Our very cool and wet summer weather continues, but now that it's almost August most people are leaving. A handful of local businesses closed from Bastille day through the end of August, but many that were open during the last two weeks are now closed. Steve and I attempted to find a dry cleaner yesterday morning and after finding three with signs on the door saying they are on vacation until the end of August, we gave up and resigned to having our clothes cleaned in September. I hope we don't need to buy flowers or a newspaper in the next month, because we'll be out of luck. So much has slowed down and it seems that the city is exhaling.
Today was the final day of the scandal ridden Tour de France and despite all the problems, I thought it was a very cool day. We arrived on the Champs Elysèes around 11:30am, met three friends and settled in about a block from the Arc de Triomph. We weren't early enough for the front row, but we were close. We spent the following five hours chatting with friends, walking around, eating lunch, and taking things in. Running late, the riders arrived about 5pm and took their eight laps. The first lap goes at a friendly pace and then the remaining seven are more competitive. We purposely settled near the Arc because we knew the riders would have to slow down to turn the corner and head back down the Champs Elysèes but they still were flying by and as you will see in many of my pictures, I had a hard time focusing. It seemed like it was over almost right after it started, but after watching for the last three weeks on TV I realize how hard the riders train and that making it to the end is a true achievement. It was just another day of me wondering how I got so lucky that I get to live in Paris.
