Paris 6.28.09

Today Amanda and I had a dream-like day a la Paris, and I have already captured some of it on video and would like to share it avec toi. The first part of the video is at our hotel, then we go to Notre Dame and accidentally caught mass! Then we saw the Roman ruins underground and headed to the Latin Quarter (#39 is Ernest Hemingway's old apartment). Then we went to the Luxemburg Gardens (the French senate meets in the building), and then we walking around outside la Lourve.

Basically we're having the times of our lives. Because the video is long (7 minutes) it may take a while to load, and you may need to pause it once it starts to let it load. I will probably make more of these videos as the trip goes on, but being fascinated by la technologie, I had to share.


Here is the link if the embedded video is too slow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqnrL4dL1s0

Au Revoir, Mes Amis!

Tonight I am leaving for Paris, so pardon moi if I do not post much over the next week. Maybe Brad will come back to fill your PTIPS needs? Just kidding, it's not an election year; Brad won't be back until 2012. Anyways, I found this picture today and thought it was funny (and useful)!

France Considers the Ban of Burkas

The president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, said "The problem of the burka is not a religious problem. This is an issue of a woman's freedom and dignity. This is not a religious symbol. It is a sign of subservience; it is a sign of lowering. I want to say solemnly, the burka is not welcome in France," Sarkozy told lawmakers.

(source)

In 2004, the French parliament passed legislation banning Muslim girls from wearing headscarves in state schools, prompting widespread Muslim protests. The law also banned other conspicuous religious symbols including Sikh turbans, large Christian crucifixes and Jewish skull caps.