Oolala--Paris is truly the 'moveable feast'. Definitely the greatest big city in the world. Oh, the rest of France is pretty terrific too.

Ah, to be in Paris in the Springtime.

Don't dream of it, just GO!

Hey, I knew you might make the scene here. Tell us of your travels to Paris!

Of which part? The reason why I go there? The journey? The food? There are so many things, and I don't want to bore you.

Start with the reason you go there, s'il vous plait.

Right. I go, because sometimes I need to be on my own, and to be as I was before getting married and having children. And, stupid as it may sound, to get inspiration for my art. Art is EVERYWHERE in Paris, and wandering the streets fills me with new ideas, and with appreciation for what I do . . . and humility, because there are SO many really really good artists there. Boring, but true. Have you ever been to Europe?

Never been, how about talking about the Journey?

Ah, the journey to Paris is almost as much fun as being there. Gillian and I always take the 7.30 train from here - gets us in just after 13.00. We always see to it we get there early, because that way we can grab a seat in the restaurant car. And then we try out all the different cheeses and teas and bread all the way there. It is wonderful. We just sit there, chatting over work and men - but not husbands or children - and stuff ourselves. By the time we get there, we feel quite sick from all the cheese (not to mention the state her spastic intestines are in after such an orgy!!), but happy as a pair of larks! If ever you should come to Europe, you must visit me (ha-ha, how very likely!!); then I'll take 3 days off and take you to Paris - you'll have the time of your life!

Can you tell us more about the food?

Well, I don't know the names of all the dishes, so I can't sort of recommend or anything. BUT: For breakfeast we have plain croissants with cheese and chocolate croissants for dessert, with tea. Lunchtime we always buy one long long long bread with cheese, tomatoes, salami, lettuce, and so on, and I eat from one end, Gillian from the other, and by the time we get to the middle, we're totally disgusted, 'cos we're so full, and decide there and then to go on a diet. In the evenings we go to the Bastille area, where there are loads of art galleries and caf�s. It's great, because we usually go in spring when it's still quite chilly in the evenings, and so they have these gas heating lamps outside the caf�s, so you can still sit outside. I find that so charming. Anyway, so we visit a few art galleries (Gillian has a fine eye for art), and sometimes we'll even buy a painting together - which means it hangs in her house for 6 months, then I take it for 6 months, and so on. And then, by about 21:00, we're ready for dinner. We look for the most obscure place we can find, because this is normally where the most fantastic cuisine is to be found. One particular evening we went through this tiny blue door (even I had to bend my head as I walked in!), and inside it was just wonderful! Turned out to be a seafood restaurant! We had the most wonderful fish there I have EVER tasted. And there was a guy sitting at the piano, singing really nice French songs - Piaf, and so on. Eve thing was just so warm and cosy and aromatic in there. And we had Cr�me Brul�e for dessert - also the best I've ever tasted. Somehow they had managed to get the hard bits of caramel on top to stand up like a little spiderweb roof. That was very impressive. If you go to the more commercial parts you also eat superb food, but the obscure places are absolutely fantastic. Anyway, so when we've finished eating in the Bastille area, we always walk to the Eiffel, which is a long, long, long way away, mostly along the Seine, to make our stomaches feel a bit better; and we buy a beer on the way, to drink in the park there while admiring the tower. It is magnificent in those big lights after dark. Oh, I get sick for the place just thinking about it!

Awesome, now that we've had that sumptuous verbal repast, tell us about the romance of Paris, s'il vous plait.

Now, that's a difficult thing to describe. It is a feeling you can't quite lay your finger on, you can't work out why it is there, but it's there alright, lingering ever so subtly in the atmosphere like perfume. I think it is the result of centuries of culture, art, music, architecture and natural beauty existing, evolving and growing together until they all fitted together perfectly in one single mould. That's the thing that struck me hardest about the place when I first got there - every part of it, however great or insignificant, just absolutely truly BELONGS there.

Would you ever consider living there? Or do you just like it as a place to visit?

I'd like to just say, yes, I'd love to live there. But I wouldn't, because I'm afraid to. I always wanted to come to Europe, and if somebody told me 10 years ago, that I would be living in Switzerland 10 years from then, I'd think myself the luckiest person alive. But that's not the way it works. I was very much disillusioned once the luxury of being abroad wore off, and reality took its place. And so I am afraid to go live in a place I find exotic, because I know at some point it will become just another city, just an ordinary life with an ordinary routine. It is inevitable. And so, no, I would not like to go live in Paris, because I never want to think of it without the longing, or the wanting to be there.

That's kind of like the way it is in Austin. This may be the ultimate place to live on the planet, but you get jaded to all of it by living here. But somehow I still remain in "beginners mind" about Austin, and I'm constantly blown away by my good fortune to get to live in this place. Have you been to the Eifel tower? If so, can you describe it?

The Eiffel Tower is like a magnet for every walk of life there is: tourists, locals, freaks, whatever. When we were there in '91 there were actually people hunger-striking around the base for better wages, benefits, etc. Who was this politically oppressed group? Driving school instructors. Socialized countries can be weird. The tower itself is ascended by elevator, and the top is mostly enclosed, with a platform surrounding it. Inside there is a fabulous panorama of Paris--there's the Trocadero, over there's the Marais district, and so on with all kinds of dramatic buildings everywhere (even the lowliest rat-infested building in usually constructed of, say, white marble). There's lots of interesting information inside, like the amount of miles/kilometres to zillions of cities in the world. We spent 5 hours up there for a cost of $10 each; what a bargain! There's nothing like it when the sun sets on Paris and you have the best seat in town.

Yes, when I first saw it, sort of from a distance, I thought: so what's the big deal here? It isn't that big or impressive. But we went there anyway. And it was absolutely huge. And when you stand underneath it and look up, you see the most beautifully structured, highest sculpture imaginable. It is just stunning.

How high up in it did you go? What's the elevator system like?

Check out my friend Bob Nagy's cool Paris France website that he just put together: http://www.botany.utexas.edu/Facstaff/stfpages/bnagy/France/France.htm

We took off for France on September 17th. We spent four days at the Concordia hotel in Paris. Among the places visited were, the Louvre, Fountainbleu, Palace Royale, Eiffel tower, Luxembourg gardens, Pere LaChaise Cemetery, George Pompideau Center, The Pantheon, Sacre Couer Cathedral and over 100 metro stations. We also visited our old "Honeymoon Hotel" which we stayed at during our 1990 visit. After four perfect days, we traveled south to Montpelier via TGV. There we were to meet two family friends ... Protestant missionaries..who were to help us get a hotel. They drove us out to Carcassone and also to a friend's vineyard. From there, we went to Avignon. From the swell walled city of Avignon, we took a day trip to Arles. In Arles, we took in the Roman Amphitheater and a great food market. In Avignon, we took the lengthy tour of the Papal Palace. From Avignon, we trained it to Nice. The coastal ride was magnificent. In Nice, I swam in the Mediterranean sea, and we visited the Marc Chagall Museum. We then to k the Private Chemin De Fer de Provence railway up into the High French Alps to the town of Digne Les Bains. Although we were unable to take in the baths lacking the required doctor's note , we did get to visit the wonderful Alexander David Neel Bhuddist museum. We spent three quiet days in "deen" as the natives call it. We then crossed the country back to Paris and spent another day there visiting the Catacombs and having our final night out. That consisted of dinner in a small cafe on the left bank...and a blissful concert of Chopin on a large Steinway in Paris' oldest church..a 12th century eastern orthodox church. The concert was by candlelight and beautiful Icons and paintings lined the walls in back of the pianist. We then took the metro over to say goodbye to the Eiffel tower...in the cool evening mist...and while walking back..happened upon the bridge where Princess Di left us. People were there late in the night..and flowers were all over. Next morning we flew back on Air France to Houston..hitchless s..

Great stuff! And folks should realize that your website is truly a "work in progress"; but the linsk that work contain some gorgeous shots.

I visited France last summer. I was on a two week bus tour around France, visiting Paris, Beaune, Lyon, Avignon, Nice, Monaco, St. Paul de Vence, Eze, Grasse, Nimes, Carcassonne, Lourdes, Biarritz, Bordeaux, St. Emilion, Dordogne Valley, Perigueux, Loire Valley, Limoges, Tours, Mont St. Michel, Normandy, Bayeux, Giverny, and back to Paris (on Bastille Day, which was exciting). We spent a few extra in Paris, after the bus tour. Provence is gorgeous, and I loved the hilltop villages and walled cities (Eze, St. Paul De Vence, Carcassonne, Mont St. Michel). I could have spent an entire day wandering around Monet's house in Giverny...the gardens and lily pond were amazing! Paris was a lot of fun. The gardens are lovely, and the architecture is very impressive. We went on a little Monet quest, visiting the Musee D'Orsay, the L'Orangerie, and the Musee Marmottan. It was fascinating to watch the artists at work in Montmartre. The food was wonderful, even though we ate in the hotels most of the time. I really wish I was able to remember more of my High School French (languages aren't my forte). I have to say that a bus tour is not my ideal way to travel, since you don't get much time in any one place. Then again, it was the only way to see so many things in a short time, and we met some wonderful people on the tour. Pictures from my trip can been viewed at http://world.std.com/~vbrown/p_fran99.htm

Carcasson! Did you dig for the Templar treasure? Sounds like you had a dream trip. I have all sorts of images in my head and have no idea how accurate they are. Probably not at all!

It was a wonderful trip, but we were exhausted by the time we got back to Paris. I went with my mom, our cousin Maria, and Polly. We all ended up getting colds at some point. Poor Polly threw her back out the day after the bus trip ended (probably from all the coughing), but she still managed to get out and do a few things in Paris. No, I didn't find the Templar treasure, but I really liked Carcassonne. Was that one of the places the Templars built? Funny, I didn't hear about that when we were there.

Oh yeah.....never read "Holy Blood Holy Grail"....huh?! Polly went to Paris??? I had no idea. I am delighted you all got to go, but not about her back! Sorry about that.

back when my dad was still in the army, we went to a ceremony in france and all i can remember is it was at a cemetary (world war, i think)

Bonjour. C'est Paul � Austin, au Texas. Nous avons eu une tr�s l�g�re pluie aujourd'hui. Je suis juste de manger le petit-d�jeuner, granola maison yogourt � la mangue. Je travaille sur spring.net, mon site et en ajoutant les r�seaux sociaux � celui-ci. J'esp�re que vous avez un beau jour, o� que vous soyez aujourd'hui. Msiou, est que la fa�on dont vous dire votre nom?

En France, qu'est-ce que vous utilisez pour la cr�ation de r�seaux sociaux? Social Bookmarking? Social Media? Quels sont vos sites Web pr�f�r�s que vous visitez tous les jours? Mon nom est Paul. Mon site est http://spring.net et je suis en train de trouver des sites de r�seaux sociaux d'autres pays qui sont tr�s populaires. Do you speak English?

Bonjour Siley Amstram pur cyber goujaterie. Je parle fran�ais plus facile que je ne l'�coute de fran�ais afin s�il vous pla�t pourriez-vous traduire ce que vous avez dit � l'anglais. Pourquoi est-ce vous les Fran�ais sont toujours entour�s de livres. Quels livres sont dans votre biblioth�que. pourriez-vous nous donner une visite guid�e, en anglais? S�il vous pla�t. Je suis Paul terry Walhus et vous pouvez en savoir plus sur moi sur Spring.net qui est mon site et blog. �tes-vous � la cr�ation de r�seaux sociaux, par hasard?