I have had over 20 years of marriage.  Ours is one of the better unions that I know of.  A good part of that is the 4 C’s.  Caring, Consideration, Compassion and Compromise.  That Compromise thing came up today.

I have avoided a return trip to the Louvre for over 40 years.  The last trip was probably, but not certain, with Ed, Kate and the Trollope of the month back around 1970.  If so, I am sure there was a real good chance that we had been asked to leave, like we were so many other places back then.

(kate has since informed me that it had to do with someone climbing into Napoleon's bed and demanding that the sign say "kate and napoleon slept here.  talking about ugly americans.)

Paris in February has 1.7 million visitors.  Of that number, over 2 million of them visit the Louvre.  It can be a mass of humanity, pushing and shoving to see that one painting that everyone thinks they must to see.  Despite the prohibition of flash's, rooms like the Madonna room have more flash’s going off than when the paparazzi are trying to get a shot of Lindsay Lohan’s crotch. As you look as these, just imagine the high season with over 5 million tourist a month.

There are parts of the museum that have few people and some great art.  But how much of the 3 M’s, Massacre, Misery, and Mayhem can you look at.  I am all for naked women, but after awhile even boob’s get boring.  Not to mention virgins.  I have never cared much for virgins, much less virgins with baby’s. And that guy that is always laid out, you know, the flat Jesus. (I know I will probably burn in hell, but since it is not my hell I am not to worried). Don’t get me wrong.  I think everyone should visit the Louvre.  But for me, once would have been fine.

After pulling the thorn of the Louvre out of my side, it turned into a great day.  One of those days, despite being chilly and overcast, reminds me of why I love Paris.  A nice coffee under heaters watching the world go by.  Where else can you watch the Classique Metropolitain string ensemble play in the Plaza Colette while an artist’s sketch’s them.

We strolled away from the thorn in my side to the 1st Add neighborhood to find a local café/bar/brassiere.  Almost any you wander into in these areas is good, but some, like this one was excellent!!! There are only 2 people working this full house operation.  For those of you have constantly quote how mean the French are, having never met a Frenchman in your life, this is one of the many daily examples that prove you wrong.  They could not have been nicer or more attentive, despite our non-existent French and them having a full house.  And, no, they don’t just like us for our money, because I am sure that you have heard time and time again that we are broke and that Europe is worse.  They are right on the first, but wrong on the second. Europe is no where near the financial state we have got ourselves into.  Oh yea, and they all have socialized medicine.

We have extended our stay already.  We are now talking about not coming for less than a month at a time.  I love this place.

Today ,in Paris, we met a very interesting American named Jim Meyers. Jim had lost his legs well above the knees some 20 years ago.  In America at that time he was surprised to find there was little to no support or medical programs for prostheses for a double amputee.  Mayo had a new program but he could not get in.  So, he went about his life dealing with it as he was.  During his first move to Paris soon after he lost his legs he met a French doctor that knew of a program at hospital outside Paris.  The hospital, the name I forget, said they could help him. For 22 weeks they worked with him everyday.  10 weeks of physical fitness alone.  To use two prostheses above the knees takes a tremendous amount of physical strength.  They set him up with other patients, with an interpreter, to discuss their success or failure with the program. The biggest problem was for the hospital to figure out how to bill him.  Socialized medicine you know and as non-resident he did qualify.  In the end it cost him $11,000 for the whole thing. Whether he was able to pay was never a condition of treatment or mentioned.  Just one fake leg in the U.S. was $15,000 and they did not even tell you how to put it on for that price.

So, when people talk about socialized medicine or “Obamacare” (Just ask one what the real name of the bill is.  They no more know the name of the bill or than is really in it.) this is a true story of a true American. Stories of this nature we have heard many times from French, Italians, Swiss, Germans, etc. But this is a American from St. Pete, FL.

He claims Paris is the most handicap friendly city in the world and he has lived in lots.  I think it is more his attitude and the attitude of the people in the city more than access to every nook or carney in town.

 

This a beautiful city; beautiful people; beautiful art.  But I ain’t hanging this on my wall.....