A quickie travelogue today - Alix wants to make sure everyone (her family!) sees where she has been. But first a photograph from my father's 90th birthday dinner at Stark's on Friday.

Andrew, Ellen, my father Jim, Julia, and Simon - May 10th

My parents have moved back and forth across the country a zillion times during their lives. Now my father wants to move back east again. First he said he wanted to live alone and now he says he wants to live with my sister in Maryland. Simon (see above) has lived in that cold basement and doesn't think it would be a good choice. I imagine minds will be changed more than once in the near future.

One of the first places Alix and I headed was Notre Dame. I remember when Julia and I had one afternoon in Paris and I don't think she was sure that a church was what she had in mind. She fell in love with it and I could barely drag her out.

Notre Dame "front door"

Looking up

It really is an incredible space. Those people really knew what they were doing when they created a space to inspire awe.

I always have to take people to Pere Lachaise Cemetery - a city of dead people in the middle of a city of living people.

Pere Lachaise Cemetery

Most people come to the cemetery to see the graves of famous people, but I just come for the atmosphere. This whole place is a true monument to the importance people place on humans in the scheme of things. 

A cool place at the same time I'm offended by the waste of space.

Jim Morrison's grave is one of the most visited in the cemetery. We also saw Chopin, Edith Piaf, Colette, and many more.

Jim Morrison's grave

We initially had good weather and spent most of our time outdoors (the weather here is notoriously changeable). So....

Outside the Louvre

Arc de Triomphe

Luxembourg Gardens

A happy fellow at the Luxembourg Gardens

Alix has really been enjoying the flowers

I wouldn't mind one of these apartments

overlooking the Luxembourg Gardens

We finished off one day at one of my friend Sandy's favorite spots, Place de la Contrascarpe - lots of activity and energy - street musicians and dancers - free massages. We did what we do best - drink wine. A toast to Sandy!

Alix tried to get a photo without someone in the way -

not possible

View from my seat at the cafe

And how long do you think this would

survive in the United States?

Actually, after the wine, we went to Shakespeare and Company. I didn't want to carry a load of books with me, so I'll just be shopping there a lot and leaving the books behind. Got Kingsolver's Flight Behaviour, and some Seamus Heaney and Adrienne Rich poetry.