MONDAY-Interesting stuff

Bamboo
I'm not sure what the climate is here, but lots of people grow it in doorways and balconies, and there're patches of it in parks.

Internet
You can't watch Netflix instant watch movies or listen to Pandora outside the US.


Asian Stuff
There are sushi restaurants and Chinese restaurants all over the place in the Latin district. Lots of shops selling fabric, housewares, and all sorts of Asian stuff. Seems like a craze here.


Bookstores
As my mother might say, you can't swing a dead cat in Paris without hitting a book store. There are chain ones sprinkled around, but tiny boutique ones everywhere. Specialty ones for polish lit, for medical lit, for antique books, you name it.


Orangina with pulp
Orangina is an orange soda drink. It's really got orange juice in it and in Paris you can get it with pulp in it (which I can't find at home), which is great. Orangina rocks. Drink Orangina.


Coke
Coke and Diet Coke always comes in a glass bottle here, with a glass with lemon. It rocks.


Street cleaning
There's these cool things in the gutters towards the tops of hills that blast water out at certain times for the sole purpose of cleaning the streets and gutters. There's always some dude helping it sweep down. Very clean city.


People are very friendly
Everyone we've interacted with in even small ways has been great. Not a turd in the bunch.


These people can dress
Everyone - everyone is at least engaged in fashion in some way, even if it's not your style. The vast majority of people are so well-dressed (and i'm not even saying expensive dress) it makes your coolest outfits feel a little dull. This will say it all: men here stop on the street to ogle shoes in shop windows. 'Nuff said.


Lots of little kids with eye-glasses
I don't know why.


Kids are very receptive to strangers
They're well-behaved for the most part and smile hugely and wave to strangers. Parents seem very good with this.


No salt at table
Usually you don't need any; the food is often just right. But not always.


No butter after breakfast
Now what the hell. This is probably the best butter on the planet and they make maybe the best bread. Why can we only get butter at breakfast? I think it's something they do to torture fat tourists who take pictures of their food with their cell phones.