little bitty girl

Sorry for the late posting. Something is up with our server back home so I couldn't even get the last entry to post properly until now.

The weather here has been so weird. Sunny and warm for half an hour, chilly but clear skies for two hours and then rain. By the time we get to another street, the rain has stopped. It's a good thing we both tend to dress in layers.

Paris is a wonderful city to walk in. A little hard to navigate due to all the windy small streets but just a joy all the same. You feel like there is the possibility of discovery - some wonderful boutique, sight or patisserie at the end of the street.

I thought I would share some of my own observations so far. If they are untrue, please feel free to correct me.

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Parisians must learn how to parallel park from the time that they're in kindergarten. The streets here are so very narrow and there doesn't ever seem to be such a thing as a parking lot around due to the lack of space. Sometimes, they even park facing each other! It's the oddest sight to behold. It's almost like you can't own a big car here because where would you park?

For a city with this many cars and drivers, petrol stations are actually hard to find. They're just these tiny stands by the way side. It's a weird thing to encounter coming from a mentality with big giant petrol stations everywhere.

Do you wonder whether Parisians ever get blase about their surroundings? Do they ever think " Ah, le Notre Dame! Been there, done that?" It's hard to even conceive living in a city where every corner holds so much beauty, history and significance.

I wonder why French women are so bloody skinny. I understand that they probably don't eat crepes as much as I have (at least once a day) but the food is unbelievable, and the desserts!! I mean, even for me, a non dessert eater, I've had a hard time resisting. Let's just say I will never look at a creme brule the same way again.

Almost everyone here is dressed in such an impeccably chic way. It starts from the beginning. The children's clothing here is very much a style I would like to dress my own children (if I had any) and Ryo (the beloved God daughter in). Girls clothing is not in that cloying weird Wal Mart Barbie pink that I detest. Femininity is brought out through simple detailing. There is no segregation in colours. There are boys clothing in pink and blue. I hate that whole stereotype of girls in pink and boys in blue. More on this later.

How do postmen and cab drivers ever find their way in the winding streets of the city?