Wee Wee or is that Oui Oui?

We had a great time in Paris and Brussels. The blog was ignored because the Internet connection was difficult and we were walking (sometimes running) to our various destinations. We had lectures on the history of French economics, French law, branding of luxury items (which included a tour of the Paris equivalent to Rodeo drive). Our "luxury" speaker was a French fashionista with the whole look and attitude to go with it. We were all impressed by his accent and stuffiness.

Joy and I did the two bit tour of Paris. We saw every major attraction- Eiffel Tower (at night), L'Orangerie, the Arc, Champs Ellysees. I went to the Louvre one afternoon- by myself, major feat (and major feet), while Joy went to Musee d'Orsay. Our well rounded tour concluded with the Notre Dame Cathedral (complete with another church service in French and a holy smoking that occurred during the veneration of the crown). There was so much incense and smoke, all I remember Joy saying is Holy Smoke! I had to duck because it was very funny and I didn't want to be disrespectful and laugh during the perfuming. I thought it was going on because the French were stinky? Notre Dame had some great statues, it even had one of my heros- Joan of Arc.

On our free day we took a long trip to Versailles. We got lost on the way and actually went on a 3 hour tour of the French countryside. It was like Gilligan's island in France. But we finally got to Versailles and enjoyed a lovely day strolling the countryside and Marie Antoinette's houses. These included a village of peasant homes and a farm, so she could "live like the commoners". However, her farm included a dairy to process the milk and then a separate house where she could taste the dairy products. How does a separate house for tasting equate to peasant life? No wonder why France revolted. Our visit would not be complete unless we ate 10 croissants each over the weekend with a cat named Phillis (in a neighborhood cafe). We got out of Paris just in time to miss the riots- all because Sarkosy became president. Trust me, we are grateful he won, now maybe France can move forward with their economy and stop their protectionist activities.

When we went to Brussels, we literally had 24 hours to stuff as much chocolate, waffles and pomme frites into our gullets between shopping and lectures. We also saw Mannekin Pis (the little boy peeing) and he was dressed as an African Warrior. I guess it is a big deal to buy him clothes. Meanwhile, we were watching homeless people begging. Something was wrong with that picture. However, we also saw the Grand Plas and rubbed some wall plaque for luck. We had no idea what we were rubbing, we just went with it. We went to the EU and had two lectures on EU history and the future of the EU. Then I toted 100 lbs of chocolate, tapestry and lace through various train stations until we got back to Cambridge. Whew..... I sprayed perfume on in one train station so I could smell just like a sweaty French person.

Today we had lectures on Multinational Corporations (my favorite so far) and NATO. Then we ran to Trinity to see the "secret" library before it closed. We actually saw manuscripts from a couple of 13th century Bibles and an original Winnie the Pooh draft, all at the same time... Ironic? Perhaps there is a theme there?

Who would have known that Christopher Robin and his father were both Cambridge Scholars? We also saw Isaac Newton's walking stick, manuscript and a lock of his hair. I took a mess of pictures and asked the docent if I could see a Milton manuscript, perhaps Dante's Inferno? He said, who is Milton? Is he a recent author?
Clearly not a Cambridge Scholar. However, he may have been a graduate of Redlands :)

Our day would not be complete without another church service. We went to Kings College Chapel for a choral service. The whole thing was stunning, the choir even sang, "Lord Bless the Queen", which got a chuckle out of Joy and I- at the same time. I was so moved I almost signed up to be a nun. Joy pulled me out of there and quickly got me into a pub where various scholars were known to hang out. The Eagle Pub was known for the scholars Crick and Watson, who stole the concept of DNA from a lady scientist (whose name I have forgotten).

After a 1 1/2 pints of Guinness, I didn't feel like being a nun anymore. We ate fish and chips and then staggered home. Tomorrow we go to Ely to see another cathedral. Perhaps I will take my vows then :) Can nuns drink Guinness? I haven't been to church this much since I was in high school.

I have a ton of pictures to post, but my crappy computer (my $150 toughbook) is running out of memory because I have almost 1000 pictures on it. Yes, I have an obsessive compulsive disorder with my trigger finger. The good news is, anyone who wants a DVD of pictures is welcome to it, just email me. And I am glad I have my toughbook because Joy tripped on the cord in our cramped Paris hotel room and it went flying. I have recently learned that Joy has a habit of falling up curbs, off curbs and on curbs. If the ground is uneven, Joy is stumbling. And it has nothing to do with all the wine and beer we are drinking. That is all for now... Mike and Dan hope you are surviving, we miss you both and no comments on my comma usage or lack thereof...