Parisian adventures, without astronomy!

The morning after the conference finished, I picked my sister up at the airport. On the way there, the train stopped. It was supposed to be a direct train from Paris to the airport. The stop was obviously then unscheduled...and lasted at least fifteen minutes. I was relieved when we started moving again, but we just kept stopping for varying periods of time. I finally arrived (an hour late) to find my sister (frustrated and upset). I begged for her forgiveness and offered the raspberry macaroon I'd purchased for her the night before. I was forgiven.

Together, we've seen Notre Dame (with an organ concert), Place des Vosges, a tasty bakery with delicious bread and pastries, many souvenirs shops, Jardin du Luxembourg (with an orchestra), Panthéon, Sorbonne, Roman ruins, sweaty metro riders, cafés, memorials, etc.

Tomorrow shall be a busy day: Château de Chantilly and (climbing) the Eiffel Tower. Surely, I will include pictures tomorrow. I just feel like I've already put pictures up on here of the places we've seen so far. I'm excited we're going somewhere new to both of us tomorrow.

Paris, encore.

It turns out that I hate playing tour guide for a small group of people. I'd much rather disseminate my information to one person. This has been a major annoyance of this trip. Thankfully, the end of being used solely for directions and constantly repeating the same interesting bit of information is near.

Before I start sharing pictures, I must say that my attendance at this conference has been quite beneficial having met people who have told me to let them know when I am in or near their respective countries so I can come and give a talk. No, they don't say that to everyone. I've also gotten some insightful comments on my research, so my time has been well-spent.

First we have Notre Dame with the moon, in black and white.

I'm aware that you can't really tell this is Notre Dame, but it has the moon in it so I couldn't resist the temptation. Perhaps I'll put up a different view another day.

I had two days of sightseeing, and then the conference began.

The first night, there was a cocktail reception (where water was sadly scarce and the temperature was disturbingly high, but the tiny desserts were wonderful) in the Paris Observatory. I got some lovely views of Paris from the roof as the sun set. I also ate a ton of macaroons and tiny tarts, perhaps far more important than the views from the roof.

Yesterday after the conference, I walked from the Louvre to the Arc d'Triumphe. It's always a lovely walk until you get about five blocks form the end where it is absolutely overrun by tourists.

Other highlights include catching up with an old friend from OWU, obtaining lunch from the market in the Bastille, and riding on the metro with sweaty people.