Things we've noticed along the way

We've now been here over a week and there are a few things we thought you'd like to know. More than anywhere else we've been the French are in Love with food, the idea of food, and of course, eating. There is a restaurant every few meters on every street and it is not unusual that they will all be busy at all hours of the day and night. Of course, all this attention on food has produced some of the best on the planet, so why not. California may have banned foie gras, but the French know better. Foie Gras is something that is essential to life and to ban it is just stupid.
Fashion is their life and some even have T-Shirts that proclaim such. Our weather has been nearly ideal; no rain, mostly cloudy (but bright), temps in the mid 70s and a light breeze blowing at all times. Paula and Duane wear smart long pants (We can tell they are smart because they don't talk back) and T-Shirts. . . That is all. To that the Parisians say "Ha! You silly Americans know nothing about fashion and looking good!" Even in the heat of the day most natives are out and about in long pants (Of Course) a shirt or blouse, a sweater or jacket (Sometimes even a vest) and an oh-so-fashionable scarf wrapped around their neck. Just the thought of all these layers of clothes makes Paula pass out. Paula is near heat exhaustion at most times anyway, even in her T-Shirt.
Walking about in Paris is much safer than In Rome where your life is constantly in danger from the speeding motorscotters. Here it is much more civilized, but it still requires attention. There are lights all over the place and people obey them part of the time. We have found that by putting an elderly woman between you and the oncoming traffic is surefire way to avoid getting run over. So far this has worked every time.
As you all know, in Arizona we live in a protected (Homogenized) community of "Old White Farts" . . .Our only diversity exists between the generations born in the 1930s, 1940s, and the 1950s. We allow no other people. You can visit us but you cannot stay if you don't fit. Here, we are overwhelmed by the absolute and complete diversity. Seriously, everyone is here! Young, old, whitish, brownish, yellowish, reddish and some pale people (We don't know who they are?). And they all seem to be getting along famously. There are the orangish people, but we think they've just applied the wrong self-tanner. Either it is a result of a month on the beaches in the south of Spain or there are a lot of people (Mostly women) who are the strangest color of tan, that need a better tanner.