Post-France Reflection

I loved Paris. But the Parisians are another ballpark.
The culture is so interesting - Parisians are very fashionable, and I think they know it. Many, not all, walk around a bit arrogantly, actually. And man purses are everywhere! But not just any purse - it must be designer. You know, Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton. Get ready, America. Our sports-crazy men may soon be using man purses. Hey, it could happen.
The cafes are eveywhere - people have cafe (coffee) every afternoon, without fail. There are so many bakeries, so many breads, and so much ham and cheese. The food was great.
But the metro SMELLS. As told by Leslie, the French do not regard bath a daily activity like many Americans do. In fact, when her family hosted a French student, he went a week without bathing, believe it or not. But they walk, jog, and sweat, and then they put on clothes - no shower needed. And we experienced the evidence first hand.
The other thing that I noticed in Paris was the high populations of Africans. I think I remember learning a little about this in one of my Poli Sci classes, but Leslie and I were talking about the issues that France has with immigration - very similar to Arizona's border issues with Mexico. It was interesting to see that our countries clash politically, but are having similar domestic problems. Hmm.
And the lines in Paris! SO LONG, tourists everywhere, the city was just absolutely inundated with visitors from other countries and other areas of France. I could not believe it. But that is not the first place we would experience that.