just keep walking

Paris is without doubt the most confusing city I have ever been to. Even when I orient myself with a map, pointing to North and South, I take a few steps and am somehow immediately lost again. Something about being on the opposite side of the world, not having an ocean nearby, and having street signs either missing or hidden on the walls of buildings. Fortunately, I am not alone in this confusion, and the Parisians must be aware of my naive tourist knowledge, as there are maps on every other street corner, as well as friendly policemen scattered about. [And friendly musicians...one of whom creeped me out so much that I had to pretend to get a phone call so that I could run away as fast as possible, despite not knowing where the nearest metro was.] Anyway, what is good about the intersections that have seven entrances and the streets that never line up parallel or perpendicular is that the confusion forces us to walk well out of our way and often unknowingly make circles. Which helps us to walk off the nutella crepes and fromage-this and baguette-that from the past day's meals. Which helps us to stay fit. Because you wouldnt think I could eat bread, soup, fish, apple tart, bread, two crepes, soup, bread, and probably more bread... and still fit into my pants. but alas, do as the parisians do. Even the metro is a bit of an excursion when you must hurriedly join the crowd of people up and down stairs and on those freaky moving walkways to get to the next bus, on which you might need to have more than a light grip in order to prevent falling into your neighbor's lap as the train jerks to a stop or start.

Yesterday my camera decided to end its life in the Monmartre cemetary. [Ironic??] As I leaned through the bridge's gate to snap a perhaps not-so-respectful shot of the amazingly grande tombstones, I failed to realize that as I kept walking, my hand would inevitably hit the pole of the gate, causing my fingers to lose their grip, and therefore toss my camera into the depths of...a cemetery, where it lost its screen life and knocked out a small bulge at its base. So I can still take pictures, but just not see what I am snapping in the shot. Oh well. Perhaps we will get some surprising photos that turn out even better than before!. But seriously- my camera died in a cemetery. I still think its a great story. La fin.