Status Report

This week, I have not noticed the stench of sweaty Frenchmen. Perhaps it is that we are not packed in crowded conference rooms. Or, more likely it is because I have a terrible cold and my nose is stuffed up. Don't get me wrong. Not all Frenchmen stink. It's only a small minority that make them all look bad.

On Thursday, I was feeling quite miserable. I was coughing up a storm. I was wearing a heavy coat at work and still feeling chills. My boss finally told me to go back to the hotel and rest. Progress was slow. The test script we were to go over in the afternoon was 90% the same as the other two we did in the morning. So, I left. At the hotel, I slept for nearly 18 hours. When I awoke, it was Friday evening.

I then went out for dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant. This is my boss's favorite restaurant. It's not bad. But I think I still prefer the Americanized Italian back home. Regardless, it's a nice cozy little place with very pleasant waitresses. Most of the Americans were going to play Texas hold em in the hotel lobby. I really wanted to join them but was feeling like crap. I was so exhausted I thought I could go back to bed. But even though I was sick and tired, I couldn't sleep well. I don't think I finally went into full sleep until about 5:00 AM. I slept until close to noon. Upon awaking, my symptoms still persisted but I somehow felt better. And, I was sick and tired of staying in my hotel room.

So, a group of six of us made the trek to downtown Paris. We started with a late lunch in the Latin Quarter. Gyros's this time. I'm not quite sure that I know the difference between a Donar Kabop, a Schwarma, and a Gyros. I used to think I knew the difference. But in Paris, they all seem the same to me. This fountain is where we usually meet up if we don't all ride out to the Latin Quarter together.

Next, we went to the Notre Dame Cathedral. My co-workers said that there usually is not a long line. Today, the line was excessively long. Instead of standing in line, they recommended that we skip it and do the tour some other time.

The plaza in front of the cathedral had many Gypsy baggers as well as street entertainers....

Just underneath the plaza floor and possibly under part of the cathedral is Crypt Archeologique. We were able to go on the crypt tour. These are ruins of buildings some of which date back to 100 AD. It kind of makes you wonder what other ancient ruins are still buried throughout Paris.

And then, just around the corner is the "Musee National Du Moyen-Age" or Middle Ages Museum. The building was equally impressive as the displays inside. Much of the building is originally Roman. I don't have many pictures of the inside. But, I did get a snapshot of this well and interesting sun dial on the wall.

Much of this museum building and it's contents date back to before any white people were in the America's. France is old as dirt. There is a mind boggling amount of history around every corner.

By this time in today's excursion, I was pretty worn out. I'm still feeling ill. We sat for a while in a coffee shop and then headed back to the hotel. I then ran by a grocery store to stock up on breakfast items and snacks. Everyone else was going to take the train back into town for dinner, but I decided to call it a night. I'm hoping to recoup a little in hopes of hitting the Louvre museum tomorrow.