Paris, etc., part 6
The morning was bright and clear on our last day in Quimper. We walked over to the old city and walked around. The cathedral was closed, which was a shame as the sunlight would have been beautiful inside. As I looked at the complicated system of canals, I wondered if you could extract any data about a culture’s attitude towards democratic ideals and social management from the differences in design of such things.
The rain came and went, and we took refuge at tables in squares. The wet pavement made for nice light when the sun came out again. Crepes for lunch at a little blue restaurant where the waiter, who was otherwise very friendly, expressed horror at the idea that anyone would want another minute to decide on their meal.
Back to the hotel to pick up our luggage, and then onto the long-haul TVR to Paris. Luckily we scored a compartment with big comfy seats so the journey was very pleasant. We even had sandwiches in the food car, ourselves sandwiched in between a group of laughing young French people and a morose, dreadlocked black man in a cool hat.
Once in Paris we got on the metro and made our way to our stop, got conflicting directions from a couple of local girls, and finally made it to our apartment, where we were met by Fred, who is also staying here. The area’s a bit run down, but full of trendy bars surrounded by mobs of young people. Later we went out to meet some of the other BME folks and others, and I met Don Hudson, Jason Penner, Justin Vogel, Kramer O’Neil and many others for the first time, and it’s always interesting to meet people you’ve only interacted with online for many years. There was a lot of talk and handshakes and wine, and then we were outside to catch the last train.
