Friday 16 May 2008

Greetings from Paris: Fun, Not Carbon Credits for the Moment

We are in Paris. The prospect of this trip has been something to think about all winter, and Lee has not only read a lot about cathedrals and the history of Paris, he’s just about finished Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables. My preparation has been more geared to what I need to see and know in order to put the finishing touches on The Walkable City: From Haussmann’s Boulevards to Jane Jacobs’ Streets and Beyond. I’ve got a list of photos I need to take to complement the text, as well as some details I must check on before I can give the book the final edit.

But we’re here to have fun, and we certainly expect to. This is our fourth trip to France, and the fourth time we’ve been able to rent a lovely apartment in the heart of things. There are days when you feel that you should be touching wood at all times because you realize just how lucky you are. I can’t even get myself worked up about the fact that we’re responsible for a whole lot of green house gas emissions. Probably should look into trading carbon credits, but not today.

2 comments:

Martin Langeland said...

Since your trip is for fun ...
I hope you will enjoy this somewhat Philestine-ish story.
A good friend from my Tokyo days married a French woman.They have lived in the heart of Paris for decades.They write and translate and live in walking distance of the Eiffel Tower.
He once described a book he pitched as a guide for Japanese tourists with the comment: "If you are not interested in Architecture and are not a Christian, Notre Dame is just a pile of stones."
Bon chance!
--ml

Mary Soderstrom said...

But there seem to be many, many Japanese tourists anyway!

M