redshifter.org

Internet access has been spotty over the last ten days; usually I've just been hopping online at cybercafés to quickly check email and that's about it. Imagine my shock when I discovered that the quaint, tiny hotel where we're staying in Paris has free wifi in the lobby. This building is hundreds of years old, and it has 802.11b. Freaky.

A quick recap thus far:

• Our stay at Le Rayol Sur Mer, on the Mediterranean coast, was marred by torrential rain, but after the mayhem of my August, sitting and listening to the storm didn't seem so bad. And the times when the clouds cleared were beautiful indeed.


• The TGV is fast as hell. Not too expensive, either.


• Paris is hot like NYC, even in September, and other than the waiters at cafés, the people are extremely polite and kind. Everybody is gawking at our tattoos, though. Kelsey, Craig and I are feeling like the bearded ladies with all the blatant staring. So it goes.


• I surprised Kelsey with a descent into the Catacombs. She had no idea what to expect, and got quite a scare when she emerged into the “Empire of the Dead.” Definitely worth the five euros.


• The Paris Metro is frigging chaos.


• Racial tension? Hmm?


• I dislike the US Wal-Mart culture just a little more than I already did.


• What the hell is going on in New Orleans?