The on-line reading is intensifying as we prepare for our trip, which will include 10 days in Paris. Lennie and Doug average 0.5 visits between us – a first for Lennie and the first one intended for pure enjoyment for Doug. His only visit was a five-day whirlwind fly-through in 1991 with Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi and the aforementioned John Marino, who then was Matra Transport’s North American marketing man. Between meetings at Matra’s HQ in Montrouge in the southern suburbs and a fast-train trip to Lille to ride the city’s well-regarded VAL Automated Urban Metro system (Frank loved the ride, but Matra lost the contract), there was about half a day to see Paris. This trip will be different.
Thanks to the on-line journal of a Floridian who travels to Paris annually with her husband to spend the entire summer, we’ve been able to view the actual apartment building we’ll be in later this month. A remarkable web site mentioned in her journal allows the web surfer to enter the address of any street in Paris (or in another eight French cities). When you do, up pops a photograph of whatever is at that street address. You can click to view the next-door addresses left and right, and across the street, and up and down the block. Multiple mouse clicks allow you to “walk” your way the entire length of the street – any street! Just amazing. The URL can't be posted here, but a Google search that includes Wanadoo and Paris surely will find the site. The photo posted today shows our apartment building, and we can't wait to get there.
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