Photos and a confession

My collection of Paris photos is growing unwieldy, so I decided it was time to upload some of the better shots for your viewing pleasure. Captions may come with time. In other news, je quitte Paris next week for a retreat to Plum Village, a buddhist sahnga in the countryside near Bordeaux. Why? Because I need a break from the city. Yep, I need a break from the oh-so-enchanting, magical city of Paris. The vision most Americans have of Pah-ree is a bit too idyllic; in reality, it's a large, loud, international urban center, in which the daily struggle against beaurocracy, crowds, high prices, and sexually-aggressive Frenchmen can be exhausting and at times unpleasant. Which is to say that I've already developped something of a love-hate relationship with my new home. I often ask myself, "why did I want to live in Paris, again?". Some days it's fantastic, rewarding, everything I'd hope for... at other times it's frustrating or just plain ugly. I wish I could do a better job of conveying the other side, but it's usually not the sort of scenario where I can pull out my fancy digital camera and snap away. So here's the Paris that I can give you, the Paris that you're expecting to see...