Like Anyplace Else ... Until It Isn't

Life in Paris is, regrettably, a lot like life everywhere else at times. You've got to clean the bathroom, go food shopping, wait for the cable guy, clean the bathroom. And don't get me started on dealing with the French bureaucracy; how you go about getting your monthly Metrocard here will make the subject of a whole other post, whenever I finally manage to get it.

But then you go out for a walk and, after just a few blocks, come upon something like this:


And you walk on some more and discover that on the left bank of the Seine they are having a festival featuring products of the south-west of France:



In this festival there are tastings of wine ...

... of ham ...


... and even of snails ...


And behind you is the cathedral of Notre Dame:



And suddenly it is all worth it.