The Eiffel Tower

It's maybe the most photographed landmark in the world, but hey, it's worth a try, right?  Here are a few unusual takes on the Paris classic.

Paris by Scooter

Paris is where fashion meets two wheels.  Parisians zip around on their Vespas, tourers, sport tourers, and Triumphs without compromising high fashion. Don't believe me?  Motorcycle shops in Paris retail peacoats with built-in crash protection and no one would be caught wearing a hyper-stenciled full facial helmet. It's all about subtle fashion and 3/4 helmet protection.  

Scooters and tourers are what you'll see most of... there are a lot of BMWs and Vespas making the rounds.  When it rains you just throw on a raincoat and a rain-apron and you're good to go.  Paris is huge, parking is a big issue, and while public transportation is good it can take forever if you're connecting through a couple of awkward lines.  Two motorized wheels solve that problem perfectly.

So utilitarian that you'd never be caught with one of these in the States.  Scooter, rain protection and even a mini-trunk on the back.

A classic.

More classic details.

Parking is crowded!

Vintage Hondas on the streets.

Triumphs and Transalps.

Paris Scrapbook

Many photos don't fit a category, or have a theme.  They are the awkward loners of the travelling photo collection.  All they have in common in Paris.

There's a glimpse of an old man on a balcony, leaning out through a window, seen through another window, and shot through a third window.  There are the fashion-forward greeting cards that tourists love, or pigs advertising themselves as food on restaurant signs.  There are glimpses of thousands of anonymous tourists walking through the halls of the Louvre, their shadows competing with those of the infamous glass pyramid for the camera's attention.

This is the Paris scrapbook.

Royal Paris

Was the American revolution inspired by Versailles?  A few of the founding fathers spent time in France, and it's likely they at least visited Versailles.  Were they disgusted by the way a royal family squandered the wealth of its people?  Were they inspired to built a nation in reaction to France (and England's) feudal traditions?

Versailles, and the Louvre, are among the most impressive architectural and artistic monuments in the world.  The scale and execution are breathtaking.  Every room is packed with masterpieces by the era's finest artists - examples of the most conspicuous form of consumption at the time.  

But with a little reflection the whole show is more than a little off-putting.  Here is a nominally Christian ruler of a nation, taxing his peasants more and more to build bigger and bigger monuments to himself.  Stop #111: Fresco of King Louis portrayed as Mars, conquering his enemies.  Stop #19:  Oil painting of King Louis portrayed as Mercury, advancing science.   Stop #45:  An enormous canal built in his backyard so King Louis could watch mock naval battles.  King Louis built the ultimate crib.

There are few places that can compare.  There are the Pyramids, built thousands of years before on the backs on slaves.  There are the thousands of terracotta warriors of China, commissioned by a Chinese emperor to fight wars in the afterlife, whose creators were buried along with the warriors to ensure that no successor could surpass his glory.  There are the Incas, whose rulers built elaborate palaces, covered in gold and gems to glorify themselves.  Those are also impressive.

But in defense of those other emperors, they did rule in the context of state religions that placed them at the center of the universe.  Imagine that for a second.  Louis, well, he was just another king ruling by divine rate among the many nation-states of Europe.  The root cause of his artistic achievements was an insatiable ego.  He did the opposite of what a ruler should do - rather than use his power to benefit his subjects, he used his subjects to glorify himself.  To really grasp Versailles you have to place it in the context of a poverty stricken country.  Per capita income in 17th century France was less than a dollar a day.  Imagine Versailles in the Republic of Congo.  Imagine the character of a person who could extract those kind of sacrifices from his people.

So, despite the beauty, my personal experience as Versailles was a melancholy one.  Let's raise a toast to megalomania and teach our children that it's national culture.

Fast Food, Paris

It's hard to understand how the French aren't much, much fatter.

They certainly aren't skinny because of the food.  For folks who think that fast food is the real culprit when it comes to America's weight issues, well, try Paris' take out.  It has just as much salt, just as much fat, and is even more delicious.

Crepes with bananas and Nutella.  

Baguette, oversized sausage, and lots and lots of cheese.

France's version of ABP (ironic?)  The egg tart is a good hot alternative to salads and sandwiches.

French sandwiches usually like to combine small amounts of very flavorful ingredients.  Some of the staples include sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts and salty cold cuts.

The flavors and combinations here remind me of a place called Appleton's in Boston's South End.  Lots of fresh and flavorful ingredients on fresh baked bread.   Would be a delight to have these all over the US.

Here you have a choice of foie gras, smoked salmon with herb sauce, or prosciutto with feta.