It's official - we're happy here in Paris

I've been to Paris many times in the past, but only once in the last ten years, and that was eight years ago. Since then, it's changed dramatically in its acceptance of gay culture. I don't recall the streets of the Marais being full of sidewalk cafes with cute boys spilling out on to the streets (the guys here are very good-looking I think), nor the wealth of stores and restaurants run by gay men. The Marais is kind of like London's Soho, in some ways - a similarly vibrant street-life. But in Soho, there's an undercurrent of heterosexual loutishness which is absent here, perhaps partly because it's just not as crowded as Soho, and there are more trendy stores and art galleries here, which makes the crowd more diverse. One thing is sure though, the San Francisco streetlife is going to seem awfully bland in comparison to either city.

The Louvre Pyramide near dusk. It looks a little artificial because I had to selectively change the contrast and brightness for the foreground.

When we arrived in Paris, we were both extremely tired, hot and hungry. Paris was even hotter than London had been, and, in truth, all I wanted to do was to crash. Jean-Marc picked us up at the station and, once we arrived at his flat, we debated how to plan the rest of the day. We compromised on an hour's rest for both me and Brett, then Jean-Marc would take Brett on a walk around the neigbhorhood, while I got an additional hour's rest (I'd only slept 90 minutes the previous night).

Our host, Jean-Marc. In taking some photos in this spot, I was posing Jean-Marc and Brett for a great photo (the photo looked great except for the fact that Jean-Marc had his eyes closed, and Brett looked dizzy). I backed up to frame them correctly, then fell over backwards as I backed into a small pillar. I snapped off my wrist-watch strap, and bloodied myself lightly in a couple of places. Most of all I just felt pretty stupid :)

When it was time for us to head out two hours later, I confess that I thought I'd have a miserable evening, because I was so tired, and still very hot. But Jean-Marc proved to be the best kind of host, in that he didn't make us conform to his agenda, but offered us the advantage of his familiarity with the city. We walked leisurely through some of the most famous Parisian streets, ending up in the Marais for drinks, and then dinner. At the bar, I tried something called a Mojito, which was something I didn't expect to like; a mix of gin and Perrier with sprigs of fresh mint. It was so delicious and refreshing - I'll have to try to introduce it to the States :)

In a bar before dinner in the Marais

City Hall at night

The view of the Eiffel Tower from our bedroom (make that Brett's bedroom)

This morning, we got up fairly late, and I felt fully refreshed, despite having slept on a line of sofa cushions on the floor of the sitting room. It was another hot day, so I passed on the idea of going for a run along the Seine. Instead, we headed out to the Quartier Latin with Jean-Marc. It was a beautiful day - hot, but with a delicious breeze coming off the river. Our first big tourist destination was Notre Dame. Unlike the cathedrals in London, you can take photos here, even during the service.

Inside Notre Dame

We spent the rest of the afternoon slowly wandering around, mostly in the Marais. It was becoming even hotter, but even so, I was happy just to idle around and enjoy the company of Brett and Jean-Marc, taking in the street-life, and looking through the occasional store or gallery.

A composite photo of classic Paris flats lining the Seine

Lunch in the Marais

Wandering the streets looking at stores, galleries and boys, in no particular order.