Some of you may be wondering what happened to that French guy. The day after our date, I told him that I could not see him anymore. That was about two and half weeks ago. But I called him again yesterday because he's a pretty cool guy and I wanted to be just friends. It is odd how difficult it was to explain that concept.
I met up with him and his friend on the Pont des Arts, a bridge connecting the Louvre and the Academie Francaise. It is a pedestrian bridge, and from it you can see from the Eiffel tower to the Hotel des Villes. Imagine all the lights of Paris glittering off the Seine, while groups of people sit on the bridge, playing music and drinking wine. His friend played the guitar: the Beatles, jazz, blues, Spanish and French songs, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin. It is the custom for strangers who like what you're playing to come and join the circle for awhile, share some cigarettes or wine, and then move on. We met mostly French people, but also a group of American girls from Virginia. Imagine the bridge lined with groups of people with guitars, playing music, singing, dancing, smoking, drinking, and having a wonderful time. It is normal for the men to call out to the girls, trying to talk to them, etc.; it is just how things are done here. With that group of American girls (who were shocked when I started speaking English, because I can fake the French for awhile), I acted as translator. Many tourists in bike tour groups came through in the beginning, and the French guys call out at them because they are so noisy and obviously not part of the scene. I started to learn how to play the guitar: just a couple of chords, but I'll practice them for next time. Nothing like being taught to play an instrument in French.
Overall, it was an incredible experience that I hope to repeat soon.
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