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relaxing in the shade I know that for the past few weeks I have been rambling on and on about my trip to Europe, but I do have a lot of emotional energy invested in this adventure. As obvious as it might sound, I want to get as much as possible out of this trip and I am hoping that some good planning on my part will increase the chances of that happening when I finally get there. I don't want all of my research to have been for nothing. Not only will this be the first time that I'll be going to Europe, but there are so many other things that make this trip different than the ones that I have taken in the past. First of all this is the longest trip that I have ever taken and I want to make sure that I that I don't waste any of my time. Oh, I've traveled before but never for that length of time in one outing. Last year it was a week in January out in California followed by a week in Nova Scotia in June. Then two years ago it was a week in Hawaii. This time I'll be gone for close to a month and I wish that it was even longer. I also refuse to believe that this will be the last time that I'll get to Europe. I hope to go back again even though I am thinking about going to New Zealand next year. ... After staring at a map of Paris for hours, I now know where most of the major attractions are located in relation to one another. I can easily point out where to find the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, the Sorbonne and Notre-Dame Cathedral. Now as to how many of these things I'll actually get around to seeing is another matter. What I do know is that we will probably not be seeing the Moulin Rouge or the Catacombs, because our time in Paris is limited. About the only thing that I know for certain is that we will be staying on the Left Bank southeast of the Eiffel Tower. Maybe in a couple of months I'll be able to say that I rode the Metro just like in the song by Berlin, except that I don't want a soldier sleeping next to me. A can can dancer might be okay, but a soldier is out of the question. Ugh. Suddenly I have an image of the Saturday Night Live skit where contestants are paired up with old French whores, one of which was Garth Brooks in drag. ... As often as I complain about the hot weather, I did take a few hours to sit outside this morning and it felt good sitting in the shade. Every so often a warm breeze would come by to keep me from falling asleep. ... Nicole was fairly quiet for most of the night, because she didn't get her usual nap. However by five in the morning when she was overly tired, she became extremely chatty and I got to hear some great stories about how how she was a terror for her parents when she was little. I doubt that she knows how much I get a kick out of these stories and I try to keep my fawning in check. She really is the highlight of my Friday nights.
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