damn, i wish all keyboards were universal, but you cannot imagine how different this parisian one is. this will have to be short then, though i have so much i want to put here! well, i am in wonderful paris right now. this is actually my second time in paris, the last time i came was (gasp!) ten years ago with my french class in high school. (where does the time go?) but this may as well be the first time because i am just as awestruck by the magnificence of this city now as i was then. it is, without question, the most beautiful city in europe -- possibly the world. the old buildings here are really breathtaking: all gorgeous edifices and rounded rooftops, cute smokestacks -- everything. there is not an ugly street in this city. the food is great, the metro is immense, and the french are not that bad once you make an effort to speak their language. i wish i could call upon my high-school french skills now more than ever but, sadly, they have long atrophied from underuse. i have a handy phrasebook, but most people here speak english. they just like it when you try to speak french, it seems, they find it respectful, and then they switch to english for everyones benefit.

we got in midday yesterday, checked in to our hotel and then proceeded to walk to the eiffel tower, where pablo proceeding in conning me to take the stairs (rather than the lift) to the second floor in the tower. it seemed like we climbed thousands of stairs and only wound up about 30 percent into the height of the tower. we took the lift up the rest of the way and got a stunning view of paris, complete with great photos. i think it is about 80 stories high at the top. we then walked all around the city, though we hardly made a dent in it, it is so huge. today is more walking and a visit to the rodin museum. tomorrow morning holds a day trip to brussels for chocolate and mussels for lunch, then amsterdam in the evening. more later...