My week in Paris in pictures
Note: If you leave a comment on this post on Facebook, I probably won’t see it for a week or so. I’ve been staying off Facebook, lately.
This is the Google office in Paris. One thing I can tell you about Paris is they don’t skimp on stateliness. I’ve been here for a week, and I don’t think I’ve seen one building yet that is anything below regal. 
At one point, Jeff, Kevin, and I were struggling to find a free conference room to meet in, so we were forced to meet in this ballroom. I know. Ridiculous, right? I mean, why would you force employees to get together in such a hovel and not, at the very least, provide butlers to keep refreshments coming for everyone? Come on, Paris, get it together!
My second night in town, I came across this bit of graffiti. It’s not the news that fake – it’s just the Times.
They keep this little church nestled on the hilltop. It’s an out-of-the-way place you might miss if you didn’t know to look for it. They call is Sacre Coeur, which is French for something.
Don’t bother trying to find it. It’s a real insiders-only destination. 
The third night in town, I went out to eat with my CaTs teammates and the engineering team at a place that served giant hunks of beef. I mean, yes, we took exception to being called giant hunks of beef, but I understand that objectification is a little less frowned upon here.
On day four, since we knew we had a late meeting, Jeff, Kevin, and I spent the morning taking in the sights. I just couldn’t get over the way there were beautiful things in every nook and cranny. In a perfect world, the eyes on this portrait would slide away and be replaced with real eyes, Scooby-Doo style.
Honestly, it’s like they have so many beautiful things in Paris, they can just leave them sitting around in the middle of the road. 
But then even the middle of the road, itself, is a beautiful thing.
We visited the Musée des arts et métiers, a really cool 200-year-old museum dedicated to showcasing the history of science and technology. I was profoundly moved by some of the ancient devices I saw, and I’m sure that the kids who were being shown a VCR and having the way the VCR worked explained to them felt just as humbled by that as I was by this ancient computer. Fact: There is a picture of me next to a Minidisc, which I still think should’ve been the future.
Imagine if this were your evening’s entertainment. “SPIN IT AGAIN!” I’m sure there was someone who was trying to figure out how to create a pre-roll ad.
The last night in town, Kevin took me to see a hottie from my past. She, my wife, and I spent many nights together. It was the turn of the century, and we were young, open-minded, and willing to read subtitles.
This was a French comedy, so we’re still trying to figure it out.
It’s been a pretty great trip. You’re not so bad, Paris. I’ve got one more day, so I’m going to try to get out and see some more cool things before I go.
