Stop off in Paris on the way to California

We lived in Poland for the last 7 1/2 months and we made our first home trip back to California, US, stopping in Paris on our way (need to see Paris if you get the chance, right?).

5 days in Paris and a whole lot of steps... we walked up (and down) Notre-Dame (422 steps each way), Eiffel Tower (668 steps each way), the Louve (who knows how many stairs, let alone walking all over), and the Champs Elysees (up and down the road several times).  We also saw the Arc de Triomphe, the Hotel Invalides, and the Akamai Paris office.  We used the bus and Metro to get around to different areas of Paris and enjoyed quite a few different restaurants/bakeries.

I think everyone had a pretty good time, when they felt well.  Melanie, Robert, and I had problems... not sure if it was illness or food adjustments (too many different/rich foods our bodies were not used to), but it puts a downer on the trip.

The trip to California (via Frankfurt) was pretty good, though Patrick was not feeling we most of the way.  Adjusting to the 9h time difference has been a challenge; I have been falling asleep at 8-9pm and waking up at 4-5 am... I am not an early-bird person.

Now we have a few weeks in the US and I will be working remotely half the time.  By the end of this trip, I will have adjusted to the time difference and need to adjust back to CEST.

Coffee and Lingerie

Krakow is still learning to be a major coffee drinker market.  There are a variety of coffee store brands in the mall and around the square (CoffeeHeaven, Tchibo, and Starbucks, along with a few others).  There are a few boutique coffee shops around, as well, but there are no "coffee stands" that I have seen anywhere.

Krakow is well into women's sexuality expression through very short skirts, nearly transparent blouses, and a significant number of lingerie stores all over the place.  (Yeah, I am old, but I am not complaining).

Coming from the Seattle area (home of Starbucks and hundreds of other coffee stands), I am very used to many different coffee experiences... including bikini and lingerie dressed baristas.

I was surprised to see a coffee store in the mall in Krakow that also SELLS lingerie/underwear.

Just another way to get all of your shopping done in one place, if you want coffee and underwear.