Category: Fourre-tout

The Seine, is a 777 kilometers (483 mi) long river originating 30 kilometers (19 mi) northwest of Dijon in northeastern France. It flows through Paris and eventually ends into the English Channel.
The Seine has been sung by countless troubadours through the ages and is one of the most romantic rivers in the world. It is usually a peaceful navigable waterway (often favored by seagulls and swans) that seldom causes any problem.

But due to relentless rain, last week the level of the river rose to 6.1m (20ft) above its normal height overnight, and bridges were closed and boats were banned from going through.

There are 37 colorful bridges in Paris over the Seine River, some (le Pont Neuf) dating back to 1607.

Less than 2 weeks ago I took a cruise on the river to re-acquaint myself with the iconic sites of the French capital, never thinking for a minute that this would become impossible in the following days.

But the unimaginable happened. The level of the water reached the waist of the Zouave statue on the Pont de l’Alma, indicating that it was indeed in a flood condition.

Much of the art in Paris is kept in underground storage rooms and the Louvre museum bordering the river scrambled to evacuate its priceless pieces of art.

Since 2002, an event called Paris-Plages has been held every summer on the Paris banks of the Seine. It transforms for a short time the paved banks of the river into a sandy beach with facilities for sunbathing and entertainment.

It will undoubtedly happen again, but for the time being the banks are under water and forlorn lovers are desperately seeking different romantic locations for smooching sessions.

From my own experience, the Luxembourg garden is a good alternative.

Alain

PS: Like the Hudson river, the Seine is also a popular site for both suicides and the disposal of murder victims bodies.

To look at photos of this event and listen to the accompanying background music, turn your computer’s sound on, and click on the link “My Photos” located on the right side of this page. For best viewing, go Full Screen.

The goal of a businessman is to sell his products. And not just once.
To be successful a business needs repeat customers, and a repeat customer is basically a satisfied customer.

But how does a company know that his customers are happy?
To survive and flourish, a business needs a window to the outside world. And today this window is a website where it can show and promote its products.

One of the essential component of a good website is a communication channel. If a customer is dissatisfied, he wants the merchant to know it (at least I do). If he cannot express his unhappiness, he will never shop there again.
Amazingly many websites lack such an outlet.

The duty of a consumer (yes, consumers have to play their part) is to let a business know when he is dissatisfied. If he unable to do such a thing, he will get sore and bitterly badmouth the offending business.

To prevent such a thing, an organization needs to have a listening post, and be responsive. A mollified customer is usually a return customer.
A thoughtful website should also publish comments, good AND bad. And be truthful about it.

What prompted me to write this little piece is my experience with an ascending outfit called AirBnB.
AirBnB promotes worldwide the subletting of private rooms or apartments to travelers who want the comfort of home away from home. It has a glossy website full of appealing photographs and highly favorable comments.

I found the pictures and the description of the facilities advertised on the site to be highly questionable. Out of the 3 locations that I rented, I found 2 to be subpar.
The bathroom and the toilets of these flats would be laughable and totally unacceptable in the US.

I posted critical comments about these two places on AirBnB; they were never published. This leads me to question the veracity of all the other suspiciously favorable comments.
Personally, I am doubtful that I will ever use this outfit again. Especially in Paris.

If a landlord (and the outfit that sponsoring him) is playing fast and loose with the facts, he is to be confronted and exposed.
If it hurts, don’t sulk; complain, LOUDLY (especially on a social media)!

Alain

Hola amigos, que tal?

I am back.
After a 120 kilometers marathon (I kept track) and with my camera bursting with1500 snapshots, I am back to my old stomping grounds.

On my unpaid sabbatical I went to Barcelona (Spain that is), a hilly city that requires some exertion.
If you take your car to go to the grocery store around the corner, this city might be a little challenging for you. It was for me and my calves are still sore, but on the plus side I lost at least six pounds.

Tourism you should know is not for the faint-hearted. It requires some stamina and mainly that outmoded thing that Americans used to do before Henry Ford sweet-talked them into using his confounded jalopy instead.

Nowadays I am a little weary of big cities but I couldn’t help falling head over heels for that marvelous urban municipality.
It has everything that American cities don’t have, namely green oases with various watering spots where the local population congregates and perorates late into the night.
Do we have anything close to that in Marin County or even San Francisco?
A sorry emphatic NO!

In America, we have lost our ways. As the French would say now it is mainly “metro, boulot, dodo” (subway/highway, work, sleep).
The Barcelonians also have a subway, but they spent most of their time in outdoor cafes.
If I would be running for president, I would skip the usual demagogic rubbish and promise a local plaza (with a least three Tapas spots) for every neighborhood. I would win the nomination hands down.

Back to subway… Most or all the stations in Barcelona have escalators, and elevators for handicapped people to boot. The subway also allows dogs, cumbersome baby carriages and bicycles. As a matter of fact, I have no idea what you cannot take into the Barcelona subway.

The curse of tourism is tourists. And Barcelona has millions of them. I think that the tourists outnumber the locals by at least 2 to 1.
Tourists, especially guided groups are the bane of vacationers. There are large, slow, mindless.

A good tourist is a childless (leave the brats at home), low-key, mute individual. He does not talk, doesn’t stop where he shouldn’t and speaks only when spoken to. And he absolutely should avoid carrying a selfie-stick.

I trekked of course, to all the holy sites: La Familia Sagrada (ugly outside, breathtaking inside), the Casa Battlo, the Mercato de La Boqueria, La Barceloneta, but my favorite spot was the Gothic Quarter where you can stroll leisurely through its narrow streets for hours.

What makes Barcelona so endearing is its human quality. It is a city made by people for people. It is also always in a festive mood. Drums and music can erupt anytime. Old, young, dogs mingle seamlessly.
When you sit in a cerveceria, nobody rushes you. You can sit for hours with a single beer or a small tapa without anybody hassling you.

Every American should go to at least once to Barcelona. They would learn to enjoy life instead of bearing with it.

Hasta luego chums!

Alain

PS: To look at photos of this event and listen to the accompanying background music, turn your computer’s sound on, and click on the link “My Photos” located on the right side of this page. For best viewing, go Full Screen.