Slow Down

9.37am. Train station, Paris, France.

Paris is wonderful. I have very much enjoyed this city, perhaps second only to London which is fortunate as that is where I will spend the next three weeks. I speak a little French (enough to tell the girl at the ticket counter that she was very pretty, although I might have said "you is very pretty." Either way, while giggling, she said something back in French that I didn't even get close to understanding. I think it was "Will you marry me?" but alas, I had to catch a train.) I ate two or three chocolate tarts a day, but they are like really small pies so its ok, its like having six 100 calorie packs and saying "Oh but they are only a hundred calories." Same situation. I got to see Andrew and Alex this time! We had a great dinner (I again had the steak with an omelette on top), crepes, drinks, and great conversation. I know everyone has said that we have the best friends so I wont say it, but we do have the best friends. Big party when we get back!

Italy was no France, but still pretty cool. Florence was by far my favorite, perhaps because we had anna to show us around and take us to all the cool places. We went out with Anna, her roommate Coco and her friend Khaki (I know) to a very nice Florentine restaurant, in Florence. Being a red-blooded, Friends of W, God Bless America American, I looked for the steaks. I was delighted and surprised to find a blueberry steak. Despite its vague name, its merely a quality steak covered in a very thick, deeply blue blueberry sauce. Tal: I'm cooking this for house dinner when we return. Just as good no doubt. After dinner we headed to the Ponte Vecchio for some quality live music including thickly accented versions of DMB and Sting. The scene that unfolded on the bridge was one of things where you just knew you were witnessing greatness.

Around 200 or so people were just hanging out, listening to music, and being very romantic on the bridge. Along comes an upbeat song and up stand the dancers. The first was terribly, even disgustingly, Euro. Big ol aviators (at night mind you), slicked back grease-hair, fancy embroidered shirt that almost looked like a thrift store pearl snap, and of course tight blue jeans. Now the blue jeans weren't just jeans, on the right leg, in large white English was written "SLOW DOWN." Thats Euroclassy if I've ever seen it. Character two: slightly larger, perhaps moderately larger, wonderfully American woman in an uncomfortably see through-ish bright green shirt. You know where this is going. So Eurostar is pulling out all the stops, swaying those skinny hips and pretending that slicking his hair back is indeed another dance move. Its not. Please keep in mind there are maybe 5 people dancing, an old couple, the aforementioned, and then a snaggletoothesque randar: doing her own thing and totally content to be dancing. So Green Shirt is making her way towards Slow Down in an awkward, half dancing, half walking, wholly unrythmic way. She gets over there and they begin to dance together with the crowd feeling every move, some with ooo's and aahhh's, and some moves can only evoke laughter. Thencomes what we've all been waiting for: the kiss. Think of a wonderfully romantic moonlight kiss on the bridge in Italy between two young lovers: this was NOT that. At all. They are dancing and Green Shirt leans in close and goes right for the lips. She doesn't quite have the smooth landing we all dream of, unfortunately. She manages to hit Slow Down's lips at which point he turns his head and ramps up the dance moves, aka slicks his hair. The crowd loves it! Gasps and applause ring out, either for Green Shirt's brazenness on Slow Down's cool pants. Either way it was awesome, and time for me to dance. Nothing as exciting as their saga, but Khaki asked if anyone would dance up there with her, and I didn't see any reason to not live the dream. Khaki and I jumped in with GS and SD and totally spiced things up, to the crowds approval. Youre only young once right? Pictures to come, I promise. Anna, if feel I have erred either by comission or omission at any point, please let me know.


But as for now, thats as far as our story goes. Until the next time,

aaron