jim has just moved to a new law firm, where he has not only an office, but also an e-mail address, and his own phone. He's really excited, among other things, not just to have moved law firms but also to have moved centuries.
One of the things that's so fun about Paris, especially as an American, is the history -- the old stuff, the really, really old stuff -- that is just everywhere. In the courtyard of this same building is a metal stool. By this point, it is quite unusual in Parisian architecture, but a couple hundred years ago, these would have been everwhere, as steps to help people mount and dismount from their horses or horse-drawn carriages. I am told there are only two remaining in public spaces in Paris.
All over Paris you'll see paddles with historical information (in French only). In the center of Paris where we live, in the 4th, 5th, 6th arrondissements, they pop up seemingly everywhere.
There are the old streets, the informative paddles, the hidden architectural gems, but history hits you in unexpected and more personal ways here in Paris, too. For example, there's the Piscine Pontoise where Pippa's class goes every week and where her friend is the fifth generation to learn to swim in the same pool.
...And then there's the law office of Jim, an American friend here in Paris: There is one e-mail address for the firm, and when the secretary receives the e-mails, she prints them out, then walks them over to each lawyer's desk. To respond to e-mails, the lawyers can type up documents at their own computers, then have them printed out and faxed back. Or, the secretary could re-key it all and e-mail it back. The lawyers in this particular firm are supposed to respond by fax or phone. They do have phones to call out, but they don't have direct numbers in: Each in-coming caller must be patched through the receptionist. Jim has just moved to a new law firm, where he has not only an office, but also an e-mail address, and his own phone. He's really excited, among other things, not just to have moved law firms but also to have moved centuries.
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