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13 May 2008 CDG Aeroport with a 2-2 1/2 hour wait to board.

Having passed through security, spent the rest of our Euros in the tax free shop on food???, well the bottles were too big to meet the liquids requirement. Hell we had to drink our water and coke while we got our clothes back on. Go figure--the spread on the sandwich would make a better boom than a bottle of H2O.

Now that you have my rant lets get on with the real story. For starters lets talk about the passport check where the fellow checking Carol's did not look at her papers but he sure did look at me with this look on his face like, "now there is a couple who don't fit together!" Of course, neither of us said a word until we got around the corner then it was good for a hearty laugh. au Revoir. Playing dumb is often the smart way to operate if you know the meaning of gemutlickite.

I think we learned something this morning about getting laughs. It is always good to have a perfectly ridiculous question ask the people in a terminal. Today's doosy was, "Will we be out on the tarmac waiting for the plane if we go past this point?" After the gentleman caught on we all had a great laugh and he assured us it would be a most pleasant place to pass the time.

Yesterday, Monday, was a holiday in France and we decided to go to Rouen. It is the capital of Normandy and the location of the Notre Dame Cathedral that Monet painted over and over again in every kind of light and season. This city has a long history starting in the 3rd century, the cathedral was dedicated by William (the Norman who invaded England in 1066) before he was named "the conqueror." This Notre Dame has stained glass from the 13th century and every century thereafter. It was damaged by allied bombing in 1944 to the point where it was just short of a miracle that it remained standing to be restored.

One of the saddest events in history also occurred here. Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in Rouen and the location of the event is preserved which stikes me strangely as so many war memories have been altered or destroyed by later rulers wishing to cleanse their reputations. The fact that this one has not is a strong testament to the egregious injustice that was committed on this spot. This city is also the site where the hall of justice that declared her innocence about a year after her death is preserved as well as a museum in a radical architectural style to commemorate her place in history.

The trip out to Rouen was on a train that was almost empty. It was exactly the opposite on the way back. It was an experience to be packed in a hot train for the 1hr 15 min ride back to Paris on the Monday holiday. It was not pleasant. It was the kind of exceptional experience that people might use to justify their auto when all it was a short taste of beauty of mass transportation. I would call it a chance to experience the full range of transportation alternatives.

We will be boarding the plane to the USA soon. Time to have lunch. And so it was eating and drinking our complementary wine all the way to MSP. Then Fargo,

. . . gooodbye perfect excuse for poor proof reading, tomorrow. . .