Merry Christmas

Greetings from Paris!

I am exhausted right now from only having two hours of sleep last night. Nonetheless, I had a wonderful Christmas Eve with some friends in Barcelona. We ate great food and enjoyed each other's company. It was beautiful; I love when you create your own fun.

I am in the lobby of the Vintage hostel, taking advantage of the free WIFI they offer. Paris is about 40 degrees, with a crisp breeze. I visited Place de Vosgues and walked along the Rue de Bastille today. Place de Vosgues was like the Madeline illustrations come to life, I was so excited to see that Paris is really covered with vines (sometimes).

Okay this isn't a real update. I just wanted to write something from Paris on Christmas.

Before I peace out though, here's a little anecdote so you can feel aquainted with the French...

I went into a convenience store to buy some water. In French (of course) the man told me that the price was 1 euro. I then responded in English, "I don't speak French." He laughed and said in English, "Well I don't speak English... But you should speak French." That's when I offered, "castellano?" Smiling as though he understood everything he gushed out, "ohhh you're Spanish!" Instead of trying to explain myself to this shopkeeper, trying to explain the fact that I am not Spanish but an American living in Catalunya who speaks Spanish, I settled for a simple, "sí." That seemed to make him happy because we talked for a brief moment about the rivalry between Madrid and Barcelona, he communicating with his broken English and me responding to him in Spanish. I told him that I didn't like Madrid as much as Barcelona, that I felt more connected to Barcelona. This guy must have known something about the situation between the two provinces and the bilingualism that characterizes Barcelona because he understood me when I started talking to him in Catalán. If anyone has pride in their language, it's the French.

Anywho, that short conversation ended in Catalán from me, with a simple "molt bé, adéu," and
"au revoir" from him.

Merry Christmas to my friends and family around the world. Know that someone in Paris is thinking about you.